The reduction of frit fly oviposition on seedling ryegrass by the presence of oats

Seedling ryegrass and oat plants in various proportions were exposed to oviposition by frit fly in the laboratory. The growth stage of the ryegrass ranged from single-leaved (unattractive as oviposition sites) to three-leaved (almost immune to serious damage). Oat plants attracted most oviposition and their inclusion usually reduced oviposition on ryegrass, by up to 90%. Where the frit fly population density was so high that potential oviposition exceeded the availability of oviposition sites, inclusion of oats did not reduce the number of eggs laid on ryegrass.
This approach does not, therefore, show promise of a reliable control method against severe primary attack in the field, but is potentially useful over an important range of population densities at which further control measures might otherwise be required. The inclusion of oats would also provide an early warning of damage.     

Seasonal distribution of stem-boring larvae including frit fly (Diptera: Oscinella frit L.) and pest damage in perennial ryegrass

Changes in the population of stem-boring Dipterous larvae (including Oscinella frit ) were examined weekly for a year on plots of perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne cv. S24). The herbage net regrowth rate of these plots and of plots receiving the pesticide, phorate, was also monitored. Herbage net regrowth rates were greatest in April and October. At the same times the differences in net regrowth between treated and untreated plots were greatest, thus indicating the periods of the greatest loss of production due to pest damage to the sward.
Populations of stem-boring larvae fell below 100 m⁻² for only 4 weeks in the year and were maximal in autumn and early winter. Larval mortality exceeded 50% during the winter period. A correlation was found between larval activity and sward damage.     

The effect of a short-persistence systemic insecticide on the yield of perennial ryegrass

The insecticide dimethoate was applied to a sward of S23 perennial ryegrass over a period of 2 years at three dose rates and at five frequencies of application. Annual DM yield was increased by up to 5% in the first year and by up to 17% in the second. The value of the additional yield is compared with the cost of obtaining it.     

A comparison of seed harvesting methods for perennial ryegrass treated with the growth retardant paclobutrazol

Methods of harvesting seed of perennial ryegrass cv. S24 treated with the growth retardant paclobutrazol applied at spikelet initiation at a rate of 2.0 kg active ingredient ha⁻¹ were examined in 1982. The greatest seed yield (2202 kg ha⁻¹) was obtained from swathing the crop at 35% seed moisture content and combining 2 days later, but this was not significantly different from that obtained from swathing at 48% seed moisture content or double direct combining at 35% seed moisture content. Seed yields from a single direct combining at either 35% or 25% seed moisture content were significantly lower than those of other treatments.     

The influence of the sowing time on the intensity of attack by the panicle generation of frit fly

Summary Early sowing of winter and spring barley and oats are in general more effective in relation to the attack of frit fly panicle generation than the later sowing, with the exception of late varieties.Meanwhile, we must have in mind that favourable weather conditions in autumn may enable the insects to prolong their activity and to attack the early sowing crops.As well, drought in autumn and low temperature in the spring which occur very often in this area, delay the germination and sprouting so that the heading time of early sown crops coincides with the time of late sown ones.

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Zusammenfassung Die Fritfliege ist einer der wichtigsten Gersten- und Haferschädlinge in Jugoslawien. Die größten Schäden werden durch die zur Zeit der Rispenbildung auftretende Generation verursacht. Bei Versuchen wurde ermittelt, daß die Ertragseinbuße bei einigen Gerstenvarietäten 80% erreichte.Die chemischen Bekämpfungsmöglichkeiten gegen die Fritfliege sind beschränkt. Indirekte Maßnahmen zur Zeit der Aussaat könnten die Befallsintensität während der Rispenbildung erheblich verringern.Die Befallsintensität steht in direkter Abhängigkeit vom Aussaattermin. Bei früher Aussaat ist die Ertragsminderung viel geringer. Wir empfehlen daher in großen Teilen Jugoslawiens, so früh wie möglich im Frühjahr mit der Aussaat zu beginnen.Die gleiche Empfehlung gilt auch für den Anbau von Wintergerste und -hafer, die vom Befall der Herbstgeneration der Fritfliege und einiger anderer im Frühherbst noch aktiver Schädlinge bedroht sind. Die Möglichkeiten einer frühzeitigen Aussaat in dieser Jahreszeit sind allerdings manchmal durch ungünstige Wetterbedingungen in den betreffenden Gebieten begrenzt.

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Résumé En Yougoslavie, l'oscinie (Oscinella frit L.) est l'un des pires parasites de l'orge et de l'avoine. Les plus grands dégâts sont causés par la panicule-génération de cette mouche. Au cours d'expériences, le pourcentage des céréales endommagées atteignait 80 pour certaines variétés d'orge.Les possibilités de lutte chimique contre l'oscinie sont limitées. Des mesures de lutte indirecte au moment des semailles pourraient être d'une grande importance du fait qu'elles réduisent l'intensité d'infestation par la panicule-génération de l'oscinie.L'intensité de l'infestation par la panicule-génération dépend directement de l'époque des semailles. Lorsque les semis sont effectuées de bonne heure, le nombre de grains endommagés est plus bas que lorsque les semis sont faits plus tard. C'est pourquoi l'auteur recommande de procéder dans une grande partie de la Yougoslavie à des semailles de printemps précoces.Il fait les mêmes recommandations pour les semailles d'orge et d'avoine d'hiver. En ce cas, l'auteur étudie l'infestation par la génération de mouches écloses en automne et par d'autres parasites encore atcifs au début de l'automne. Il n'est parfois guère possible de semer de bonne heure à cette saison là, étant donné les conditions atmosphériques défavorables qui règnent dans les régions dont il est question.

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The paper was presented to the VIth International Congress of Plant Protection, Vienna, 1967.     

Improvements to newly sown ryegrass by use of combined fungicide and insecticide treatment

Fungicide seed treatment using benomyl+captan, combined with postemergence sprays of the insecticides chlorpyrifos and omethoate increased herbage yield 10 weeks after sowing in five of eight sowings of Italian and perennial ryegrass. At one sowing, five other fungicide seed treatments—carbendazim+captan, thiabendazole+captan, thiabendazole+thiram, thiabendazole+metalaxyl, and drazoxolon—combined with the insecticide sprays, also increased yield. The insecticides were shown to give good control of shoot-fly larvae, but the yield response to insecticides alone was not as great as that from the combined treatment. As fungicide seed treatment alone increased seedling emergence at one sowing only, possibly the fungicides improved seedling vigour by reducing sub-lethal attacks from soil-borne diseases. The combination of a fungicide and insecticide seed treatment was used at five sowings with no effect.     

The effect of insecticide treatment on the establishment and growth of Italian ryegrass under different sowing conditions

Italian ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum Lam., cv. RvP., was broadcast in spring on to fine and coarse seedbeds at seed rates of either 2 or 20 kg ha^-1. Each of the four combinations of sowing condition was either left untreated or treated with fungicide or insecticide. The establishment of the sown species and of weeds under each regime was measured and their relative contribution to dry matter assessed in four cuts during the sowing year. Seed rate affected weed invasion and yield more than seedbed condition. Insecticide treatment increased the establishment and yield of ryegrass and its contribution to total herbage yield under all four sowing conditions. The fungicide treatment had no effect. The improvements caused by insecticide treatment were associated with a reduction in the level of infestation by shoot flies, Oscinella spp. (Diptera: Chloropidae): the effect of a single treatment in April was still detectable in October.     

Weed control in rice seedling nurseries

Experiments were conducted in farmers' fields at Guimba, Nueva Ecija and at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Baños, Laguna to test the efficacy of different methods of controlling weeds in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedling nurseries. Hand weeding was laborious and ineffective due to the morphological similarities between rice and the Echinochloa species and the regeneration of perennial weeds. It was also injurious to rice seedlings. Manual separation of weed seedlings from rice seedlings before transplanting was ineffective, laborious, time consuming and expensive. Thiobencarb, butachlor, pretilachlor+fenclorim, propanil and quinclorac+bensulfuron were inexpensive and effective in controlling weeds in seedling nurseries without any deleterious effect on rice.     

Factors influencing the effects of fungicide treatment on seedling emergence of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

Seeds of perennial ryegrass were sown by hand in micro-plots. Six treatment factors were applied, in all combinations, totalling thirty-two treatments. The factors were (a) firm vs light compaction of the seedbed, (b) 1 cm vs 2·5 cm sowing depth, (c) fertilizer applied to seedbed vs no fertilizer, (d) fungicides applied to the seed and seedbed vs no fungicide, (e) pesticide applied to seedbed vs no pesticide, and (f) soil kept moist after sowing vs soil kept dry after sowing. Overall, seedling emergence was increased by moist soil (18%), fungicides (16%) and by sowing at 1 cm depth (8%). In dry soil, fungicides increased emergence by 32% but had no effect in moist soil.
In other experiments, micro-plots were sown at monthly intervals, from April to October. Seeds were either treated with benomyl + captan (3 g + 3 g a.i. (kg seed)⁻¹) or not treated, and the plots were either covered to keep the soil dry, or uncovered. Seedling emergence on uncovered plots was increased significantly, by 16–28%, at the May, June, July and August sowings, when soil temperatures were at their highest and soil moisture contents at their lowest. On covered plots fungicides significantly increased emergence at the June sowing only, by 16%. The reasons for this anomaly are discussed.     

Seed variation among annual ryegrass cultivars in south-eastern USA and the relationship with seedling vigour and forage production

Abstract Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) is grown on more than one million ha in the south‐eastern USA each year. Recommended and actual seeding rates vary substantially within the region. The objective of this study was to evaluate variation in seed weight, germination, seedling vigour and seasonal yield performance among annual ryegrass cultivars. During 1997, 1998 and 1999, seed from fourteen commercial cultivars was weighed and germinated to determine numbers of pure live seed (PLS) m^?2 before yield evaluation at four locations. Seed from ten cultivars was planted at 0·7 and 2·0 cm depth in a greenhouse study to evaluate relative seedling vigour. Cultivar mean single‐seed weight ranged from 2·4 to 4·8 mg in 1997, 1·8 to 4·5 mg in 1998, and 2·6 to 4·6 mg in 1999. Seed germination ranged from 78·8% to 98·0% in 1997, 82·3 to 98·3% in 1998 and 77·8 to 98·3% in 1999. Seed number, PLS m^?2, ranged from 675 to 1289 in 1997, 710 to 1550 in 1998, and 717 to 1179 in 1999. Among the ten cultivars evaluated for seedling vigour, seedling weight differed between planting depths and a significant cultivar by year interaction was observed. Seedling weight was highly correlated with seed weight at each seeding depth. The effect of increasing number of PLS m^?2 on subsequent yield performance, although small, was consistently negative. These results indicate that target plant populations may be obtained more economically by adjusting seeding rates for seed size differences among cultivars and seed lots of annual ryegrass.     

Influence of root competition on compatibility between white clover and perennial ryegrass populations during seedling establishment

Plants of a white clover population, Ac 3785, were grown in binary mixtures with perennial ryegrass cv. Talbot and the 'coexisting' population, Ba 10281, in boxes. Treatments imposed were 'no root competition' and 'full competition', which prevented or allowed the root systems of the competing species to intermingle respectively. Shoot competition was permitted in both treatments. Measurements of dry-matter yield and leaf area of the clover and grasses were made on three occasions following sowing.
The dry-matter yield of both grasses was higher than that of clover at all three harvests and under both treatments, and this yield advantage tended to increase with time. Both grasses yielded more under full competition than where root competition was prevented. Talbot was higher yielding than the coexisting population under both treatments. Clover dry weight and leaf area index (LAI) were considerably higher under the 'no root competition' treatment. There was no effect of companion grass on clover dry weight, but clover LAI was significantly higher with its coexisting population than with Talbot in the 'no root competition' treatment.
The LAI and dry weight data indicate that clover leaf morphology changed in response to the companion grass where root competition was prevented. Thus, the superior aerial compatibility of Ac 3785 with its coexisting grass was limited by below-ground factors. Possible ecological reasons for this effect are discussed.     

Effects of crop properties, weather conditions and mechanical treatments on the wilting rate of dipliod and tetraploid Italian ryegrass for silage

The relationship between rate of water loss of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) and crop properties, weather conditions and mechanical treatments were studied on a field scale, as was the importance of the variables and their combined effects on influencing the wilting process. Eleven forage-drying experiments were performed between 1992 and 1994 on diploid and tetraploid cultivars cut at different growth stages, ranging from early elongation to flowering, under environmentally variable conditions. The rate of drying was measured until a moisture content of 1 g water g^?1 dry matter (DM) (500 g kg^?1) was reached, or for a maximum of 2 days by calculating the rate of water loss from two consecutive hourly weights of swath portions placed on trays. Multiple regression analysis was used to correlate the drying rate (k) with crop properties and with meteorological and mechanical treatment variables. The interaction between potential evapotranspiration (ET₀) and the moisture content of grass at cutting (M_grass appeared to be the most important variable, from the twenty-one tested, in influencing K. This variable shows that the same quantity of energy available for evaportaion acts in different ways when the water content of the crop at cutting differs. The rate of water loss is also influenced by the M^grass itself, surgacae density of the swath, tedding and the weather conditions on the first day of drying. The value of M^grass at cutting is greatly greatly dependent on crop maturity and ploidy. The tetraploid cultivars, with a higher inital moisture content, lost water more slowly than diploid cultivars did. Because the date of cutting cannot be delayed, owing to the decline in nutrive value, it is helpful to select for cultivars with low moisture contents at cutting, as well as applying mechanical treatment (spreading and tedding), in order to keep the wilting period as short as possible. A validated drying model can be useful for operational purposes to understand the drying process and to assess technological choices for forage drying.     

The use of asulam to control Bromus sterilis in ryegrass crops grown for seed

Asulam applied in April 1981 and 1982 gave good control of established plants of Bromus sterilis growing in Italian and perennial ryegrass crops grown for seed. Doses of 1–3 kg a.i./ha reduced numbers of weed inflorescences by 65–90%. The results also showed that there was no effect on crop heading and further suggested that seed yield had not been reduced. Two pot experiments also indicated the efficacy of asulam at 0·5-2 kg a.i./ha applied pre-emergence and further study of such treatment in the autumn during the establishment of a ryegrass seed crop is warranted.     

Effects of soil bulk density and strength on seedling growth of annual ryegrass and tall fescue in controlled environment

Grasses sown with minimal tillage commonly exhibit slower establishment and lower herbage yield than those sown into a conventionally tilled seedbed. Some of the difference in performance may be attributed to differences in bulk density between tilled and untilled ground. It is not known if performance rankings of grass cultivars established in clean‐tilled ground remain valid in more compacted soil characteristic of no‐till seeding. Seedlings of five cultivars of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) [IRG] and five cultivars of tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea Schreb. also known as Lolium arundinaceum Schreb. (Darbysh.)] [TF] were grown in pots of Coyle or Stephenville series soils (sandy loam and loamy sand respectively) packed to 0·75, 0·88 or 1·00 of maximum packing densities, established as 1·47 and 1·68 g cm^?3 for Coyle and Stephenville soil respectively. Leaf appearance was measured until seedling harvest at 540 growing degree days after emergence. Increased bulk density decreased leaf appearance rates, reduced final leaf and tiller numbers and aerial and root biomass at harvest in both IRG and TF. Among cultivars within species, there was no difference (P > 0·05) in response to measured parameters to change in bulk density. Seedling growth and development of IRG were consistently greater than that of TF but showed greater reduction in response to increased soil bulk density. Soil strength provided a better indicator of likely seedling response to soil compaction than bulk density. The results suggest that cultivar rankings obtained under conventional tillage are likely to be valid with no‐till planting.     

Effect of combined insecticide and fungicide treatments on newly sown swards of Italian and perennial ryegrass using two methods of sowing, two rates of seed and N fertilizer, with and without herbicide

The effects of six factors, each at two levels and in all combinations, on herbage yield and weed content of perennial ( Lolium perenne ) and Italian ( L. multiflorum ) ryegrass were assessed in four autumn sowings of field plots, in 3 years and at two sites. The factors were (i) perennial (PRG) or Italian (IRG), (ii) normal or low seed rate, (iii) drilling or broadcasting the seed, (iv) normal or low N fertilizer rate, (v) ryegrass fungicide seed treatment and post-emergence insecticide sprays (F + I) or untreated, and (vi) herbicide treatment or untreated. Overall, herbage yield at the first harvest was increased by F + I and IRG (all sowings), and the higher rates of seed (three sowings) and N (two sowings). Variable results were obtained for the other two factors. Increased yield was often associated with reduced weed content. Significant interactions between factors were obtained at two sowings; in particular, F + I increased yield of IRG by 12% and 22%, but had no effect on PRG. A second harvest, in the following spring, was taken for two sowings and there was no effect of F + I or the higher rates of seed and N. Thus, it is concluded that the desired aim when establishing grass swards of an adequate plant population without excessive competition from weeds appeared to be obtained even with plots receiving the least inputs.     

Post-harvest chemical treatments for control of tuber infection byAlternaria solani

Post-harvest application of several chemicals, including captan, sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, triphenyl tin hydroxide, captafol, and iprodione signficantly (P=0.05) reduced infection of potato tubers (cv Norchip) byAlternaria solani. Application rates of 5.4 or 8.3 1 of chemical mixture/metric ton were effective although limited evidence indicated that the higher rate may provide additional control. Post-harvest treatments appeared to be effective when disease pressure, as measured by the numbers of lesions per tuber, was low to moderate and seemed to lose effectiveness when disease pressure was high. It is suggested that routine post-harvest applications of effective chemicals coupled with proper storage management in disease prone locations might be an economically feasible way to control early blight losses in storage.     

A survey of ryegrass swards for the presence of fungal pathogens in relation to management

Surveys of perennial and Italian ryegrass swards (Lolium perenne L. and L. multiflorum Lam.) at regular intervals in 1977 and 1978 in Berkshire, Wales and Devon confirmed that leaf infection by Drechslera spp. was the most frequently occurring foliar fungal disease. Rhynchosporium spp. and Puccinia coronata Corda were also recorded but in contrast to Drechslera spp., which caused damage throughout the year, attacks by these two fungi were only sporadic.
The incidence of Drechslera was greater in 1977 than in 1978 and was greater in Berkshire where most fields were infected in both years than in Wales and Devon. Both perennial and Italian ryegrasses were infected. The number of leaves damaged increased with leaf age. Damage was greater on fields managed for conservation than those which were grazed. Infection increased from February onwards and was greatest in autumn. It is concluded that Drechslera might be controlled by removing infected herbage in autumn by cutting.
Rhynchosporium spp. were prevalent only in Berkshire and more Italian ryegrass fields ( ca , 50%) were infected than perennial ryegrass fields ( ca , 10%). Infection was confined to the period March to May. This pathogen caused more leaf area damage than Drechslera .
Puccinia coronata occurred only once in Devon and Wales. In Berkshire incidence was confined to 1978 and was common from September to November, when 60–70% of both Italian and perennial ryegrass fields were infected. Some difference between perennial ryegrass cultivars was observed.