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Title: EVALUATION OF FORAGE SOYBEANS (GLYCINE MAX (L) MERR.) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Author
item KOIVISTO, J - ROYAL AGRIC COLLEGE, UK
item SAWYER, C - ROYAL AGRIC COLLEGE, UK
item LANE, G.P. - ROYAL AGRIC COLLEGE, UK
item Devine, Thomas

Submitted to: Grasslands Federation European Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/27/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The USDA recently released soybean cultivars bred for use as forage to provide livestock producers with the needed high protein feed for their livestock. This report provides information on the performance of these cultivars in southern England. The cultivar Donegal was especially productive of forage yield in this environment. Protein level of the forage was also high. This information suggests that the use of Donegal for forage legume production in England may be a valuable option for livestock producers. The opportunity for US seed producers to provide seed of this cultivar in an expanded European market would be beneficial to US seed producers as well as the livestock industry in Europe.

Technical Abstract: Two recently released forage soybean cultivars and six experimental forage soybean lines were tested at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Three replications of an RCB design were used. Plots were six rows wide and 3-m long. Rows were 18-cm apart and planted to obtain a population of 70 plants m-2. Forage was harvested from a 0.5-m section of the center two orows of each plot on the 5th of October 2001. Samples were separated into stems, leaves, and pods. Samples were analyzed for NDF, ADF, and CP. Donegal was the highest yielding line, with 12.2 t ha-1. Donegal had 124.6-g kg-1 CP, 279.3-g kg-1 ADF, and 401.5-g kg-1 NDF. Percent leaf was not consistently associated with protein content. Percent pods did not exceed 6.7% for any of the lines. The experimental line SG13#169 had the highest CP, 152.9-g kg-1, and a yield of 8.6-t ha-1. Additional testing is required for more conclusive evaluation of these experimental lines.