Kayak orchardgrass - Alberta Agriculture and Forestry

CULTIVAR DESCRIPTION
Kayak orchardgrass
S. N. Acharya1, D. R. Friebel1, and Y. Castonguay2
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 1Lethbridge Research Centre, 5403-1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta
Canada T1J 4B1; 2Soils and Crops Research and Development Centre, 2560 Hochelaga Boulevard, Quebec,
Quebec Canada G1V 2J3. Received 31 January 2007, accepted 28 April 2007.
Acharya, S. N., Friebel, D. R. and Castonguay, Y. 2005. Kayak orchardgrass. Can. J. Plant Sci. 87: 905–906. Kayak is a high
yielding early maturing orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) cultivar with good level of winterhardiness suited for silage and hay
production in western Canada including interior British Columbia. The population was developed at the Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada (AAFC) Research Centre, Lethbridge, AB. In BC and Western Forage Trials (WFTests), Kayak yielded 4% better than
the check cultivar Kay under both rain fed and irrigated conditions. Kayak orchardgrass produces 10% more seed yield than Kay
while its seed size is slightly smaller than Kay.
Key words: Orchardgrass, Dactylis glomerata, high forage yield, winterhardy
Acharya, S. N., Friebel, D. R. et Castonguay, Y. 2005. Le dactyle pelotonné Kayak. Can. J. Plant Sci. 87: 905–906. Kayak est
une variété précoce de dactyle pelotonné (Dactylis glomerata L.) à haut rendement. Le cultivar résiste bien à l’hiver et convient à
la production de foin et d’ensilage dans l’Ouest du Canada, y compris l’intérieur de la Colombie-Britannique. Un peuplement de
Kayak a été établi au centre de recherche de Lethbridge (Alberta) d’Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada (AAC). Lors des essais
sur les cultures fourragères de l’Ouest et de la C.-B., le rendement de Kayak dépassait celui du cultivar témoin Kay de 4 % avec
et sans irrigation. Le dactyle pelotonné Kayak produit 10 % de semences de plus que Kay et ses graines sont légèrement plus
petites.
Mots clés: Dactyle pelotonné, Dactylis glomerata, rendement fourrager élevé, rusticité
fed locations and a total of 28 location years, Kayak yielded
104% of check cultivar Kay (Table 1). Over five irrigated
locations and a total of 17 location years Kayak yielded
104% of Kay (Table 2). At Lethbridge under irrigation seed
yield of Kayak (490 kg ha–1) was 110% of Kay (445 kg
ha–1). Seed yield of Kayak (1300 kg ha–1) under commercial
seed production was even higher than Kay (900 kh ha–1) in
a location in Oregon, USA. Cold tolerance estimated as
LT50 was similar for Kayak and Kay (check) in Lethbridge
and Quebec tests (Table 3). Field level winterhardiness of
the new cultivar can also be seen from its yield performance
over multiple western Canada locations.
Kayak (tested as OG96-1) is an early-maturing orchardgrass
(Dactylis glomerata L.) cultivar with adaptation to western
Canada conditions. Kayak was developed at the Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre, Lethbridge, AB.
This cultivar was selected for its ability to withstand winter
conditions in western Canada and to produce high forage
yield consistently over years and locations. This cultivar is
suited for intensive production of silage and hay in western
Canada. Kayak orchardgrass was issued Registration number 6116 by the Variety Registration Office of the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency on 2006 Apr. 28.
Pedigree and Breeding
Kayak orchardgrass was created by synthesizing 23 winterhardy families selected in Swift Current and Lethbridge.
These families were derived mainly from Chinook and Kay
orchardgrass cultivars and a few experimental populations
(of unknown origin) selected for winter survival in southern
part of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Winterhardiness was
determined indoors by measuring LT50 on progenies of
selected plants. Progenies of the selected winterhardy plants
were tested in the field for their forage yield potential. From
a 3-yr progeny row trial, 23 lines were selected in 1995. In
1996, 10 g of seed from each family was bulked and seeded
for seed increase.
Other Characteristics
GROWTH HABIT: Long lived perennial bunch type grass with
dense fibrous root system.
CROWN TYPE: Relatively deeper set than Kay but as deeply
set as Chinook.
FLOWER COLOR: N/A.
FLOWERING DATE: Earlier than Kay.
LEAVES: Long, folded, medium green, mainly basal.
STEMS: Flowering stem 100 to 150 cm tall bearing a panicle
type seed head 10 to 15 cm long.
PODS/ SEEDS: 1000 seed wt 0.827 for Kayak compared with
1.007 for Kay.
REGROWTH: Rapid regrowth after cutting compared to Kay.
FALL DORMANCY: N/A.
WINTERHARDINESS: Moderate to good winterhardiness compared to Kay.
Performance
In BC and Western Forage Trials, Kayak orchardgrass
yielded 104% of the check cultivar Kay. Over the 11 rain
905
906
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCE
Table 1. Forage yield of Kayak and Kay under dryland conditions across western Canada including BC
Forage yield
(kg DM ha–1)
Dryland locations
Lethbridge, AB
Lacombe, AB
Vegerville, AB
Netherhill, SK
Swift Current, SK
Saskatoon, SK
Canora, SK
Nipawin, SK
Neepawa, MB
Fort Kent, AB
Dawson Creek, BC
Year of establishment
Harvest years
Kayak
Kay
CV (%)
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
2000
3
3
2
2
2
3
3
2
3
3
2
6008
6923
5859
3199
2261
4462
5959
5048
9480
4420
3738
6338
5688
5985
3459
2454
4319
6062
4395
9921
4380
3609
1.62
8.08
9.14
1.26
2.40
8.26
9.11
16.32
11.33
6.36
11.65
6341
604
104
6126
642
100
Average over 28 location years
Standard error (using 28 location year means)
Percent of Kay
Table 2. Forage yield of Kayak and Kay under Irrigated conditions across western Canada
Forage yield
(kg DM ha–1)
Dryland locations
Bow Island, AB
Lethbridge, AB
Outlook, SK
Kersley, BC
Kamloops, BC
Year of establishment
Harvest years
Kayak
Kay
CV (%)
1998
1998
1998
2000
2000
3
3
3
2
2
13039
9856
8905
9599
15880
12681
9208
9593
8778
14277
3.12
6.71
4.32
5.59
4.29
9373
913
104
8988
933
100
Average over 17 location years
Standard error (using 17 location year means)
Percent of Kay
Table 3. Cold tolerance of Kayak and Kay as determined through LT50 test
LT50 Probit analysis
Irrigated locations
Lethbridge, ABz
St. Foy, QCy
Year of establishment
Harvest years
Kayak
Kay
1999
2005
1
1
–15.37
–8.6
–14.97
–8.3
zTest conducted indoors with plants picked up from the field in January.
yTests conducted indoors with potted plants grown in the controlled environmental
DISEASE REACTION: No diseases were noticed over years
when the Kayak was tested in BC and in Western Forage
Trials. No inoculated trials were conducted.
INSECT PEST RESISTANCE: No specific test was conducted, but
no problems were noticed with natural insect pest populations.
Availability of Propagating Material
Breeder Seed of Kayak will be maintained by AAFC Indian
Head. Multiplication and distribution of pedigreed seed will
chamber.
be carried out by Richardson Seed, a division of Terralink
Horticulture Inc. 464 Riverside Road, Abbotsford, British
Columbuia, Canada V2S 7M1.
The authors thank Ron Dalton, Doug Messenger and numerous
field staff at LRC as well as summer students for their technical
assistance during the development of this cultivar. We acknowledge the financial support of AAFC Matching Investment
Initiative and Richardson Seed Ltd. (presently a division of
Terralink Horticulture Inc.). LRC Contribution No. 387-07006.