Lockney, Texas
October 18, 2006
More and more South Plains
producers are taking a look at how perennial forages may fit in
their future production plans. A recent turnrow meeting on the
Eddie Teeter farm near here provided an opportunity to see how
several perennial grasses are initially faring on the Plains.
Teeter is one of about 20 South Plains producers who volunteer
their management expertise and some of their land to test
production systems currently under review by the Texas Alliance
for Water Conservation.
The 13 forages in this perennial grass trial include buffalo
grass, sideoats grama, blue grama, switch grass, Klein grass,
Indian grass, three types of old world bluestem, a blend of
native grasses, and three types of Bermuda grass.
"We planted this trial in April and May," said Calvin Trostle,
Texas Cooperative Extension agronomist based at Lubbock. "We
used sprigs to establish the Ozark Bermuda grass plots. The
remaining 12 forages were seeded at appropriate agronomic rates
– 2 to 7 pounds of pure live seed per acre.
"These grasses received about 5 inches of irrigation to ensure
we could get the research plots established," he said. "Each
forage is planted in strips that are 10 feet wide and 75 feet
long. This is your chance to walk the plots, examine the grasses
up close and ask questions about what you see.
"Each grass strip will be subdivided in 2007 and managed under
varying levels of water, ranging from only rainfall to moderate
irrigation of about 1 inch per week from late April to early
October," he said.
Each forage stand was rated from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) in
mid-May, early June and mid-September by Trostle, Dr. Vivien
Allen, Texas Tech University forage scientist, and Rick
Kellison, alliance project manager.
"These ratings record the establishment of each grass under 2006
weather and seeding conditions, with emphasis on quick
establishment," Trostle said.
Klein grass (selection 75) posted an excellent rating in all
three evaluations. Sideoats grama, blue grama, a blend of three
native grasses and Ozark Bermuda grass also scored well –
posting May ratings above 2 and September ratings above 4.
Two other types of old world bluestem, two types of seeded
Bermuda grass, Indian grass, switch grass and buffalo grass
posted fair September ratings.
"Patience is key when evaluating newly established perennial
grasses," Trostle said. "Given time, what looks like a thin
stand can fill in quite well and produce a good stand. Changes
in seasonal temperature and rainfall can help."
Based on their experience with this trial, Trostle, Allen and
Kellison offered this advice for producers considering perennial
forages:
- Use planting equipment
designed to handle fluffy perennial grass seed.
- Don't seed too deep –
one-quarter inch or less is adequate for many grasses.
- Know the herbicide history
of your ground.
- Seedbed moisture is
crucial to establishing a good stand. Surface irrigation
systems appear better suited to grass establishment than
subsurface drip systems.
- When shopping for seed,
know the percentage of pure live seed, the germination
rating and the state of dormancy. It's wise to have a sample
tested for purity and germination before buying.
- Perennial grasses won't
germinate or produce a uniform stand as quickly as
traditional row crops.
- Fertilizer needs may be
higher than you anticipate, especially for Bermuda grass.
- Weed control is crucial
for stand establishment and longevity.
- Protect the stand after
the grass is well established. Don't overgraze.
"Adding a legume to the mix can be
a good way to supplement nitrogen needs," Allen said. "One of
our graduate students is now searching for adaptable legumes
that we can include in these field trials."
"Legumes require the right kind of soil microbes to form root
nodules and fix nitrogen," Trostle said. "That's key in getting
any nitrogen benefit from legumes.
Information on the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation and its
cropping projects is available online at
http://www.orgs.ttu.edu/forageresearch/TAWC.htm .
Funded by the Texas Water Development Board, the alliance is a
joint effort of Texas Tech University, Extension,
the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station, the High Plains Underground Water
Conservation District No. 1, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Service and the
Agricultural Research Service Cropping Systems Research
Laboratory, and several producers in Hale and Floyd counties.
Writer:
Tim W. McAlavy |