July 16, 2003

Smith Seed Services announces that a new orchardgrass released from The Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station will be available for commercial release in the fall of 2005. A limited amount of seed for experimental purposes and test plots will also be available in the fall of 2004 and spring of 2005.

Persist Orchardgrass (tested under the experimental designation TN-OG-SYN-2) was developed by the
Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station and released to Smith Seed Services in Dec. 2000 for seed
development and propagation. Persist is a six clone synthetic that traces to a collection made from 1959 to 1961 from 6-yr or older stands of orchardgrass throughout Tennessee by Dr. Henry Fribourg and Mr. Joe Burns. Seeds were collected from 97 ecotypes (strains) in 45 counties. Each strain was replicated twice at the Knoxville, Plateau (Crossville), and West Tennessee (Jackson) Experiment Stations.

After the first year establishment, the plants were subjected to a severe treatment of clipping or grazing to a height of approximately 2.5 cm three or four times during the spring and summer for 4 yr. No fertilizer was applied to the plots during this period. Individual surviving plants were selected from each of the three locations and multiplied. Clones comprising Persist originated from individual plant selections at the West Tennessee Experiment Station. Ten replicates of each of 42 clones were established in a crossing block at Knoxville in September 1976. Data were recorded on an individual plant basis for flowering date, vigor and incidence of disease, primarily stem and leaf rusts, (Puccinia spp.). Seed was also harvested on an individual plant basis and yield data were recorded. Seed was bulked within each clone and used to establish progeny tests at Jackson and Knoxville. Based on performance of both parents and progeny, the six most outstanding clones that were synchronous in flowering date were chosen as the parental clones of Persist.

Persist is a productive and persistent cultivar that is most adapted from the northern to the extreme
southern range of the middle southern USA. It is similar in maturity date to Potomac Benchmark but
consistently produces more forage later in the season. Persist is easily established and has excellent seedling vigor.

Persist and six other orchardgrass cultivars were tested for yield at the Highland Rim Experiment Station (Springfield) for 4 yr and at Knoxville for 5 yr. The yield of Persist exceeded that of the mean in each year and was significantly greater in the last 2 yr at Knoxville, indicating longer persistence. In trials at Lexington and Princeton, KY in 1993 and 1994, which included 22 cultivars and experimental breeding lines, Persist produced the highest yield over the 2 yr at both locations. Persist was also included in forage yield trials for 3 yr at Tangent, OR. Forage yield was not significantly different than that of the other entries in the trial indicating wide adaptation. Persist was equal to Benchmark, Potomac, Haymate and Warrior in crude protein, acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber concentrations.

In an experiment at Ames Plantation in Southwest Tennessee, in which the performance of early-weaned steer calves was compared on pastures containing Persist and Benchmark, with and without clovers, the performance of calves grazing Persist was equal to that of those grazing Benchmark. Persist also produced more available forage, both with and without clover. The most significant and important attribute of Persist is persistence. After 4 yr of the grazing experiment, in which there was additional grazing and drought stress during the last 2 yr, there was a 70 to 80% stand of Persist compared to a 0 to10% stand of Benchmark in the pastures that were initially seeded in pure stand (without clovers). An adequate stand of Persist for grazing remained after 6 years.

It is expected that Persist will be adapted throughout the USA where orchardgrass is grown, but that it will have superior adaptation, compared to currently available cultivars, in southern regions.

Smith Seed Services will be responsible for producing Foundation, Registered, and Certified classes of seed. U.S. Plant Variety Protection of Persist has been applied for (PVP Application no. 2002000147.) Those that are interested in obtaining seed for trial purposes are encouraged to contact Jonathan Rupert at Smith Seed Services at 1-614-890-2929 or by e-mail at jonathan@smithseed.com