Here’s a video of a presentation that I made at the Pasture Seed Conference in Tasmania:
The presentation concentrated on some of the advances that have been made in seed production of cool-season grass seed crops.
The slides from the presentation can be accessed here:
Advances in Pasture Seed Production
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Here’s a new article from our seed production research and extension team on trinexapac-ethyl plant growth regulator (PGR) and its effects on seed yield and yield components in red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) seed crops. The field trials were conducted in the Canterbury region of New Zealand and in seed fields in the Willamette Valley.
This article will appear in an upcoming issue of Agronomy Journal and is a part of our series on PGR tools for use in legume and grass seed production. The product is marketed around the world as Palisade, Moddus, and several generic products for lodging control and seed yield enhancement in cool-season grass seed crops and legume seed crops.
Key findings of the article:
The article can be found at the link below:
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Here’s a new article from our seed production research and extension team on the rate and timing of trinexapac-ethyl plant growth regulator (PGR) and its effects on seed yield and yield components in tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus (Shreb.) Dumort.) seed crops. The field trials were conducted in the Willamette Valley over a 6-year period at Hyslop Farm.
This article will appear in an upcoming issue of Field Crops Research and is a part of our series on PGR tools for use in grass and legume seed production. The product is marketed around the world as Palisade, Moddus, and several generic products for lodging control in grass seed crops and legume seed crops.
Key findings of the article:
The article can be found at the link below:
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Thomas G. Chastain
The Tasmanian Pasture Seed Conference was held in November in Launceston, Tasmania. The conference was hosted by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, the University of Tasmania, private seed companies and agricultural suppliers and banking interests in Australia.
Several local and international speakers made presentations at the conference and it was attended not only by residents of Tasmania but also by seed producers and company representatives from mainland Australia. Major international seed companies and suppliers were present as well as their local counterparts. The conference began with one day of presentations and discussions regarding the state of the Tasmanian herbage seed industry in comparison with international seed production regions as well as a look at the current state of knowledge in herbage seed production. That was followed up a day later by a well-organized tour of farm fields and production facilities.
Thomas G. Chastain
Several scales have been constructed for use in assigning developmental stages to crop plants. The BBCH (Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie) scale is used to ascertain the developmental stages of crops and is based on the Zadoks scale for cereals but has been standardized and extended to many other crops including dicots.
The uniform nature of the BBCH scale has encouraged the wide-spread use of this system by agronomists and by agricultural practitioners alike. One advantage of the BBCH scale is the simplicity of staging of crop plants because only one scale (with minor modification) is needed for multiple species.
Ten principal stages form the basis for the scale in each crop. Below is a table showing the adaptation of the scale for grass seed crops.
| Stage | Description – BBCH scale |
| 0-9 | Seed germination/bud development |
| 10-19 | Leaf development |
| 20-29 | Tiller development |
| 30-39 | Stem elongation |
| 40-49 | Booting |
| 50-59 | Inflorescence emergence/development |
| 60-69 | Flowering/pollination |
| 70-79 | Seed development |
| 80-89 | Seed maturation and harvest |
| 90-99 | Senescence |
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Our seed production team lost one of its members this past week with the untimely death of Dr. Don Horneck, an agronomist working out of OSU’s Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Don made many contributions to our research and extension efforts in seed crops as well as other crops grown across the state of Oregon.
Of particular interest for those involved in seed production, he conducted research on nutrient uptake, urease inhibitors, and pest management in grass seed crops. His contributions are the basis for our understanding of micronutrient uptake in grass seed crops as well as adding to our knowledge in the uptake of macronutrients in these crops. Most importantly, Don was a really nice person and good friend to many of us in agriculture in the Pacific Northwest. He will be missed.
An article in the Capital Press about Don is linked below: