Performance of Timothy Cultivars in Monoculture or in Mixtures with Meadow Fescue in Finland

Timothy (Phleum pratense) and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) are dominating grass species in Nordic countries with severe winters. Dry matter (DM) yield potential, forage quality and winter hardiness are of main interest for commercial cultivars. Further, it is advantageous to take into account the relation between primary growth and regrowth (P/R) DM yield when planning mixtures for different purposes and areas. In the current experiment, three different types of timothy were evaluated: a northern type cv. Jonatan, a southern type cv. Ragnar and an intermediate type cv. Grindstad. In addition, meadow fescue cv. Kasper and mixtures with all timothy cultivars and cv. Kasper were studied