Orchargrass: a valuable perennial pasture grass adapted to different environmental conditions.

Abstract

Orchardgrass is a widespread perennial grass, which is well-adapted to dry conditions and is suitable for silvopastoral systems due to its shade tolerance. The main environmental (temperature, nitrogen, water and shade) and management (regrowth duration) factors that affect morphology, physiology, dry matter (DM) production and nutritive value (crude protein, organic matter digestibility and macro-nutrient concentrations) of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) in temperate climate are reviewed. Regrowth duration is a management factor that can be modified through the frequency and severity of defoliation (e.g. infrequent cutting for hay or silage, rotational or continuous grazing). The emphasis is on open pasture and silvopastoral systems conditions. This is followed by a review of how DM production could be predicted from a canopy photosynthesis model based on the photosynthetic capacity of leaves, the light intercepted by leaf surfaces (dependent upon canopy architecture and leaf area index, (LAI)). The predictive capability physiologically based pasture models makes them powerful tools for pasture management or in assisting agronomists to improve practices in pastoral or silvopastoral systems.