Planting date effect on cool‐season grasses herbage accumulation in north Florida

Abstract Cool‐season annual grasses are important components of Florida forage systems, providing high‐quality forage when warm‐season perennial grasses are dormant. Strategies such as using alternative species and adjusting planting dates may extend the grazing season, improve resilience to weather variability, and increase producer profitability. In this 2‐year study, we evaluated the herbage accumulation (HA) of seven cool‐season grasses planted either in January or February and harvested twice during the cool season. The evaluated grasses included three oat ( Avena sativa L.) cultivars—‘Cosaque’, ‘Horizon 201’, and ‘Legend 567’—as well as ‘Trical 342’ triticale (× Triticosecale spp.), ‘FL401’ rye ( Secale cereale L.), ‘Earlyploid’ ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum Lam.), and ‘SoilSaver’ black oat ( Avena strigosa Schreb.). On average, SoilSaver, Legend 567, and FL401 produced greater total HA (2500 lb ac −1 ) than Cosaque and Horizon 201 (1060 lb ac −1 ), whereas Earlyploid ryegrass and Trical 342 were intermediate among all entries. Cosaque, FL401, Earlyploid ryegrass, and Trical 342 had greater HA when planted in January than when planted in February. In contrast, SoilSaver produced greater HA when planted in February rather than in January, whereas Legend 567 performed well at both planting dates. Except for Earlyploid ryegrass, all entries had greater HA in the first harvest. SoilSaver black oat ranked second in both harvests. In the first harvest, SoilSaver was outperformed by Legend 567 oat and FL401 rye. In the second harvest, SoilSaver was outperformed by Earlyploid ryegrass. Overall, SoilSaver black oat, Legend 567 oat, and FL401 rye were among the most productive entries and represent promising options for enhancing cool‐season forage production in Florida.