Teff Grass As An Alternative Hay

Teff Grass As An
Alternative Hay
Forage Grower’s Workshop
January 31, 2014
Los Lunas, NM
Mark Marsalis
Extension Forage Specialist
Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas
Teff
[Eragrostis tef (Zucc.)]
• Warm-season annual grass
• Related to lovegrass
• Ethiopia origin (N. Highlands)
– 17-22 in rainfall
– 59º average temperature
• Grain crop originally
– Human consumption
– Gluten-free (Celiac’s disease)
Teff
Forage Potential
• Potential as forage realized later
– Last 10-15 years in N. America
• Annual, warm-season forage
• Rapidly growing
– Delayed plantings
– Multiple cuttings
• High quality / palatability
• Hay use mainly – horses
• Alfalfa rotations*
Teff –
[Eragrostis tef (Zucc.)]
Teff
Management
• Seed
–
–
–
–
Very small
1.3 million seeds per pound
Use coated seed
Brillion seeder
• Planting
– Soil T° > 65°F (June better?)
Teff
Alfalfa
Raw Seed
Coated Seed
lb/ac
lb/ac
5-7
6-10
– *Firm seedbed, depth critical*
– ¼” or less (very important)
– $3.75/lb (~ $30/ac)
Teff
Management
• Fertilizer
– General recommendation
– Yield and water dependent
– 30 to 50 lbs N per acre
Low Input
Med-High
Fer tilizer
lb/ac
lb/ac
Nitrogen
30-50
75-100
– Following alfalfa
• Soil test for residual N
• Minimal, if any required for 1st cut
– Lodging
– Soil test for other nutrients (P, K, S)
Teff
Management
• Emergence
– 4 to 5 days (7-10 days common)
– Crop grows slowly at first (2-3 wks)
– Root development
– Soil crusting
– Fluffy soil
Teff
Management
• Irrigation Requirement
– ‘Drought Tolerant’
– Light/frequent irrigations at first….well…
• ‘Less than alfalfa per cutting’
– Switch water to teff later in season
• Similar to sorghum x sudangrass ?
– ~ 3 inches per ton (DM)
It DOES require water !
Teff
Management
• Yields and quality
– Up to 3 cuts per year
– 1.5 to 2.0 tons/ac per cut
– Protein: 12-17%; good palatability
• How many cuttings to take?
– 2 to 3 feet high (lodging)
– Harvest prior to seed head emergence
• Later = slower regrowth
– Critical to regrowth (3-4” stubble)
Teff
Quality Par ameter
Timothy Hay
Teff Hay
%
Quality
Crude Protein
8-14
9-14
Acid Detergent Fiber
32-36
32-38
Neutral Detergent Fiber
53-59
53-65
Total Dig. Nutrients
(TDN)
57-65
55-64
• Comparison
– Timothy hay
• Fine-stemmed
– Highly palatable
• Low nonstructural carbohydrates
– Obese, metabolic disorders
• Quality declines with maturity
– Cut before heading (boot)
Teff
Quality – Hay Bale Sampling
Sample
ID
Source *
Notes
CP
% of DM
teff
LL - Baled
After Frost
teff
LL - Baled
Mid-Summer
alfalfa
DE
(Hor se)
NFC
Ca
P
Mcals/lb % of DM % of DM % of DM
ADF
NDF NDFD 48 TDN 1x RFQ
% of DM % of DM
% NDF % of DM
10.8
0.91
19.0
0.47
0.18
41.1
66.9
53.3
55.3
91
8.1
0.92
17.2
0.32
0.18
38.7
58.8
57.0
58.4
101
Purchased 3-string
14.1
0.86
25.5
0.87
0.27
46.9
56.5
40.5
52.9
86
alfalfa
Purchased 2-string
21.7
1.04
28.4
1.36
0.32
37.8
46.3
49.3
61.4
135
bermuda
Purchased 3-string
12.0
0.87
16.6
0.34
0.23
42.2
65.2
49.3
53.1
85
alfalfa
LL - Baled
19.6
1.11
37.1
1.43
0.27
31.3
39.7
47.4
65.1
164
alfalfa
LL - Baled
15.8
1.00
23.1
0.9
0.26
41.4
51.0
44.0
56.0
93
alfalfa
LL - Baled Cut 2
14.3
0.86
12.4
1.1
0.13
51.5
64.7
38.0
48.0
53
alfalfa
LL - Baled Cut 3
15.5
0.99
22.7
0.95
0.29
42.4
51.5
41.0
54.0
85
fescue
LL - Baled Cut 2
Max Q
13.4
1.35
31.0
0.42
0.29
24.1
43.7
87.1
76.9
244
fescue
LL - Baled Cut 3
Max Q
14.2
0.92
14.6
0.38
0.17
33.8
57.1
74.0
65.0
147
fescue
LL - Baled Cut 2
Blend
12.6
0.90
13.7
0.43
0.23
36.0
60.6
68.0
62.0
135
Rained On
*LL = Bales produced at the NMSU Los Lunas ASC.
Horse Calorie Requirement
% Met By Forages
Mature Hor se
Light Work
Mature Hor se
Moderate Work
Lactating
Mare
10 mo. old
Year ling
Pre-bloom Alfalfa
122%
105%
77%
78%
Full-bloom Alfalfa
105%
90%
66%
67%
Mid-matur ity
Alfalfa-Timothy
110%
95%
70%
71%
Late-matur ity
Timothy
88%
76%
56%
57%
Teff = 90-97%
Source: L. Lawrence. 2013. What is the ideal hay for horses? In Proc. 2013 Western
Alfalfa & Forage Symposium. UC. Davis.
Teff
Dairy Rations
• More than just ‘good horse hay’
• Fed as hay or ensiled
• Mixed rations
• Claim: ‘preference over alfalfa’
• Compared to sorghums
– Crude protein: 9% greater
– RFV: 15% greater
– Lbs Milk: 7-8% greater
RFV: 80-120
Teff
Grazing Potential
• Large amounts of forage
• Rapid growth / utilization
• Fill gaps in summer production
• Avoid grazing too early
– Weak root system
– Won’t tolerate heavy traffic
• Hay early, graze late
• Gains ???
Teff
Is It Safe?
• Sorghums
– Haygrazer, sudangrass
– Forage sorghums
– Potentially toxic
• No ‘Known’ Toxicities
– Nitrates ??
– Prussic Acid
• Drought
• Late-season frosts
Drought-Stressed Teff
Woods County, Oklahoma
• NO3: 13,750 ppm
Weed Control Options
• Teff
– Effective weed management in previous crop
– Initiate first flush of weeds
• Till or irrigate early
• Glyphosate
– Later planting (> 65ºF soil Tº)
• Rapid, competitive growth
• Higher seeding rates ($)
– Herbicides labeled currently
• Pre-plant burndown only ‘pre-’ option (glyphosate)
• Latigo (2,4-D + dicamba)
• 0.75 – 1.25 pts/ac
• Post-emergence (2 leaf-to-boot)
• 37 day PHI for hay
• 7 day grazing restriction (lactating)
Teff
Rotational Crop
• Following alfalfa
– Summer crop in between alfalfa stands
– Are annual or perennial grasses a problem?
• Following grass pasture
– Are grass weeds a problem?
– They will still be a problem in teff
– Consider fall planted alfalfa instead
• Oats earlier if needed
Source: Lauriault and Marsalis, Managing alfalfa in low or no water availability situations. Alfalfa Market News.
Teff
Other Considerations
• Cover crop potential
– Dense root system
– Large amounts of biomass
• Smothers weeds once established
• Few disease or insect problems
• Salt tolerant
Teff – Commercial Field (2013)
ASC – Los Lunas
• Planted on May 3
– Unusually cool
– Followed oats
Hay Cuttings
# Bales*
Ton/ac
June 18
16
0.17
July 12
136
1.45
August 8
68
0.72
October 10
148
1.58
Total Yield
368
3.9
• Fertilized on June 21
– 35 lb N (33-0-0)
• Fertilized on August 9
– 50 lb N (46-0-0)
• Irrigation
– ~ 21 days
*2.8-ac field; 60-lb bale
Teff – Observations (2013)
ASC – Los Lunas
• All crops were slow to start
– Unusually cool early
– Alfalfa and tall fescue (Max Q)
• Heavier bale with teff
– Compared to Max Q tall fescue
• 21 to 28-d water schedule
• Frost on Sept. 28
– Final cut on Oct. 10
– Low crude protein and high fiber
– TDN = 55 and RFQ = 91
Irrigation and
Nitrogen Effects on
Teff in the Southern
High Plains in 2007
Teff – Water Study
Tucumcari, NM
Irrigation treatment effects on dry matter yield (tons/acre) of teff sown 24 May
2007 at Tucumcari.
Harvest
Tucumcari furrow
irrigation
16 Aug.
18 Sep.
22 Oct.
Total
yield
At planting only (7”)
0.46bc
0.18c
0.11c
0.74b
Limited (11”)
1.35a
1.30a
0.37bc
3.02a
Full (14”)
1.39a
1.22a
0.64b
3.25a
5% LSD
0.43a
Tucumcari sprinkler
(sown 16 July)
1.05
(16 Aug.)
Los Lunas
(sown 8 June)
1.80
(24 Jul.)
0.70
(24 Aug.)
1.40a
0.80
(8 Oct.)
1.85a
1.10
(15 Oct.)
3.60a
Teff – Water Study
Tucumcari, NM
Irrigation and nitrogen treatment effects on crude protein (%) of teff sown 24 May 2007 at
Tucumcari compared with dry matter yield.
Harvest
Tucumcari
furrow irrigation
Limited
Full
5% LSD
abcMeans
Dry matter yield (tons/acre)
16 Aug.
18 Sep.
22 Oct.
16 Aug.
18 Sep.
22
Oct.
Single 30
-
14.48cb
13.55bcb
1.13
0.98
0.38
Single 60
-
16.18ab
14.78abb
1.51
1.51
0.30
Single 90
-
16.20ab
15.25abb
1.63
1.30
0.46
Split 30, 3x
-
16.85ab
15.25abb
1.15
1.41
0.34
Single 30
13.25bb
15.08bc
13.00cbb
1.26
1.11
0.55
Single 60
14.43ab
15.40bc
14.05abc
1.42
1.25
0.58
Single 90
15.00ab
17.08ab
13.45cbb
1.63
1.12
0.75
Split 30, 3x
14.33ab
15.90ab
14.93abb
1.25
1.39
0.70
Nitrogen
1.27
in the same column followed by the same letter are not different based on the 5% LSD
for the interaction.
Teff Option
Warm-season Annual
•
The value of teff for forage is in the horse hay market
because of utilization problems of other species, like
sorghum x sudangrass
•
Potential water savings or more tons with low water
•
Great flexibility of planting date, water, and fertilizer
•
Establishment critical to success (later planting)
•
Equipment infrastructure already in place
•
Excellent market for it in the Middle Rio Grande Valley
Resources
http://forages.nmsu.edu
Questions ???
Mark Marsalis
W : (505) 865-7340
[email protected]
http://forages.nmsu.edu