Factors Affecting Yield and Quality of Dryland Grasses¹

Abstract

Synopsis Yields of 7 species of grass were highly correlated with April–May precipitation (2.24 to 6.18 inches) during an 8‐year period. Ladak alfalfa grown with crested wheatgrass increased total yields during the last 5 years of an 8‐year period, owing possibly to nitrogen contributed by the alfalfa. Fifty pounds of nitrogen and 20 pounds P2O5 applied to 8‐year‐old stands increased yields of all species and mixtures. Renovation decreased yield during the treatment year and increased yields the year following.

Forage Yield and Quality of Dryland Grasses and Legumes

“…Green needlegrass produced more than (Clark and Heinrichs 1957), nearly the same as (Dubbs 1966), or significantly less than (Whitman et al 1961, Stitt 1958) crested wheatgrass in studies conducted for 3 to 8 years. Green needlegrass produced more than (Clark and Heinrichs 1957), nearly the same as (Dubbs 1966), or significantly less than (Whitman et al 1961, Stitt 1958) crested wheatgrass in studies conducted for 3 to 8 years.…”

“…Other studies have shown that Russian wildrye produced only 50 to 60% as much forage as did crested wheatgrass when seeded in rows 15 to 30 cm apart (Clark and Heinrichs 1957;Stitt 1958;Whitman et al 1961;Dubbs 1966, Dubbs 1975 or 46 cm apart (Seamands and Roehrkasse 1974). Leyshon et al (1981) found that Russian wildrye produced 50, 80, and 110% as much forage, respectively, as crested wheatgrass when seeded in rows 30,60, and 90 cm apart, respectively.…”

Soil Water Deficit Effect on Yield, Leaf Area, and Net Assimilation Rate of Three Forage Grasses: Crested Wheatgrass, Smooth Bromegrass, and Altai Wildrye1

“…The relative performance of these species varies from year to year (Kilcher, 1980), and with amount of N applied and soil type (Power, 1980;Simons and Gross, 1985). In the northern Great Plains variation in annual forage yield (0.39-3.40 mg ha-1 ) depends primarily on quantity and temporal distribution of rainfall (Stitt, 1958).…”

Predicted Forage Yield Based on Fall Precipitation in California Annual Grasslands

“…In the Great Plains region Rogler and Haas (1947) obtained a highly significant correlation coefficient (r = .76) for April-July precipitation and forage yield for the same season on a native sod of mixed prairie type. Stitt (1958) Dahl (1963) found that the total precipitation in the two previous years had a significant influence on yield of grass during the spring growth period. Further west, in the Rocky Mountain states, Blaisdell ( 1965) noted that yield was well correlated with total precipitation in the nine-month period immediately preceding the growing season.…”