EFFECT OF TIME AND METHOD OF ESTABLISHMENT ON SEED YIELD OF IRRIGATED PERENNIAL RYEGRASS
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) seed production is an opportunity to diversify agriculture in Alberta, but limiting factors for the species are its lack of drought tolerance and winter hardiness. Irrigated trials were established at Bow Island and Brooks in southern Alberta to determine profitable cropping options for seed production. Perennial ryegrass seed yields were highest at Bow Island when spring established with a barley companion crop harvested either for silage or grain with yields averaging 2220 and 2127 kg ha-1 respectively. The barley companion crop treatment harvested as silage at Brooks resulted in the highest average perennial ryegrass seed yield at 1590 kg ha-1. All treatments resulted in higher economic returns over two years when compared to clear spring seeded perennial ryegrass. Establishing perennial ryegrass with spring seeded companion crops or seeding in mid-summer following grain or silage harvest would be economically acceptable for subsequent perennial ryegrass seed production.