COLD HARDINESS OF FORAGE GRASSES GROWN ON THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES

Abstract

Cold hardiness ratings of 18 forage grass species, and cold hardy reference cultivars of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ’Norstar’) and rye (Secale cereale L. ’Puma’), were compared to provide estimates of the winterkill risk for forage grasses established in the spring and fall on the Canadian prairies.Key words: Forage grasses, cold hardiness, seeding date, winter survival