Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), widespread in Tennessee, furnishes forage from April to October and is dormant during the remainder of the year. This study was conducted to determine whether the season of forage production from such dormant sods could be extended by overseeding annual and perennial cool‐season grasses, and to determine their effects on warm‐season grass production. Established sods of common and ‘Midland’ bermudagrasses growing on Loring, Grenada, and Falaya soils were overseeded in 50‐cm rows in October 1965, 1966, and 1967, after bermudagrass growth had stopped, with ‘Monon’ wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), ‘Blount’ oats, (Avena sativa L.), ‘Balbo’ rye (Secale cereale L.) and Italian ryegrass (Lolium spp.). ‘Kentucky 31’ tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) was seeded in 50‐cm rows in October 1965 and 1966 and in 25‐cm rows in 1967. Summer production of bermudagrass grown alone, which ranged between 6 and 10 t/ha of dry matter, was depressed by annuals seeded the previous autumn. Overseeded small grains clipped during winter produced 1.4 to 3.0 t/ha dry matter and wheat harvested at late boot furnished 3.5 to 4.4 t/ha. Ryegrass yielded 3.5 to 5.0 t/ha during late winter and spring. Overseeding of the annual species resulted in higher total yields per unit area each year and extended the length of time forage was growing and available. Excellent stands of tall fescue were obtained and maintained through 1972. Fescue decreased Midland bermudagrass production by about 30%, and that of common by about 40%. However, fescue production in spring, summer, and fall compensated for the decreased bermudagrass production, increased total yearly forage production by about 2 t/ha, and extended the potential grazing season from 5 to 8 to 9 months.

Seed quality can be affected by soil and climatic conditions. The availability of soil water can be enhanced under no‐tillage. Under drought stress this can result in a more vigorous plant and production of higher quality seed. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ‘Forrest’] seed quality was evaluated in an experiment comparing no‐tillage, and five conventional tillage methods ranging from disking 10 cm deep to under‐row subsoiling 25 cm deep. The methods were studied on a Lexington silt loam (fine‐silty, mixed, thermic, Typic Paleundalfs) in 1979 and 1980. No‐tillage soybeans were of higher quality in the dry season of 1980 as compared to conventional methods. Seed from no‐tillage had significantly less purple stain [Cercospora kikuchii (T. Matsu. and Tomoyaso) Chupp.] and wrinkled seed coats. Seed germination, weight, density, and yield were also superior in no‐tillage as compared to conventional methods. Soil water availability was also higher in notillage due to water conservation by the surface mulch. Higher seed quality in no‐tillage could have resulted from greater soil water availability and reduced soil splash of purple stain organisms.

Three preemergence and four postemergence herbicides were compared for control of prickly sida (Sida spinosaL.) in soybeans (Glycine maxMerrill) and for level of phytotoxicity to soybeans. As a preemergence herbicide, chlorbromuron [3-(4-bromo-3-chlorophenyl)-1-methoxyl-1-methylurea] provided better control of prickly sida than did linuron [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1-methoxyl-1-methylurea] which was more consistently effective than was naptalam (N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid) plus dinoseb (2-sec-butyl-4,6-dinitrophenol). Chlorbromuron applied as a preemergence treatment caused slight crop injury. In most cases preemergence treatments followed by cultivation were effective in providing season-long control. The descending order of effectiveness for prickly sida control by the postemergence herbicides was: chlorbromuronmetribuzin [4-amino-6-tert-butyl-3-(methylthio)-as-triazine-5(4H)one] > prometryne [2,4-bis(isopropylamino)-6-(methylthio)-s-triazine] > dinoseb. Prometryne as a postemergence treatment following a preemergence herbicide increased prickly sida control more consistently than dinoseb used as the postemergence treatment. However, prometryne caused more crop injury than did dinoseb.Comparison of soybean yields from the weedy and weed free checks show that prickly sida caused only 9 to 14% yield losses in soybeans.

Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) is a vigorous and productive forage crop in the U.S. mid‐South during the warm season, but is dormant from October through March. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is semidormant in summer, grows well in spring and to some extent in autumn and winter. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of combinations of N fertilization level, harvesting management, and fescue row spacing, on the productivity and persistence of both bermudagrass and fescue in bermudagrass sods overseeded with fescue. ‘Kentucky 31’ tall fescue was overseeded in 25 or in 50‐cm rows in October, 1970 on an established ‘Midland’ bermudagrass sod growing on a coarse‐silty, mixed, acid thermic, aeric Fluvaquents soil at the West Tennessee Experiment Station, Jackson. Four rates of N fertilization included: none; or 200, 400, or 600 kg N/ha/year applied in four equal installments. Three clipping managements were superimposed: 5‐cm growth cut to a 2.5‐cm stubble, 10‐cm growth cut to a 5‐cm stubble, and 30‐cm growth cut to a 25‐cm stubble. Persistence of each species, composition of dry matter yield, and N content of harvested forage were measured from 1972–1975. When N was not applied, or when 200 kg N/ha/year were applied, fescue stands were excellent. Higher N rates resulted in half a stand. Fescue stands were less persistent in 50‐cm than in 2.5cm rows. Bermudagrass sods were maintained under all management conditions. Under the frequent 10 to‐5 cm and 5 to‐2.5 cm managements and with 200 kg N/ha/year, 1,500 kg dry matter/ha or more were harvested in each of four harvest periods (late winter to mid‐May, mid‐May to mid‐July, mid‐July to September, October through December) from the grass associations. The combination of the two species extended the season of production of the sod from 5 to 9 or 10 months/year during each of 3 years and increased dry matter production from 5,800 to 7,150 kg/ha/year. Most uniform production each year was obtained when fescue was seeded in 25‐cm rows and harvested from 10‐cm height to a 5‐cm stubble.