The Panic Built : Litter alternative bovine

The Switchgrass goes up to about two metres

Sowing plots of switchgrass has any interest in farms already self-sufficient in fodder, but markedly deficient in straw. The relief of the plots used must of course be limited to be easily machineable. “Cereal straw and switchgrass are two totally different approaches. The cereal crop is an annual crop that comes in rotation with other crops or temporary grassland. Put the switchgrass is going to stop land in rotation. She is going to lose the autonomy cereal, highlights Coralie Sirieix. On the other hand, this plant has all his interest. Plots remote, it does not fall into the rotations. They are complicated to use for grazing, as isolated, not very accessible or without water. This implementation allows the value of these fields, producing a good alternative to straw.”

Attention to the wild boars,

The Switchgrass is also often used for hunting. In order to achieve the bands shelter for the game in the parks and hunting farms specialized, it cut the plots and crops. Even if the plant does not have a vocation to the food, to the game, it is a dense cover. These surfaces are quick to be attractive to the wild boar. They will be much more difficult to dislodge than the plots used will be of large dimensions.

No need of specific material

Whether sowing or harvest, one of the main advantages of switchgrass is that it does not require specific hardware. The sowing is carried out with a planter classic grain and the harvest with a round-baller, a press high density or a forage harvester. This last solution is translated by a harvest in the short strands, more suited to buildings poultry as tie-on for cattle. What’s more, this crop in the short strands can be tricky because once dry, the product is extremely volatile (bulk density of about 110 kg/m3). Obviously, it has to be stored out of the rain and of the capillary rising of the ground. The storage in boots is so much simpler, especially if its purpose is to “mulch” of buildings for cattle.

In the Face of increases in the price of straw, breeders of corrèze develop a production of switchgrass in order to limit the level of their purchases. An opportunity not to be overlooked in order to enhance plots in remote or isolated.

In recent years, the needs of straw increased the pace of construction of houses on litter accumulated. They are also fueled by changes in the climate. Theemergence of new markets to emerge, such as anaerobic digestion.

Year after year,

the rates, therefore, are on the upward slope and the voltage is further increased due to the increase of transportation costs. The price of straw made during firm that approach or exceed the 120 euros per ton. The departments away from areas of production are in the search of alternative solutions.

” In 2020, 

breeders of corrèze have heard of a plant called the switchgrass (in French, switchgrass). We accompanied this group of farmers to assist them in assessing the relevance of this culture, ” says Coralie Sirieix. The technician cattle meat of the chamber of agriculture 19.

Before sowing plots, tests of the product have been made by purchases of switchgrass conditioning in boots round or square. Used boxes as a substitute for the cereal straw. This plant has shown an ability to uptake X3 with litters comfortable to use quantities that are equivalent.

A perennial C4

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a grass perennial C4 (such as corn) is native to North America whose appearance is close to the miscanthus.  It installs itself by seeding. “He realizes with a grain drill in late spring (late may-June) when the soil is well warmed up (14 °C),” says Coralie Sirieix.

A delicate work to the extent that, the seeds are of the size of those of the cocksfoot or timothy. They require a seedbed neat. The dose usually recommended is 12 kg per hectare. This allowshave a good density of seed positioned between 0.5 and 1.5 cm depth, followed by a passage of roller. The lift is slow and often laborious. It is important to manage the weeds upstream by a fake seedlings, or even a weed killer, systemic.

The year of implementation there is no harvest. The objective is first of all to enable a successful implementation. Given the low competitiveness of switchgrass, a nitrogen fertilizer, mineral or organic is not recommended. This avoids the need to stimulate the growth of weeds. The second year, the plant will restart in April. She grows up in September and then the aerial part between senesced. Then there is translocation of carbohydrate content in the leaves to the root system. It is these reserves and prepares the growth of the plant the following spring. The aerial part of the plant then becomes dehydrated. Gradually over the course of the winter, a part of the leaves fall to the ground, allowing the return of organic matter and mineral.

The harvest is ideally place on a nice day in late winter

Harvest when the stems are completely dry. The rate of dry matter is approximately 85 %. The ideal is the cut in the morning in order to be baled in the early afternoon. The conditioner should be the most inefficient possible. It minimizes the breakage of the stems to the extent that their moisture content is below 12 %. A harvest in late winter also corresponds to the period when the barns are empty. The place is free to store the boots freshly harvested.

“The yield potential is at its maximum from the third year and it is about 60 % of this maximum in the second year. Low Corrèze, we can expect an average yield of routine with 11 tonnes of dry matter on land correct “, stresses Coralie Sirieix.

Probably more in the departments more favored side soil type and climate. The good resistance of the switchgrass to drought is related to the root system. It allows him to go and fetch water very deeply.

In the end of the period of vegetation the plant measure up to 2,50 meters.

She pushed back each spring for a good ten years without the need to renew the seeding, so without any tillage. In the Indre-et-Loire, some of the plots of more than 20 years are still in production.

The switchgrass accepts a range of pH wide enough for 5 to 8. It tolerates a range of soils quite diverse but displays his preference for light soil, well-drained, type sandy or loamy. Like all plants, C4, the summers are favorable for him, and developments in current and future climate should therefore rather play in his favor. The plots to avoid are hydromorphic soils for obvious reasons of lift at the end of winter at the time of the harvest.

Attention also to the soil, very stony. They penalize the realization of a nice seed bed. Cis one of the key points of the good implementation of this culture. Fertilization would not be necessary. She must be modest in order to avoid the risk of paying it. It is to forget the first year so as not to favor the weeds.

Possible use in forage

This plant can also potentially be harvested forage in early summer when it is not yet watched. Its feeding value is then that of a hay good way (around 0.6 UF). But this cup in June does not, of course do a second harvest in autumn for litter. Graze the switchgrass, in contrast, is totally not recommended. The plant is fragile and would soon be dangerously damaged if his collar were too often trampled.

To better assess the economic relevance of implanting a plot in switchgrass, the chamber of agriculture of Corrèze has led to a study. “The costs of construction are based on the crop management presented in the graphic. These costs are extracted from the scale of mutual aid 2020 in Limousin and take into account the tools, the tractor, the fuel and the workforce. The inputs or sales prices of cereals are based on the average of the years 2015 and 2020. The results thus correspond to the cost of construction divided by the tonnage product, ” says Coralie Sirieix, technician cattle meat to the chamber of agriculture.