Small Grains Forage and Nutrition Potential. and Nutritive Value in Central High Plains of Wyoming

2013 Plant Management Network.Accepted for publication 17 December 2012. Published 21 January 2013.

Small Grains Have Forage Production Potential and Nutritive Value in Central High Plains of Wyoming

M. Anowarul Islam, Assistant Professor, Augustine K. Obour,Research Scientist, Jerry J. Nachtman, Research Associate, and Robert E. Baumgartner, Farm Manager, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071; and Malay C. Saha, Associate Professor, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, 2510 Sam Noble Parkway, Ardmore, OK 73401

Corresponding author: M. Anowarul Islam. [email protected]

Islam, M. A., Obour, A. K., Saha, M. C., Nachtman, J. J., and Baumgartner, R. E. 2013. Small grains have forage production potential and nutritive value in Central High Plains of Wyoming. Online. Forage and Grazinglands doi:10.1094/FG-2013-0121-02-RS.

AbstractForage production and nutritive value of three selections each of winter rye (Secale cereale L.), and triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack), and four selections of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were evaluated over three growing seasons (2008-2011) in Wyoming. Average fall forage productivity was < 1.0 Mg/ha and lower (P < 0.0001) than forage production in spring and summer. Average spring dry matter (DM) yield was 3.2 Mg/ha and greater than summer yield (2.0 to 2.6 Mg/ha) except in 2010-2011. Total seasonal forage production was not different (P > 0.05) among rye and triticale selections except in 2009-2010. Total seasonal forage DM production among triticale and wheat selections was not different in two out of the three growing seasons. Forage crude protein (CP) of rye selections (127 to 196 g/kg) was consistently lower than triticale (151 to 208 g/kg) and wheat (162 to 235 g/kg). Average in-vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of all small grains was above 650 g/kg (679 to 863 g/kg). Acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were different among small grain species (rye > triticale > wheat). These results indicate that small grains can provide acceptable forage yield with superior quality for feeding livestock during winter and early spring in the central High Plains (CHP).

IntroductionForage availability in fall and spring play a significant role in sustainability

and profitability of beef cattle operations in Wyoming and other neighboring states in the CHP. Feeding cost represents > 50% of annual production cost in a typical cow-calf operation system (17). Fall and early spring feeding is the most expensive for beef cattle producers in Wyoming and other mountain states because of limited forage availability for grazing during this period. Annualized winter feeding in the Intermountain West costs $100 to $200 per cow (16). There is an interest in using small grain crops as winter annual forages for grazing or making hay in the United States Great Plains and Canada (1,11).

Managing small grains as a dual-purpose crop is more profitable than either grain or forage only system (1,2,11). The practice, however, may not be feasible in the CHP region where growing seasons are relatively short. Small grain crops can be grown and harvested as an alternative hay or silage crop. In the northern Great Plains region of Montana, North and South Dakota, small grains are managed as annual forage hay crops (2). Elsewhere in the northern prairies of Canada, small grains are grown as silage for feedlots and dairies (9). Hay production represents a significant cash crop for Wyoming agriculture, with a total cash receipt of $58 million in 2010 representing 26% of the total cash receipts for all crops (22). Managing small grains for forage production will increase winter and early spring feed availability options for livestock producers while boosting the cash receipt of hay production systems in the state. Forage

21 January 2013Forage and Grazinglands

yield potential, winter hardiness, and forage quality are some important attributes to consider in selecting small grains to grow in the CHP region. In an earlier study in Minnesota, Cherney and Marten (4) reported that barley (Hordium valgare L.), oats, and triticale produced significantly greater forage DM yield and higher quality forage than wheat. Similarly, McCormick et al. (15) reported in Ohio that forage yield of 2.1 Mg/ha for monoculture winter rye, 1.4 Mg/ha for winter triticale, and 0.8 Mg/ha for wheat. In Nebraska, Lekgari et al. (10) showed that triticale can produce acceptable hay with DM yield ranging from 4.7 to 12.6 Mg/ha in low and higher precipitation environments, respectively.

In Wyoming, beef cattle are allowed to graze on stalks of corn and stubble of cereal crops in early fall (November), while during winter cattle eat stacked hay harvested in the summer or graze on dormant pasture in areas of light and drifted snow, all these feeds are low in quality. Therefore, protein supplementation may be required to improve animal intake and performance (6). Small grain forages have potential for beef cattle production in the CHP and other western mountain states (3,13). There is limited information on seasonal forage productivity and nutritive value of small grains in the CHP region of Wyoming. The objectives of the research were to evaluate and compare fall, spring, and summer forage production potential and nutritive value of elite selections of rye, triticale, and winter wheat, and also to perform yield stability analysis to identify which selection produces stable forage yields when grown under Wyoming conditions.

Study Site and MethodsThe study was conducted at the University of Wyoming James C. Hageman

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center (SAREC), Lingle, WY (4214N, 10430W; 1272 m elevation) for three growing seasons: 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011. The CHP region is characterized by cool temperatures and short growing seasons. Average frost-free period at SAREC is about 125 days with average annual precipitation of 350 mm. More than 75% of the annual precipitation falls during summer months. The soils are generally loam and sandy loams with 1 to 2% organic matter (OM). The soil at the experimental site is Haverson loam soil (fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Aridic Ustifluvents) with 1.2% OM, pH 8.0, phosphorus (P) 20 mg/kg, and potassium (K) 344 mg/kg.

Three selections each of rye (Bates RS4, Maton II, and Winter rye) and triticale (NF96213, NF96210, and Presto) and four selections of wheat (NF94120, NF95134A, Jagalene and Willow creek) were evaluated. The sources of seeds were: the Noble Foundation (Bates RS4, Maton II, NF96213, NF96210, NF94120, and NF95134A), Montana State University (Willow creek), and local seed store (Winter rye, Presto, and Jagalene). Wheat cultivar Willow creek was not included in the 2008-2009 evaluations because of unavailability of seed. Winter rye, Presto, and Jagalene served as standard cultivar checks for rye, triticale, and wheat, respectively. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Before seeding in the fall of each growing season, 56 kg N/ha as urea, 56 kg P/ha (as mono-ammonium phosphate), and 22 kg S/ha (as elemental sulfur) were broadcast (based on soil test results) and disked into the soil during seedbed preparation. Seedbed preparation was done by disking followed by starter fertilizer application, chisel plowing, harrowing, and rolling using Landstar field preparation equipment (Kuhn Krause Inc., Hutchinson, KS). The Landstar field operation equipment consists of single gang of discs, chisel plow shanks, and rolling spiders that allow for one pass field preparation, thus enhancing residue accumulation on the soil surface.

Additional 56 kg N/ha and 22 kg S/ha were applied as top dress in early spring (March of each growing season). No K fertilizer was applied due to high soil test K concentration. Pre-plant fall fertilizer application occurred on 3 September, 3 September, and 23 August, for the 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011, respectively. Spring top dressing of N and S application dates were


16 March, 30 March, and 21 March for the 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011, respectively. Seeding rate was 120 kg pure live seeds/ha. The seeds were planted using a cone planter with shank (shop built with Haybuster shanks) with 35-cm row spacing and 2.5-cm planting depth. The individual plot size was 1.5 m 4.6 m and the study was conducted on the same plots over the three growing seasons. Planting dates were 4 September, 8 September, and 2 September for 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011, respectively.

Forage Harvest and AnalysisCrops were harvested for DM yield and analyzed for forage nutritive value in

the falls of 2008 and 2010 (26 November 2008 and 1 December 2010); spring of each year (11 May 2009, 26 May 2010, and 21 April 2011); and in the summer of each year (16 June 2009, 19 July 2010, and 8 June 2011). Forage was usually harvested whenever there was adequate harvestable herbage mass and this varied each year depending on the amount of precipitation and inclement weather conditions such as colder temperatures and heavy snow. Clippings were carried out at 7.5-cm stubble height using a small plot forage harvester (Hege 212 forage plot harvester, Wintersteiger Inc., Salt Lake City, UT) mounted with a scale to record harvested forage fresh weight. Sub-samples of harvested forage were taken and dried at 60C for at least 48 h in a forced-air oven dryer to a constant weight for DM determination. Oven-dried samples were ground to pass through a 1-mm mesh screen in a Wiley mill (Model 4, Laboratory Mill, Thomas Scientific, Swedesboro, NJ) and analyzed for forage nutritive value.

Crude protein, ADF, NDF, and IVDMD were determined using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS; Foss InfraXact analyzer, Silver Spring, MD). Reference wet chemistry analysis of selected forage samples were used to develop NRIS calibration equations for the measured forage quality parameters. Calibration samples for tissue N concentration were determined by dry combustion using the Leco C/N analyzer (Leco Corp., St Joseph, MI). Crude protein was calculated by multiplying the tissue N concentration by 6.25. Acid detergent fiber and NDF calibration samples were replicated three times and analyzed using the ANKOM fiber analyzer (ANKOM Technology Corp., Macedon, NY). Similarly, calibration samples for IVDMD were replicated three times and analyzed following the two stage technique by Tilley and Terry (21) as modified by Moore and Mott (18). The calibration equations for each forage quality parameter were developed for each growing season using partial least squares (20).

Data AnalysisStatistical analyses for ANOVA for all responses were done using the PROC

MIXED procedure of SAS. Small grain species, selections, harvest season (fall, spring, and summer), and year were considered as fixed effects and replicates and their interactions were considered as random effects. When year interaction with treatments was significant, data were analyzed separately for each year as split-plot design, with harvest season as whole plots and selections as sub-plots. The LSMEANS procedure and associated PDIFF were used for mean comparisons and single degree of freedom orthogonal contrasts were used to compare small grains (rye, triticale, and wheat). Interaction and treatments effects were considered significant when F test P values were < 0.05. Simple regression analysis was used to perform yield stability analysis to identify which small grain selection produced the most stable forage across the 3-year of the study. This approach consisted of regression of the annual yield for each small grain selection against the environmental mean yield, which was the average yield of all small grain selections in a given year (19).

Climatic DataThe amounts of precipitation during the study period were greater than the

30-year average recorded in the region (Table 1). In general, > 70% of annual precipitation in the experimental site occurred in March-August, with the


highest rainfall in May and June. The 2008-2009 growing season was relatively drier compared to 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. Except the fall of 2009-2010, monthly average temperatures were similar to 30-year average (Table 1). Average December temperature in 2009-2010 was 4.5C below the 30-year average temperature for the month.

Table 1. Monthly precipitation and average temperature at the University of Wyoming James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center (SAREC) near Lingle over the study period.

Forage Dry Matter YieldForage DM yield in the fall, spring, and summer of the 2008-2009 growing

season was not significantly different among small grain species across selections (Table 2). However, within each season (fall, spring, and summer), there were significant differences in forage DM production within each species. Forage production in fall were greater for Bates RS4 (rye), NF96210 (triticale), NF96213 (triticale), NF94120 (wheat) and NF9513A (wheat) than other small grain selections. Forage DM yields in the spring for Bates RS4 (rye), Maton II (rye), and Jagalene (wheat) were superior to other small grain selections. Summer forage DM production ranged from 1.0 Mg/ha for rye selection Maton II to 3.0 Mg/ha wheat selection NF94120. Total forage DM production across the three seasons was not different among the small grain selections (Table 2).

Due to > 7.0 inches of snow fall in late October and relatively colder temperatures in the fall of 2009 (Table 1), there was no harvestable forage in the fall of 2009-2010. Inclement weather conditions due to snowstorms and colder temperatures have been reported to prevent fall wheat forage harvest in the CHP (10). Forage production in the spring and summer of 2009-2010 were different among species across selections (Table 2). Averaged across selections, spring forage productivity of rye and triticale forage was similar and greater than forage yield of wheat. Spring forage DM yield of Winter rye, Presto (triticale), and Bates RS4 (rye) were greater than the other selections. In the summer, forage DM yield of wheat was greater than both rye and triticale when averaged across selections.

In the 2010-2011 growing season, average fall forage production between rye and triticale were not different. However, DM yield differences between rye and wheat (P = 0.004) and triticale and wheat (P = 0.04) were different. Forage DM

Month

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

30-year avg (5)

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

30-year avg

Precipitation (mm) Temperature (C)

Sep 26 16 0 32 13.7 13.4 15.4 15.4

Oct 14 41 24 24 6.3 3.9 10.2 8.7

Nov 9 3 14 14 3.6 3.1 -0.1 1.1

Dec 1 9 11 9 -5.4 -7.7 -2.3 -3.2

Jan 12 0 5 8 -2.8 -3.6 -3.7 -3.9

Feb 4 23 14 10 0.2 -4.7 -4.6 -1.1

Mar 17 26 25 18 2.3 3.6 3.9 3.1

Apr 64 85 59 42 6.1 7.8 6.9 7.8

May 23 66 114 64 13.5 11.2 10.0 13.4

Jun 82 108 53 52 16.8 18.2 17.3 19.1

Jul 22 25 24 45 20.3 20.9 22.7 22.4

Aug 86 21 28 30 19.3 21.2 22.0 21.2

Avg 30 35 31 29 7.8 7.3 8.1 8.7

Total 360 423 371 348


production in fall of 2010 ranged from 0.2 Mg/ha for NF95134A (wheat) to 0.7 Mg/ha for NF96120 (triticale). In spring of 2011, forage DM production was different among small grain species. Averaged across selections, rye had the greatest forage DM yield but DM yield of triticale and wheat were similar (Table 2). Triticale DM yield in the summer of 2011 was greater than both rye and wheat (Table 2).

Total forage DM across the three seasons was similar among rye selections. Similarly, DM yields of triticale selections NF96210 and NF96213 were greater than standard check Presto. However, Jagalene wheat (check) produced the highest forage DM yield among the wheat selections tested.

The observed forage DM yield data in this study are consistent with those reported by McCormick et al. (15) and Brown and Almodares (1) who showed that rye and triticale produced comparable but sometimes greater forage yield than wheat. Total forage DM yield of triticale selections in the current study are similar to reported yields of 4.7 to 7.9 Mg/ha in drier environments in the CHP region (9). Dry matter yield of Willow creek (forage winter wheat released by Montana State University) in this study was lower than those reported for Montana and eastern Wyoming (3). Seasonal total DM yield of Willow creek ranged from 2.9 to 5.1 Mg/ha, lower than DM yield of other small grains evaluated in this study.

Overall, forage production in the fall was lower (< 1.0 Mg/ha) than spring and summer for all tested small grains. In two of the three growing seasons, spring forage production was >3.0 Mg/ha and greater than summer forage production except in 2010-2011. The Noble Foundation selections had higher fall forage potential than the check cultivars (e.g., Maton II had >2 fold and Bates RS4 had >3 fold fall forage yield than the check cultivar Winter rye; Table 2). Triticale selection NF96210 produced the highest forage DM yield among all the selections tested in this study.


Table 2. Forage dry matter yield of small grain selections over the three growing seasons at Lingle, WY.

# = Means followed by same letter(s) in a column are not significantly different at P 0.05.NS = not significant; * = P 0.05; ** = P 0.01; *** = P 0.001;SE = standard error for mean comparison. Data are average of three replicates.

Species Selection

Forage dry matter yield (Mg/ha)

2008-2009 growing season 2009-2010 growing season

Fall Spring Summer Total Fall Spring Summer Total

Rye Bates RS4 1.0a# 3.6ab 1.4bc 6.0 a 3.6ab 2.7bc 6.3aMaton II 0.7b 4.2a 1.0c 6.0a 2.8cd 2.4c 5.2bWinter rye 0.0d 3.1bc 2.7ab 5.9a 4.1a 2.2cd 6.3a

Triticale NF96210 0.9ab 3.6ab 1.6b 6.0a 3.2bc 1.8d 4.9bNF96213 1.1a 2.4cd 1.9b 5.4a 3.6ab 2.1cd 5.7abPresto 0.6bc 2.9bc 2.3ab 5.8a 4.0a 1.9d 5.9ab

Wheat NF94120 1.1a 2.0d 3.0a 6.2a 2.5cd 3.7a 6.3aNF95134A 0.9ab 3.1bc 2.0b 6.0a 2.5cd 3.2ab 5.8abJagalene 0.4c 4.1a 2.2ab 6.7a 2.1d 3.0b 5.1bWillow 2.2d 2.9b 5.1b

Mean 0.7 3.3 2.0 6.0 3.1 2.6 5.7S.E 0.1 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.3 0.4 0.5

Contrast P > F

Rye vs. triticale NS NS NS NS NS * *Rye vs. wheat NS NS NS NS *** *** *Triticale vs. wheat NS NS NS NS *** *** NS

Species Selection

Forage dry matter yield (Mg/ha)

2010-2011 growing season

Fall Spring Summer Total

Rye Bates RS4 0.6a 2.8a 4.3d 7.7bc

Maton II 0.6a 2.9a 5.1c 8.6ab

Winter rye 0.5ab 1.4b 6.3b 8.2ab

Triticale NF96210 0.7a 1.2b 7.7a 9.5a

NF96213 0.4b 1.3b 6.5ab 8.3ab

Presto 0.5b 1.1c 6.1bc 7.7bc

Wheat NF94120 0.5ab 1.0c 4.9cd 6.4c

NF95134A 0.2c 0.5c 4.1d 4.8d

Jagalene 0.4b 0.9c 5.2c 6.4c

Willow 0.6a 0.3d 2.0e 2.9e

Mean 0.5 1.3 5.2 7.1

S.E 0.9 0.1 0.8 0.8

Contrast P > F

Rye vs. triticale NS *** ** NS

Rye vs. wheat ** *** NS **

Triticale vs. wheat * NS *** **


Yield stability analysis showed that NF96210 had a regression coefficient (b) > 1.0 (Table 3). The selection had below average yield stability and will better adapt to superior environmental conditions (7). This possibly explains the greater forage productivity of NF96210 when moisture levels were higher, especially in 2010-2011 growing season. Rye selections, Maton II and Bates RS4, had average yield stabilities (b = 1.0), whereas all the wheat selections tested in this study had above average yield stabilities (b < 1.0; Table 3). Forage DM yields of the small grains tested in this study were superior to average yields of 2.6 Mg/ha for dominant hay meadows grown in Wyoming (22).

Table 3. Simple linear regression of forage dry matter yield on environmental mean yield (yield stability analysis) of small grain selections over 2008 to 2011 growing seasons.

# = Mean standard error; *** = P 0.001; NS = not significant.

Forage Nutritive ValueCrude protein concentrations during 2008-2009 were similar among

triticale and wheat selections (Table 4). Forage CP of rye selections was consistently lower than triticale and wheat selections over the study period. Also CP values of rye selections were lower than the mean CP for each growing season. Mean CP values were 173, 164, and 207 g/kg in 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011, respectively. In general, the CP ranking over the study period was wheat > triticale > rye. The CP values are consistent with other studies reported in the Great Plains region. Holman et al. (8) reported CP range of 126 to 260 g/kg for winter wheat forages in KS. Similarly, average CP of 86 g/kg was reported for triticale selections evaluated in NE (10), which is lower than CP values (127 to 235 g/kg) observed in this study. Forage CP below 62 g/kg has been reported to be deficient for most ruminant livestock (12). The observed CP values of all small grain selections evaluated in this study were in excess of the maintenance requirement levels for cattle in most stages of production.In-vitro dry matter digestibility in 2008-2009 was similar between triticale

and wheat selections but IVDMD concentrations of both triticale and wheat selections were greater than rye (Table 4). Average IVDMD of wheat was greater than rye (P = 0.0001) and triticale (P = 0.04) in both 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. Mean IVDMD concentrations were 781, 763, and 835 g/kg in 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011, respectively. The IVDMD values are similar to those reported by Cherney and Marten (4) but greater than the average IVDMD of 650 g/kg reported for triticale in the CHP (10). However, the IVDMD of wheat in this study is similar to the average value of 800 g/kg indicated for wheat in the CHP region (11). When IVDMD is considered as estimator for forage digestibility, the IVDMD concentrations observed for all small grain selections are greater than the total digestible nutrient requirements of beef cattle (12).

Small grain selection Intercept Slope (b) r

Bates RS4 (rye) 0.04 0.48# 1.04 0.12 0.90***

Maton II (rye) 0.34 0.37 0.96 0.10 0.92***

Winter rye (rye) -0.23 0.30 1.15 0.08 0.96***

NF96210 (triticale) -0.45 0.58 1.23 0.15 0.88***

NF96213 (triticale) -0.21 0.39 1.09 0.09 0.93***

Presto (triticale) -0.17 0.29 1.08 0.07 0.96***

NF94120 (wheat) 0.25 0.42 0.93 0.10 0.89***

NF95134A (wheat) 0.15 0.40 0.84 0.10 0.88***

Jagalene (wheat) -0.05 0.34 0.99 0.08 0.94***

Willow (wheat) 0.55 0.88 0.47 0.20 0.51NS


Table 4. Forage crude protein (CP), in-vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of small grains over the study period.

# = Means followed by same letter(s) in a column are not significantly different at P 0.05.NS = not significant; * = P 0.05; ** = P 0.01; *** = P 0.001;SE = standard error for mean comparison. Data are average across harvest seasons (since forage

nutritive value were similar in fall, spring and summer)

Specie Selection

Crude protein (g/kg) IVDMD (g/kg)

2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011

Rye Bates RS4 159 e# 127 f 194 c 738 d 686 c 807 c

Maton II 169 d 137 e 196 c 759 c 679 c 809 c

Winter rye 174 c 155 cd 193 c 744 d 700 c 812 c

Triticale NF96210 179 b 151 d 208 b 802 ab 756 b 840 ab

NF96213 168 d 170 b 205 b 791 b 799 a 843 ab

Presto 184 a 170 b 207 b 806 a 783 ab 831 b

Wheat NF94120 183 ab 188 a 209 b 805 a 826 a 840 ab

NF95134A 181 ab 169 bc 210 b 799 ab 785 ab 860 a

Jagalene 162 e 181 ab 211 b 782 b 811 a 863 a

Willow 194 a 235 a 809 a 849 abMean 173 164 207 781 763 835

SE 2.0 7.0 3.0 7.0 22 15

Contrast P > F

Rye vs. triticale * ** ** *** *** **

Rye vs. wheat * *** *** *** *** ***

Triticale vs. wheat NS ** * NS * *

Specie Selection

Crude protein (g/kg) IVDMD (g/kg)

2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011

ADF NDF

Rye Bates RS4 352 a 419 a 304 a 636 a 672 a 582 a

Maton II 345 ab 408 a 298 a 638 a 665 a 578 a

Winter rye 339 b 388 b 275 b 621 b 645 b 533 bc

Triticale NF96210 307 cd 313 c 271 b 610 c 601 c 549 b

NF96213 310 cd 302 cd 274 b 608 cd 599 cd 550 b

Presto 283 e 309 c 251 c 587 e 608 c 518 de

Wheat NF94120 296 ed 289 d 259 c 604 d 593 d 538 bc

NF95134A 303 d 292 d 253 c 608 cd 585 d 528 cd

Jagalene 279 e 280 d 236 d 567 f 572 e 503 e

Willow 306 c 243 d 593 d 514 deMean 312 331 266 609 613 539

SE 5.0 9.0 8.0 3.0 6.0 8.0

Contrast P > F

Rye vs. triticale *** *** *** *** *** **

Rye vs. wheat *** *** *** *** *** ***

Triticale vs. wheat NS * ** NS ** *


Forage ADF and NDF concentrations were lower for wheat and triticale selections compared to rye (Table 4). Average ADF concentration ranged from 279 for wheat cultivar Jagalene to 352 g/kg for rye selection Bates RS4 in 2008-2009. These two selections had the lowest (Jagalene; 236 to 279 g/kg) and highest (Bates RS4; 304 to 672 g/kg) ADF over the study period. Concentration of NDF followed similar trends with the order of rye > triticale > wheat (Table 4). These results are similar to the findings of Lekgari et al. (10) who reported average ADF and NDF values of 328 and 605 g/kg, respectively for triticale cultivars in the CHP region. Similarly, Cherney and Marten (4) reported average ADF values of 350 to 372 g/kg for forage wheat cultivars harvested at six different maturity dates.

Winter wheat selection Willow creek consistently had the highest forage nutritive value (CP, 194 to 235 g/kg; IVDMD, 809 to 849 g/kg; ADF, 243 to 306 g/kg; NDF, 514 to 593 g/kg). The nutritive value of the small grains tested in this study were superior to spring grazed hay meadows (CP, 110 g/kg; IVDMD, 708 g/kg; ADF, 357 g/kg; NDF, 632 g/kg) and baled hay meadows (CP, 90 g/kg; IVDMD, 573 to 580 g/kg; ADF, 407 to 436 g/kg; NDF, 556 to 732 g/kg) fed to cattle in Wyoming (13,14). Therefore in Wyoming, where harvested hay is fed to livestock until green grass from meadows and cool season grasses are available, small grain forages can provide acceptable herbage mass with superior quality for livestock during winter and early spring.

ConclusionsForage DM production of small grains used in this study was lower in the fall

compared to spring and summer. Average fall forage production was < 1.0 Mg/ha in two of the three growing seasons. Spring forage production was > 3.0 Mg/ha and always greater than summer forage yield except in 2010-2011. Seasonal forage production was similar for rye and triticale except in 2009-2010. Seasonal DM yields of triticale and wheat were not different in two of the three growing seasons. Forage CP was in the order of wheat > triticale > rye. Willow creek wheat had superior forage quality but least DM yield. Forage nutritive value of selections tested in this study was above the minimum levels required to maintain normal body condition of grazing livestock. Therefore, small grains can provide acceptable forage DM with superior quality for feeding livestock during winter and spring months in Wyoming.

AcknowledgmentsThe authors thank Dr. Dennis Cash with Montana State University and the

Noble Foundation for providing small grain seeds.

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Small Grains Forage and Nutrition Potential. and Nutritive Value in Central High Plains of Wyoming