Information
It is a perennial, tall, early grass with good winter hardiness. It stands out for its loose tufts, rapid and aggressive spreading and rapid resprouting, so it can suppress other species. It responds strongly to nitrogen fertilization.
Cultivation for seed
Cock’s-foot reacts strongly to better supply of soil with nutrients and water, hence the reaction can be very strong vegetative growth – seed plantations should not be established on very fertile soils that are too wet and in areas with more rainfall. When growing for seed, it is more rational to undersow cock’s-foot in early spring in spring barley, with a reduced seed rate. There can also be legumes harvested for seed with a reduced seeding rate of 40-50%. Sowing of the cover crop is done first. Then grass seeds are sown across the rows at a depth of 1.5 cm. The recommended sowing rate is 5-7 kg/ha at a spacing of 25-50 cm or 15-20 kg/ha at a spacing of 12.5 cm. In each harvest year, sow 80-100 kg P2O5 and 100-120 kg/ha K2O and nitrogen in doses of 40-80 kg/ha in early spring and 60-80 kg/ha after harvesting either seed or cover crop. For weed control, use chemicals according to plant protection recommendations. Cock’sfoot seeds can be harvested by various methods: two-stage harvesting, mowing and threshing with a combine, harvesting twice with a combine – the first from the trunk (high mowing), the second from dried windrows.
Cultivation for green manure
Cock’s-foot for green manure crops can be grown on all types of soils except dry sandy soils and waterlogged soils. However, it produces the highest yields on fertile soils. It yields well on lighter soils, but sufficiently moist and generously fertilized with nitrogen. Cock’s-foot can be grown either in pure sowing or as an undersown crop in cereals, e.g. spring barley. When grown without a cover crop, cock’s-foot can be sown until August 15. However, the best results come from early spring sowing, as well as summer sowing. When cultivated as an undersown crop, good results are obtained when sown in early spring into spring barley.
When cultivated as an undersown crop, good results are obtained when sown in early spring into spring barley. When cultivated in pure sowing, mineral fertilizers are applied pre-sowing at a dose per hectare of about 50 kg N, 60-90 kg
P2O5, and 80-120 kg K2O. In years of full use, phosphorus fertilizers in the amount of 100-120 kg P2O5, per hectare can be sown once in the spring, while nitrogen and potassium should be applied under each crop at doses of 60-80 kg N and 50-70 kg K2O. When sowing cock’s-foot as an undersown crop, phosphorus and potassium fertilization under spring barley should be increased by about 40%. After harvesting the cover crop, it is necessary to sow 60-80 kg N per hectare. In the ensemble of pre-sowing crops, strive for thorough weed control and field leveling.
When cultivating in pure sowing, sow 12-15 kg of seed per hectare, while approx. 15-20 kg/ha should be sown in a cover crop. Three to four harvests in a year of full use. The first windrow should be harvested at the beginning of plant earing.
Odmiany
Tukan
This is a very valuable mid-late variety, with high sward density and very good persistence. Thanks to its lateness, for a common cock’s-foot, it competes less with other species (leaving them space to grow), and then quickly grows to complement the sward of a meadow or pasture. It produces high yields of fresh and dry matter. It combines high biomass yields with good seed yields. The variety is characterized by good winter hardiness and high regrowth energy after windrow. The variety has medium soil and agrotechnical requirements and medium-high fertilizer
requirements. A fodder variety, “Tukan” is suitable for hay meadow and fodder use.
Feature (Tukan):
Amera
The variety is primarily intended for cultivation on arable land, as a seedling in spring barley, and can be used for one or two-year hay use. It can also be used for fodder use, especially for sheep. It is the earliest variety of cock’sfoot, with an early start of vegetation, high intensity of spring growth and good resprouting vigor. It stands out for its good winter hardiness and plant resistance to drought conditions. It gives high and faithful biomass yields with good palatability and digestibility.
