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- Title
Forage Attributes and Animal Performance from Native Grass Inter-Seeded with Red Clover.
- Authors
Keyser, Patrick D.; Holcomb, Elizabeth D.; Lituma, Christopher M.; Bates, Gary E.; Waller, John C.; Boyer, Christopher N.; Mulliniks, J. Travis
- Abstract
Native warm-season grasses (NWSG) could provide desirable complementary summer forage for tall fescue [TF; Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort.] systems, especially for reproductive animals that may be disproportionately affected by TF toxicosis. Inter-seeding legumes into pastures is a common practice but has received only limited attention for NWSG. Switchgrass (SG; Panicum virgatum L.) and a big bluestem (BB; Andropogon gerardii Vitman) indiangrass (IG; Sorghastrum nutans Nash) blend (BB/IG), each with and without inter-seeded red clover (RC; Trifolium pratense L.), were grazed (46-54 and 38-46-cm canopy heights for SG and BB/IG, respectively) by bred dairy heifers for 3 yr. Establishment of RC was inconsistent leading to limited influence on forage mass, crude protein (CP), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Similarly, RC had minimal influence on average daily gain (ADG; kg d-1), animal days (AD) ha-1, and total gain (GAIN; kg ha-1). The ADG was 1.03 (SG), 1.23 (SG+RC), 1.25 (BB/IG), and 1.33 (BB/ IG+RC) kg d-1 during the early season and 0.36 (SG+RC), 0.37 (SG), 0.54 (BB/IG), and 0.86 (BB/IG+RC) kg d-1 later in the season. Higher stocking was possible with SG (234, 330, and 222 AD ha-1 in 2010, 2011, 2012, respectively) than BB/ IG (196, 240, and 162 AD ha-1 in 2010, 2011, 2012, respectively), but total gain (kg ha-1) was not consistently different. Switchgrass and BB/IG both provided acceptable forage quality and good animal performance and could be used for summer forage for bred heifers; RC had limited benefit and competed with NWSG.
- Subjects
RED clover; COMPOSITION of forage plants; TALL fescue; SORGHASTRUM nutans; PLANT fibers; PLANT proteins
- Publication
Agronomy Journal, 2016, Vol 108, Issue 1, p373
- ISSN
0002-1962
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2134/agronj2015.0198