The Latest Ryegrass Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial

The lack of green feed in winter and spring is still a factor limiting the improvement of production performance in herbivorous livestock. To solve this problem, using idle winter land after the autumn harvest to plant ryegrass is an important approach for developing herbivorous livestock in the Huaibei region. Ryegrass generally yields about 3000 kg of fresh grass per mu, with a maximum of up to 5000 kg. Its stems and leaves are tender, nutritious and highly palatable. Nutritional composition: crude protein 4.93%, crude fat 1.06%, nitrogen-free extract 4.57%, calcium 0.075%, phosphorus 0.07%. Among these, the crude protein and crude fat content is 3 times higher than that of local weeds.

Characteristics of Ryegrass

Ryegrass is an annual grass-family forage with strong adaptability, high yield, and tolerance to alkali, poor soil and cold; it resists pests and diseases, tillers abundantly, has strong regrowth capacity, and has relatively high water and fertilizer requirements. Therefore, flat land with fertile soil and higher organic matter content must be selected for planting, and it must have convenient drainage and irrigation, in order to achieve high yields.

Land Preparation

1. Shallow plowing to clear stubble. After autumn crops such as cotton, sweet potato and soybean are harvested, plow once shallowly to turn out the residual roots left in the field by the previous crop, so as to facilitate fertilization and restore soil fertility. Shallow plowing accompanied by 1--2 harrowings can preserve soil moisture and remove stubble, preparing well for fertilization and deep plowing.

2. Apply sufficient base fertilizer. Because ryegrass has a high grass yield and requires more nutrients, sufficient base fertilizer must be applied. The fresh grass yield of ryegrass is closely related to the amount of fertilizer applied. Generally, apply 5000 kg of farmyard manure, 40 kg of superphosphate and 25 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per mu. Break up the farmyard manure and spread it evenly; scatter the chemical fertilizer along the furrow and bury it in the soil as the plow goes down.

3. Deep plowing and fine harrowing. Plow to a depth of 20-22 cm to loosen and mature the topsoil, which benefits ryegrass root growth and increases the roots' ability to absorb water and nutrients. The field must be plowed to the end and to the edge, with no upturned furrow slices. Harrow while plowing; manually break up any large clods to achieve fine soil and a level surface.

Sowing

1. Sowing time. In the Huaibei region, the sowing time for ryegrass is generally slightly later than that for autumn-sown wheat, but because ryegrass is planted on idle winter land, sowing can only be done after the previous crop is cleared and the land is prepared. Therefore, the sowing time is October 20--25; within this range, earlier is better than later, otherwise it will affect the improvement of ryegrass yield.

2. Sowing method. To facilitate field management, sow in drills with a three-leg wooden seed drill, generally at a depth of 5 cm; the specific depth should also be flexibly controlled according to soil moisture, soil texture and land preparation, and its range should not be too large. When sowing, meet the requirements of “one level, two clean, watch three, tight three slow three quick one shake”.

3. Sowing rate. Generally sow 7.5--10 kg per mu, increasing or decreasing as appropriate according to soil texture and moisture, quality of land preparation, and seed germination rate.