EMERGENCE, SEEDLING GROWTH, AND YIELD OF ALTAI WILD RYEGRASS AND OTHER GRASSES AS INFLUENCED BY SOIL TEMPERATURE AND FERTILITY

Altai wild ryegrass (Elymus angustus Trin.) was compared to Russian wild ryegrass (Elymus junceus Fisch.), bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), tall wheatgrass (Agropyron elongatum Host.), and intermediate wheat-grass (Agropyron intermedium (Host.) Beauv.) when seeded in soils maintained at 10, 15, and 20 C and fertilized at various rates of N and P. Emergence, rate of development, and young plant yields were measured. Altai wild ryegrass emergence was retarded by cold soil more so than that of the other grasses. Its response to warmer soil was proportionately greater than that of other grasses. Like Russian wild ryegrass, Altai wild ryegrass showed little response to N fertilizers when grown in cold soils, except when P was added.