Forage yield of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) under irrigated and dry farming conditions in Zanjan province

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is one of the most important grasses in the temperate climate which there is a lack of information on its adaptability in cold and semi-arid regions. The forage yield and quality of the species were evaluated using 36 domestic and exotic populations in Zanjan agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education centre.A RCBD design layout was also chosen for analysing the data of irrigated and dry farming conditions. Forage yield was used to evaluate the forage quantity. Hence, leaf to stem ratio, digestibility and crude protein percentage were used to evaluate forage quality. Results showed significant differences in all traits except for digestibility. Based on the results, genotype 4 (from Australia) with average yield of 3402 kg/h and genotype 19 (from Russia) with average yield value of 2113 kg/h was recommended for irrigated and dry farming condition, respectively. However, genotype 35 (from Ireland) was recommended for both conditions. Considerably high forage yield and quality in native genotype 16 (from Charmahal o Bakhtyari was reported. In conclusion, tall fescue could be recommended for cold climate such as Zanjan province, because of its cold tolerance, high forage production and soil protection.