What are the methods for selecting and raising smooth brome (Bromus inermis) seeds?

Smooth brome is an excellent forage grass, often seen growing wild on hillsides, in valleys, and along riversides and roadsides. Because of its high nutritional value, good palatability, cold tolerance and early growth, and tolerance to grazing, it is a major grass species for sown pastures and for environmental sand fixation. If you want to plant smooth brome, how should you select the seeds? What are the seedling-raising methods? Let's take a look below.

How should smooth brome seeds be selected?

1. Purchasing channels

You can buy them at local flower and plant markets, seed shops, agricultural supply stores, and so on. If none are available, you can also buy online, but no matter which method you use, choose stores with high credibility and a good reputation.

2. Seed appearance

Choose seeds with good color and luster, observe whether there are empty husks or deterioration, and select high-quality seeds. Inferior smooth brome seeds have a low germination rate, so buy with caution.

What are the seedling-raising methods for smooth brome?

1. Preparation before sowing

The land should be deeply plowed in the autumn of the year before sowing, and it is best to apply base fertilizer (such as sheep manure). Before sowing, harrow the soil so that the ground is level and the soil clods are fine and crumbly. In areas with irrigation conditions, water should be applied before sowing to ensure good soil moisture.

2. Sowing

The sowing time depends on the climate conditions of each region; spring sowing, summer sowing, or early autumn sowing are all possible. In Northeast China, summer sowing is suitable, generally sowing in June-July; when early-spring soil moisture is good, sowing can also be done from late April to mid-May. In the Guanzhong area of Shaanxi, sowing is done in August; if sowing is delayed until late September, growth and development are poorer. The sowing method is mostly drilling, with a row spacing of 30-40 cm, and broadcasting can also be used. The sowing rate is 24 jin per mu, and the sowing depth is 3-4 cm.

3. Field management

Smooth brome grows relatively slowly in the early stage, so in the first year attention should be paid to weeding and loosening the soil. This grass requires a great deal of nitrogen; to promote growth, nitrogen fertilizer should be applied as a top dressing at the tillering stage together with one irrigation. After that, each time it is mowed, fertilizer and irrigation should be applied as appropriate to enhance regrowth. After growing for 3-4 years, smooth brome often forms a sod layer, the soil permeability becomes poorer, and yield declines; a spiked harrow or disk harrow can be used to loosen the surface soil, which can promote the emergence of new stems and increase yield.

4. Pest and disease control

Diseases of smooth brome include ergot, powdery mildew, stripe rust, and so on, among which ergot is relatively common. Chemical protection can be carried out with nabam, lime-sulfur mixture, zineb, carboxin, and so on.

5. Harvest

The stems and leaves of smooth brome are relatively soft. When used for hay, it should be harvested at the flowering stage, and it can be harvested twice a year. About 100 days after green-up, the seeds of smooth brome can mature; when 50-60% of the spikelets turn brown, it can be harvested, as seeds are easily shed if left too late. The seed yield per mu can be 30-90 jin. Seeds harvested in autumn have the highest germination rate the following year; after 5 years the germination rate drops to 40%, and after 6-7 years the seeds almost completely lose their germination capacity.

Smooth brome has high nutritional value, and cattle, horses, sheep, and all kinds of livestock like to eat it. It is cultivated in many areas of our country, such as Inner Mongolia, Jilin, and other places. This grass grows quickly and is simple to manage. If you raise livestock, you can plant some as feed, which can effectively save feed costs.

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