Cultivation

Forage value of meadow fescue

Festuca pratensis Huds.

Meadow fescue is a loose-bunch grass intended for producing high volumes of biomass in hay and pasture applications. The crop is valued for its high regrowth rate and ability to withstand prolonged flooding.

In the reference 83 varieties crop Meadow fescue, where this is mentioned in the description.

Meadow fescue is a versatile forage crop suitable for use in field grass cultivation, as well as the establishment of pastures and hayfields. An important advantage is its ability to rapidly regenerate vegetative mass after mowing or grazing; under irrigation, renewed growth is observed as early as the second day after cutting. The productive longevity of the stand averages 5–6 years, reaching 8 or more years under favorable conditions.

Unlike timothy grass, meadow fescue exhibits greater drought tolerance and a high survival rate during spring flooding with meltwater for up to 2–3 months. As a loose-bunch grass with a robust stem, it significantly outperforms red fescue in biomass yield, which is used for hay, silage, and haylage production. The crop possesses good competitive ability in grass mixtures; however, if it becomes overly dominant in a pasture stand, a decrease in palatability to livestock may be observed.

General information about the subject — on the page Forage purpose.

Sources8

Varieties of Meadow fescue mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.