This study was to evaluate the values of Korean native sweet sorghum as a new feed crop for ruminants. Sweet sorghum was the Muan native species (Bioenergy Crop Research Center, National Institute of Crop Science), and cultivated from May to October 2021 at Sangji University (Wonju-si, Gangwon-do, Korea). There were a non-treated group (Con), a recommended amount treatment (RD) and a treatment with double the recommended amount (Double RD) by an oil cake fertilizer. Plant height was measured at weekly intervals for 12 weeks after planting sweet sorghum seedlings, and was a significant difference in the order of Double RD, followed by RD and Con in 7 weeks (p<0.05). Feed values and sugar contents were measured in 7, 9, and 11 weeks. Crude protein of Double RD was higher than that of the other treatments in 7 and 9 weeks (p<0.05). Crude fat was higher at Double RD than the other one in 9 weeks (p<0.05). ADF and NDF of Double RD were higher than the other one (p<0.05). When it was compared to corn and sudangrass hybrids grown on farms, Crude protein was lower in sweet sorghum than other crops (p<0.05), and crude fat was higher in sweet sorghum than corn (p<0.05). Crude fiber, ADF and NDF were higher in sweet sorghum compared to corn and sudangrass (p<0.05). The sugar contents of sweet sorghum were 4.07 ± 0.12∼7.63 ± 0.21 brix, and showed higher than corn and sudangrass hybrid (p<0.05). The rumen in situ digestibility of sweet sorghum was 30.73∼38.13% at the 9th and 11th weeks, and showed higher than that of corn and sudangrass hybrids (p<0.05). Therefore, it is considered that Korean native sweet sorghum has sufficient value as a new forage crop for ruminants, and good value as yield, nutrients and digestibility, when the grass height is 273.33~332.50 cm.

The experiment aim to breed an early-maturing variety of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). It was conducted at the Grassland and Forage Crops Division, National Institute of Animal Science, RDA, Cheonan, Korea, from 2022 to 2023. The new variety named “Oasis” is a diploid with green leaves and has a semi-erect growth habit in late fall, and an erect growth habit in early spring. With a heading date of May 10, Oasis is categorized as an early-maturing variety. Compared with the “Florida80” as a control variety, Oasis’s flag leaf was 1 mm wider and 2 cm shorter, while the plant length was 7.8 cm longer. Additionally, the ear of Oasis was 1.2 cm longer than that of Florida80, and it showed lodging resistance. The dry matter yield of Oasis (8,805 kg/ha) was higher than that of Florida80. The total digestible nutrient and crude protein contents of Oasis were 64.5%, and 9.3%, respectively, which were 1.1% and 0.6% higher than those of Florida80, respectively. The neutral and acid detergent fiber contents in Oasis were 54.2% and 30.8%, respectively, which was 1.9% and 1.4% lower than those of Florida80, respectively. These results indicate that Oasis has good dry matter yield in the most of region and especially, middle and northern region of South Korea.

The present study investigated the effects of forage cutting and baler mixing on the chemical compositions, fermentation indices, and aerobic stability of whole crop rice (WCR) haylage. The WCR (“Youngwoo”) was harvested at 48.4% dry matter and ensiled into a 300 kg bale silo with forage cutting (whole crop without cutting vs. 5 cm of cutting length). The WCR forages were ensiled without baler mixing process (CON) or with (MIX). The concentrations of dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, crude ash, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber of whole crop rice before ensiling were 48.4, 9.70, 2.57, 6.11, 41.2, and 23.5%, respectively. The forage cutting did not affect the chemical compositions, fermentation indices, microbes, and aerobic stability of WCR haylage (p>0.05). The CON haylages tend to be higher in NDF content (p<0.10). The MIX haylages had lower in lactate (p=0.019), and lactate:acetate ratio (p<0.001). The MIX haylages had higher in lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (p=0.010). Therefore, this study concluded that the fermentation quality of WCR haylage improved by baler mixing, but had no effects by forage cutting.

The Saemangeum has a dry surface characteristic with a low moisture content ratio due to the saline and silt soil, so the vegetation cover is low compared to other areas. In areas with low vegetation cover, wind erosion has a high probability of scattering dust. If the vegetation cover is increased by cultivating crops that can withstand the Saemangeum reclaimed environment, scattering dust can be reduced by reducing the flow rate at the bottom. Thus, the purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of suppressing the generation of fine dust and scattering dust by cultivating winter forage crops on the Saemangeum reclaimed land. While growing 0.5 ha of barley and 0.5 ha of triticale in Saemangeum reclaimed land, the concentration of fine dust was monitored according to agricultural work and growth stage. Changes in the concentrations of PM-10, PM-2.5, and PM-1.0 were monitored on the leeward, the windward and centering on the crop field. As a result of monitoring, PM-1.0 had little effect on crop cultivation. the concentration of PM-10 and PM-2.5 increased according to tillage and harvesting, and tillage had a higher increasing the concentration of PM-10 and PM-2.5 than that of harvesting. According to the growth stage of crops, the effect of suppressing scattering dust was shown, and the effect of suppressing scattering dust was higher in the heading stage than in the seedling stage. So, it was found that there was an effect of suppressing scattering dust other than the effect of land covering. Through this study, it was possible to know about the generation and suppression effect of scattering dust according to crop cultivation.

본 연구는 무인기를 이용한 동계사료의 수량조사시 필요한 검량식의 작성을 위한 식생조사 및 분광측정의 적정 시기와, 작성된 검량식의 적용이 적절한 시기를 판단하기 위하여 고정식 자동 분광 측정장치를 개발하여 호밀, 총체보리, IRG를 대상으로 NDVI 를 장기간 측정하였다. 그리고 NDVI가 최댓값이 되는 날을 기준 으로 증가기간과 감소시간으로 기간을 나누어 건물수량 예측을 위한 검량식을 작성하고 검량식의 예측정확도를 각각 비교하였다. 조사결과 호밀, 총체보리, IRG는 각각 4월 8일, 4월 9일, 4월 5일에 NDVI가 최대치가 되었으며 NDVI 증가기간의 검량식은 결정계수(R2)는 각각 0.84, 0.84, 0.78로 높은 상관관계를 보였고 NDVI 감소기간에는 각각 0.00, 0.02, 0.27로 매우 낮게 나타났다. 따라서 NDVI 측정을 통한 건물수량 예측을 효율적으로 하기 위해서는 NDVI 변화를 정확히 측정할 필요가 있으며 고정식 자동 분광 측정 방법은 생육에 따른 NDVI의 정밀 측정에 효과적인 것으로 판단된다.

This study was conducted to compare the agronomic characteristics and productivity according to the species and varieties of winter forage crops in reclaimed land. Winter forage crops used in this study were developed in National Institute of Crop Science, RDA. Oats (‘Samhan’, ‘Jopung’, ‘Taehan’, ‘Dakyung’ and ‘Hi-early’), forage barley (‘Yeongyang’, ‘Yuyeon’, ‘Yujin’, ‘Dacheng’ and ‘Yeonho’), rye (‘Gogu’, ‘Jogreen’ and ‘Daegokgreen’) and triticale (‘Shinyoung’, ‘Saeyoung’, ‘Choyoung’, ‘Sinseong’, ‘Minpung’ and ‘Gwangyoung’) were planted in the reclaimed land of Sihwa district in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do in the autumn of 2018 and cultivated using each standard cultivation method, and harvested in May 2019(oat and rye: 8 May, barley and triticale: 20 May.) The emergency rate was the lowest in rye (84.4%), and forage barley, oat and triticale were in similar levels (92.8 to 98.8%). Triticale was the lowest (416 tiller/㎡) and oat was the highest (603 tiller/㎡) in tiller number. Rye was the earliest in the heading date (April 21), triticale was April 26, and oat and forage barley were in early May (May 2 and May 5). The plant height was the highest in rye (95.6 cm), and triticale and forage barley was similar (76.3 and 68.3cm) and oat was the lowest (54.2 cm). Dry matter(DM) content of rye was the highest in the average of 46.04% and the others were similar at 35.09∼37.54%. Productivity was different among species and varieties, with the highest dry matter yield of forage barley (4,344 kg/ha), oat was similar to barley, and rye and triticale were lowest. ‘Dakyoung’ and ‘Hi-early’ were higher in DM yield (4,283 and 5,490 kg/ha), and forage barley were higher in ‘Yeonho’, ‘Yujin’ and ‘Dacheng’ varieties (4,888, 5,433 and 5,582 kg/ha). Crude protein content of oat (6.58%) tended to be the highest, and TDN(total digectible nutrient) content (63.61%) was higher than other varieties. In the RFV(relative feed value), oats averaged 119, while the other three species averaged 92∼ 105. The weight of 1,000 grain was the highest in triticale (43.03 g) and the lowest in rye (31.61 g). In the evaluation of germination rate according to the salt concentration (salinity), the germination rate was maintained at about 80% from 0.2 to 0.4% salinity. The correlation coefficient between germination and salt concentration was high in oat and barley (-0.91 and -0.92) and lowest in rye (-0.66). In conclusion, forage barley and oats showed good productivity in reclaimed land. Adaptability is also different among varieties of forage crops. When growing forage crops in reclaimed land, the selection of highly adaptable species and varieties was recommended.

This study was conducted to establish spring sowing techniques in preparation for the impacts of climate change on sowing time and wintering rates of winter forage crops such as barley, oat and IRG. Oat showed the highest yield in 2017 which had relatively dry climate condition. And when sowing in late Febrnary 2017 yielding 9,408kg/ha were obtained, yielding 4,011kg/ha more than IRG's sown in the same period. In 2018 which had relatively wet climate condition, four barley species decreased in the production from the previous year. Oat also had decreased by 70% from 9,408kg/ha to 2,851kg/ha. On the other hand, IRG maintained the production in the mid-5,000kg/ha range. It was also found that IRG had the least variability due to external influences regardless of seeding period for 2 years. Mixed sowing with IRG and oat in 50:50 ratio was the highest dry matter, 6,584kg/ha, and IRG was 18.5% and Oat was 2.3 times higher than single planting.

The production of traditional cool season grasses in temperate regions is becoming hampered during summer seasons due to water deficit. Thus, incorporating water use efficient warm season annual grasses are generally considered to fill the gap of summer season forage reduction that would offer considerable flexibility and adaptability to respond to forage demand. Teff (Eragrostis teff Zuccagni) Trotter) is, a C4 drought tolerant warm season annual grass primarily grown for grain production, recently gaining interest for forage production particularly during summer season. Previous reports have showed that teff is palatable and has comparable forage biomass and feed quality as compared to other warm season annual grasses which would make it an alternative forage. However, the available data are not comprehensive to explore the potential of teff as forage, hence further assessment of genotype variability and performance along with compatibility study of teff with forage production system of specific environment is key for future utilization.

본 시험은 남부지역 논에서 사료용 벼와 월동작물은 연계하여 연간 생산성을 비교하기 위하여 수행하였다. 사료용 벼는 국립식량과학원에서 육성된 수원 605호, 영우, 목우 품종을 이용하였으며 월동작물로 호밀(곡우), IRG(그린팜) 그리고 트리티케일(조성)을 이용하였다. 각각의 작물은 표준재배법을 이용하여 재배하였으며 사료용 벼의 수확은 품종별로 출수 약 30일후에 실시하였다. 월동사료작물의 초장은 호밀이 가장 컸으며 파종시기가 늦어짐에 따라 커지는 것으로 나타났다. 건물함량은 이탈리안라이그라스가 가장 낮았으며 트리티케일이 평균 29.4%로 가장 높았다. 건물 수량은 호밀이 가장 높았으며 이탈리안라이그라스와 트리티케일은 유의적인 차이가 없었다. 사료가치는 파종시기에 따른 차이는 없었으나 초종간에는 차이가 있었다. 특히 호밀은 다른 초종에 비해 CP, IVDMD, TDN 및 RFV 수치가 낮게 나타났다. 사료용 벼 출수기는 수원 605호가 가장 빨랐으며 목우가 가장 늦었다. 건물함량은 목우가 유의적으로 낮게 나타났으나 건물생산량은 평균 18,484kg/ha로 품종간의 유의적인 차이는 없었다. 사료가치에 있어는 목우의 조단백질 함량이 유의적으로 낮게 나타났으며 TDN 및 RFV 값은 목우가 가장 높았다. 연간 생산성 평가에 있어서는 호밀-수원 605호가 86,741kg/ha로 가장 높은 생초수량을 나타내었으며 건물수량도 26,515kg/ha로 가장 높았다. 트리티케일과 IRG도 수원 605와의 작부체계시 건물 및 TDN 생산성이 높았다. 이상의 결과를 종합하여 볼 때 남부지역에서의 사료용 벼를 이용한 연중 사료작물 생산체계시 수원 605호와 호밀 (곡우) 조합이 가장 우수한 것으로 판단되었다.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of equation being used to estimate the total digestible nutrients (TDN) of whole crop rice silage (WCRS) in sheep. To compare the observed and estimated TDN contents [estimated TDN content=87.57-(0.737×ADF)], two varieties of WCRS from Nokyang (NS) and Samgwang (SS) as forage and food source, respectively, were used as a treatment. Nine female Corriedale sheep (average body weight: 49.2±6.3 kg) were used as the experimental animals. The ewes were fed according to their nutrient requirements at the maintenance level. To check the difference between the observed and estimated TDN contents, one sample non-parametric t-test was applied. The CP, NFE and CF contents of the NS were 43.6, 74.2 and 64.2%, respectively, and that of the SS were 46.2, 58.1 and 44.9%, respectively. The observed and estimated TDN contents of the NS were 63.5 and 61.5%, where there was no significant difference. The observed and estimated TDN contents of the SS were 48.9 and 59.0%, where there was significant difference (p<0.05) This research confirmed the validity of TDN estimation equation being used for estimation of TDN of WCRS as forage source, but further research is recommended on the equation for estimating TDN contents of WCRS as food source.

The objective of this study was to efficiently produce forage crop seed of spring oat (Avena sativa L., cultivar High Speed) in Gyeongbuk area. Forage crop oats (130 kg/ha) were sown with a randomized block design. They were sown in triplicates in 2015 and 2016 using basal fertilizer of 70 kg N, 74 kg P, and 39 kg K/ha. Agronomic traits and seed production of oats were investigated to determine the influence of seeding dates (February 28/29th, March 10th, and March 20th). Heading, flowering, and maturing dates of these oats sown on February 28/29th and March 10th were almost close to each other with 1-2 days of difference for all test plots. For oats sown on the last day (28/29) of Feb., plant heights (111.6-122.6 cm) were significantly longer than those sown in March each year. In addition, panicle number (416.7 per m2) and panicle length (17.3 cm) of oats sown on the last day of February were also significantly (p < 0.05) larger than those of oats sown in March in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Based on these results, it is recommended to sow these oats on the last day of February to have better agronomic traits in terms of plant height, stem length, panicle length, and panicle number per m2. Grain numbers (56.3 and 63.3) and kernel weights (1.72 and 2.00 g) per spike in plots of oats sown on the last day of February were also significantly (p < 0.05) larger than those of oats in other plots in 2016 and in the average of 2015~2016, respectively. The highest grain yield (6,243 kg/ha) was obtained when oats were sown on the last day of February. Feed value of harvested oats was good in terms of proximate compositions including fiber contents and TDN contents. In conclusion, sowing on the last day of February is the most effective way to increase seed production of spring oats in Gyeongbuk area of Korea.