Timothy

Timothy The varieties Rakel, Lidar, Grindstad and Switch were among the highest yielding in the experiments without significant differences in total yield. However, there was a significant difference between these varieties and var. Noreng and also between var. Rakel and var. Snorri. When the second cutting was analysed separately the results were similar. Significant differences were not found between the varieties Rakel, Lidar, Grindstad and Switch but were between these varieties and the varieties Snorri and Noreng. The difference between the varieties Snorri and Noreng in the second cutting was not significant. The interaction between variety and site was not significant, which means that the varieties rank in a similar way at different sites, at least while the plots are not damaged (R2 = 0.97, CV = 5.4, Root MSE = 0.456, Mean = 8.53 t/ha). The varieties can have different resistance to winter climate and harvest treatments which at a certain time will affect the yield. But while the varieties have a good cover the yield ranking was similar at different sites. The timothy varieties Engmo and Vega were compared in Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands (Thorvaldsson et al. 2000). Results from these experiments also showed no interaction between sites and varieties. Helgadóttir (1989) found similar results in comparing timothy varieties at seven locations in Iceland and the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland. The same results were found by Helgadottir & Björnsson (1994) where timothy did not show variety x location interaction whereas meadow fescue, smooth meadow grass and red fescue did. This is of course dependent on the genetic variation within the plant material we were using and how variable climatic conditions were included. Björnsson (1993) divided the five Nordic countries into five zones based on this kind of calculation. Consistency for the entries investigated was also found between the locations (61 °N and 67 °N) in a Norwegian experiment including festulolium, perennial ryegrass, meadow fescue and timothy (Østrem et al., 2013).

Fig. 11. Regrowth of timothy at Korpa, Snorri (left), Switch (middle) and Rakel (right) (GÞ).