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Perennial forages look promising on the Texas South Plains
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

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