Effect of quality assessment on cultivar performance in timothy variety testing in Finland

Significant differences in quality parameters among varieties were recorded for yields of both the first and second cuts. Differences in D-values reflected the differences in earliness of varieties and differences in protein content reflected differences in the yield of a particular cut. Quality assessment in cultivar trials would motivate breeders to enhance their efforts in quality improvement

Herbage Seed Production Possibilities in Finland

In the seed production variety experiments in Finland from 1977 to 1992 the mean seed yield of timothy (Phleum pratense) cultivar Alma was 717 kg ha-1, of meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) cv. Boris 622 kg ha-1, of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) cv. Retu 350 kg ha-1, of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) cv. Riikka, of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata) cv. Haka 295 kg ha-1, and red clover (Trifolium pratense) cv. Hankkijan Venla 403 kg ha-1. From 1988 to 1998 annual certified seed production of timothy from 4599 ha was 1845 t in total at an average yield of 401 kg ha-1. The meadow fescue seed production area was 1046 ha resulting in a yield of 470 t at an average of 449 kg ha-1. In perennial ryegrass, small domestic demand has maintained the seed production area low. Herbage seed of timothy, meadow fescue, perennial ryegrass and red clover is produced in Finland for the domestic market only. In the 1950s and 1960s, however, Finland exported herbage seed. Exports ceased in the 1970s mainly due to high production costs in Finland. When Finland joined the European Union (EU) in 1995 the economical regulations in agriculture changed. A study on possibilities to produce herbage seed of foreign cultivars in Finland for export is currently in progress

Ear Emergence of Different Grass Species under Finnish Growing Conditions

Timothy is the most commonly cultivated grass species in Finland. Swards cultivated for silage of hay are of pure timothy or timothy is the dominant species of the mixture. Successful timing of harvesting of the primary growth is very critical in Northern latitudes where the stand develops very rapidly at daylengths of above 18 hours with a daily mean temperature close to 20 °C. The primary growth has to be harvested within a very short period to obtain a yield of high and uniform quality. Short harvesting periods require high capacity harvest machinery which lead to high costs. If it would be possible to prolong the harvesting over a longer period of time, it would decrease the risk of bad weather conditions and reduce machine costs through better utilization of harvesting capacity. Sowing different grass species makes it possible to extend the harvesting period. The aim of this study was to investigate timing of ear emergence of different grass species in comparison with timothy. The suitable harvesting time for silage in Finland is closely related to ear emergence of the stand

Italian Ryegrass and Barley Mixture for Forage Production: Effect of Harvesting Time on Yield and Quality in Northern Latitudes

In northern latitudes forage cereal and Italian ryegrass (IRG) mixtures provide a good source of forage in situations where perennial swards have suffered winter damages (Nissinen, 1994). In this experiment harvesting time of the first cut of an IRG-barley mixture was studied to optimise the yield and quality in the growing season. The objective of the study was to assess if harvesting an IRG-barley mixture later than two weeks after heading, as currently recommended, offers benefits

Italian Ryegrass and Whole Crop Cereal Mixture: Effect of Sowing Rate and Maturity on Variety on Yield and Botanical Composition in Northern Latitudes

The profitability of a dairy farm using whole crop cereals (WCC) is better in Finland than that of a farm producing combine harvested cereals and grass silage (Turunen, 2000). The main reason for that is the decrease in the machinery costs. However, quality of the WCC yield can vary considerably depending on the ear- straw ration. This may lead to problems in feeding. In this experiment we studied the effect of sowing rate and growing time of the cereal cultivar on the botanical composition, quality and yield of the WCC harvest. The objective was to study if it would be possible to increase the grass component in the WCC harvest by cultivation management to such a level that the WCC yield would be feasible to be used in feeding with pure grass silage. In this paper we present results of the botanical composition of the WCC harvest

Forage Production from Perennial vs. Annual Crop R~ on in Sandy Soils in Egypt

Forage production was studied on newly reclaimed sandy soil in Egypt trom perennial lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) and two annual crop rotations. The cropping systems were: A) lucerne, B) berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) in the winter followed by pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum R. Br. Emend. Stantz.) in the summer and C) triticale (XX Triticosecale Wittm.) (forage cut + grain harvest) in the winter followed by maize (Zea mays L.) (grain + stover) in the summer. Mean annual dry matter yields (t ha-1 ) were 20.65, 26.59 and 27.48 from A, B and C, respectively. However, lucerne provided the most even seasonal forage production

Carry-Over Effect in Forage Rotations on Newly Reclaimed Sandy Soil in Egypt

This study was carried out to investigate the carry-over effect of a preceding crop on the productivity of the following crop in various rotations in newly reclaimed lands in Egypt. The productivity of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), soyabean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), maize (Zea mays L.) and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) in summer season were much higher following berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) or lentil (Lens culinaris Medic) than after wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) or barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in both years of the study. Soyabean was the best summer season pre-crop for lentil and berseem, whereas peanut was best for barley. Maize was a suprisingly good pre-crop in this study. The carry-over effect from pearl millet was inferior to that of maize. Of the winter season crops berseem had the most positive effect on the four summer crops studied. Winter season crops had a decreasing positive effect in the order: berseem, lentil, barley and wheat. The data suggest that, cropping systems on newly reclaimed sandy soils should include legume crops (soyabean or peanut in summer, and berseem or lentil in winter) to maximise production of the following crop

Variability in Herbage Mass and Chemical Composition within a Timothy Sward

Variability in herbage mass (HM) and chemical composition of timothy (Phleum pratense L.) sward was studied in a three-hectare field. The field, which was flat, was divided into twelve sections and a sampling site was randomly selected in each. The study was carried out in Sotkamo (64o 01’N, 28o22’E) research station in Finland. Snow depth and frost conditions were measured in winter and soil water content was monitored in the growing season at each sampling site. Observations on the crop included assessment of herbage ground cover and winter damage percentage, stand height and HM and analysis of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and nitrogen concentration. Forage was harvested twice during the experiment and the first cut was made at ear emergence. Winter damage varied from 0 to 68% and herbage ground cover in spring from 30 to 100%. Variability in HM was higher at the first cut (from 1767 to 4390 kg DM ha-1) than at the second cut (from 3890 to 4348 kg DM ha-1). NDF content varied from 601 to 688 g kg-1 at the first cut and from 582 to 632 g kg-1 from at the second cut. The 95% confidence limits for NDF at the first cut were from 635 to 663 g kg-1 and at the second cut from 589 to 604 g kg-1

Association between fixation type and revision risk in total knee arthroplasty patients aged 65 years and older: a cohort study of 265,877 patients from the Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association 2000-2016

Background and purpose - The population of the Nordic countries is aging and the number of elderly patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is also expected to increase. Reliable fixation methods are essential to avoid revisions. We compared the survival of different TKA fixation concepts with cemented fixation as the gold standard. Patients and methods - We used data from the Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association (NARA) database of 265,877 unconstrained TKAs performed for patients aged ≥ 65 years with primary knee osteoarthritis between 2000 and 2016. Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival analysis with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and the Cox multiple-regression model were used to compare the revision risk of the fixation methods. Results - Cemented fixation was used in 243,166 cases, uncemented in 8,000, hybrid (uncemented femur with cemented tibia) in 14,248, and inverse hybrid (cemented femur with uncemented tibia) fixation in 463 cases. The 10-year KM survivorship (95% CI) of cemented TKAs was 96% (96 - 97), uncemented 94% (94 - 95), hybrid 96% (96 - 96), and inverse hybrid 96% (94 - 99), respectively. Uncemented TKA was associated with increased risk of revision compared with the cemented TKA; the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.3 (95% CI 1.1 - 1.4). Interpretation - Cemented, hybrid, and inverse hybrid TKAs showed 10-year survival rates exceeding 95%. Uncemented fixation was associated with an increased risk of revision in comparison with cemented fixation. As both hybrid and inverse hybrid fixation were used in only a limited number of TKAs, indicating possibility of selection bias in their favor, cemented TKA still remains the gold standard, as it works reliably in the hands of many

Impact of the Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association (NARA) collaboration on demographics, methods and revision rates in knee arthroplasty: a register-based study from NARA 2000–2017

Background and purpose: We have previously observed differences in treatment and outcome of knee arthroplasties in the Nordic countries. To evaluate the impact of Nordic collaboration in the last 15 years we aimed to compare patient demographics, methods, and revision rates in primary knee arthroplasties among the 4 Nordic countries.Patients and methods: We included 535,051 primary knee arthroplasties reported 2000-2017 from the Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association (NARA) database. Kaplan-Meier analysis (KM) and restricted mean survival time (RMST) analysis were used to evaluate the cumulative revision rate (CRR) and RMST estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and to compare countries in relation to risk of revision for any reason.Results: After 2010, the increase in incidence of knee arthroplasty plateaued in Sweden and Denmark but continued to increase in Finland and Norway. In 2017 the incidence was highest in Finland with 226 per 105 person-years, while it was less than 150 per 105 in the 3 other Nordic countries. In total knee arthroplasties performed for osteoarthritis (OA), overall CRR at 15 years for revision due to any reason was higher in Denmark (CRR 9.6%, 95% CI 9.2-10), Norway (CRR 9.1%, CI 8.7-9.5), and Finland (CRR 7.0%, CI 6.8-7.3) compared with Sweden (CRR 6.6%, CI 6.4-6.8). There were differences among the countries in use of implant brand and type, fixation, patellar component, and use of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.Interpretation: We evinced a slowing growth of incidence of knee arthroplasties in the Nordic countries after 2010 with Finland having the highest incidence. We also noted substantial differences among the 4 Nordic countries, with Sweden having a lower risk of revision than the other countries. No impact of NARA could be demonstrated and CRR did not improve over time.</p