Cool‐Season Perennials vs Cool‐Season Annuals Sod Seeded into a Bermudagrass Sward¹

Abstract

‘Midland’ bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L. Pets.) is an excellent producer of summer forage in Maryland, but this advantage of high summer yields is reduced by a relatively short growing season in the northern edge of the bermudagrass belt. Cool‐season annuals sod seeded into bermudagrass to extend the pasture season are well documented. However, this requires a seeding each fall which adds to production costs. Theoretically, cool‐season perennials could be substituted for these annuals to eliminate this annual expense. The present study compared total forage yields and forage distribution of bermudagrass sod seeded with cool‐season annuals [rye (Secale cereale L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth)] vs cool‐season perennials [orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), and crownvetch (Coronilla varia L.)]. Although the perennials significantly increased total forage yields, production was highest when annuals were seeded. It was difficult to maintain uniform mixtures of cool‐ and warm‐season perennials in the same field. The annuals were superior primarily because competition between bermudagrass and the cool‐season perennials was much greater than that between bermudagrass and the cool‐season annuals. When hairy vetch was seeded with the cereals, yields were increased; at the same time, forage distribution and quality were improved with only half as much nitrogen. When all factors are considered, bermudagrass plus sod‐seeded, cool‐season annuals was superior to bermudagrass plus sod‐seeded, cool‐season perennials.

Seeding cool‐season grasses into unimproved warm‐season pasture in the southern Great Plains of the United States

“…Much of the research on warm‐ and cool‐season grass mixtures has focused on cool‐season grass mixtures with bermudagrass [ Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] or bahiagrass ( Paspalum notatum Flügge) (Decker et al. , 1974; Utley et al.…”

Persistence and Productivity of Tall Fescue in Bermudagrass Sods Subjected to Different Clipping Managements1

“…Where no N had been used, the fescue stand was good, but the Midland stand was poor and its productivity very low. These observations confirm the incompatibility of the two grasses when cut infrequently (2,6). Consequently, the yield data from the 30-to-2.5 treatments will not be presented, since they were measured for the first year only, at the zero N level.…”

“…620 fescue into 'Coastal' bermudagrass sods at high rate; of N fertilization for 3 years (10). Difficulty was encountered in maintaining sod-seeded tall fescue stands in bermudagrass sods in Maryland when cut only four to five times per season (2). However, when grass growth was harvested at hay stages, about six times per year, and a total of 278 kg N jhajyear had been applied in four to five applications, fescue was maintained for several years in bermudagrass sods in a more southern climate (4,5).…”

Growth of tropical grass introductions in mixed swards with ryegrass and clover under mowing

“…This suppression worsened in each successive spring and the introductions were unable to fully recover later in summer-autumn even though temperatures were warmer and the temperate competitors less active. Trials in Australia (Harris & Lazenby 1974) and North America (Fribourg & Overton 1973;Decker et al 1974), have also shown that tropical grasses will not fully express their summer growth potential if suppressed by temperate competitors. It appears that the earlier, more rapid growth of temperate species under cool spring temperatures gives them an important competitive advantage over tropical species in mixtures (pearcy et al 1981).…”