Stocker Gains Confirm Progress In Cycle 2 of RRPS for Winter Productivity In Annual Ryegrass.

Availability of standing forage for grazing in the southeastern USA is limited during the cooler months and animals feed on stored forages, which in turn increases management costs. Therefore, improved winter growth would be a great benefit to cattle producers. A recurrent phenotypic selection program was initiated to increase dry matter accumulation of Lolium multiflorum Lam. during the cooler months. Small plot trials indicated that there was a substantial gain from selection when evaluated under Central Alabama conditions. The objectives of this study were to compare pasture growth and stocker gains from cycle 2 RRPS to long-term standard cultivars Marshall and Gulf. Stocker ADG during the first three 28-d grazing periods were consistently in the order Cycle 2 > Marshall > Gulf. Cycle 2 exceeded Marshall and Gulf by 0.4 lbs/day in cumulative ADG for the first three 28-day grazing periods. At current prices the average animal grazing Cycle 2 would have returned an extra $ 20 and $33 compared to Marshall and Gulf, respectively. We conclude that the breeding approach to increasing winter productivity was successful.