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Title: Prairiegrass (Bromus catharticus Vahl) production and nutritive value

Author
item Belesky, David
item Ruckle, Joyce
item ABAYE, A - VIRGINIA TECH

Submitted to: Grass and Forage Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2007
Publication Date: 8/1/2007
Citation: Belesky, D.P., Ruckle, J.M., Abaye, A.O. 2007. Prairiegrass (Bromus catharticus Vahl) production and nutritive value. Grass & Forage Science. 62:301-311.

Interpretive Summary: Forage-based livestock production requires a reliable supply of herbage to meet goals. Forage resources with winter-active growth habits can help extend the growing season in early spring and late autumn in regions with mild winter conditions, while drought and heat tolerant plants help meet herbage needs during summer in humid temperate regions. The highly productive Grasslands Matua prairiegrass was susceptible to disease, which compromised productivity and nutritive value. The improved prairiegrass cultivars Grassland Dixon and Grasslands Lakota provide resistance to foliar disease and cold in addition to sustained productivity when soil moisture is low. The cultivars were sown in spring or summer to determine seasonal distribution of productivity and nutritive value of herbage grown in a cool-temperate region. Stands established rapidly regardless of planting time or cultivar and were virtually pure prairiegrass by the end of the establishment interval. Stand composition of broadcast plantings tended to be stable in subsequent growing seasons, whereas the amount of prairiegrass varied in no-till stands. Once plants vernalized, cumulative dry matter yield of Lakota was stable, whereas that of Dixon differed with planting time. Rapid establishment, strong late season yield, stable protein, non-structural carbohydrate, and total digestible nutrient concentrations, and dominance of sward composition suggest that improved prairiegrass cultivars are excellent resources for forage-based livestock production systems.

Technical Abstract: A reliable supply of herbage is a crucial feature of forage-based livestock systems. Forage resources with winter-active growth habits can help extend the growing season in early spring and late autumn in regions with mild winter conditions, while drought and heat tolerant plants help meet herbage needs during summer in humid temperate regions. The highly productive prairiegrass (Bromus willdenowii, Kunth.) cultivar Grasslands Matua was susceptible to disease, which compromised productivity and nutritive value. The improved prairiegrass (B. catharticus,Vahl) cultivars Grassland Dixon and Grasslands Lakota provide resistance to foliar disease and cold in addition to sustained productivity when soil moisture is low. The cultivars were sown in spring or summer to determine seasonal distribution of productivity and nutritive value of herbage grown in a cool-temperate region. Stands established rapidly regardless of planting time or cultivar and were virtually pure prairiegrass by the end of the establishment interval. Stand composition of broadcast plantings tended to be stable in subsequent growing seasons, whereas the amount of prairiegrass varied in no-till stands. Once plants vernalized, cumulative dry matter yield of Lakota was similar (5481 + 674 kg ha-1), whereas that of Dixon differed with planting time and was less in spring (5339 + 680 kg ha-1) than summer (6554 + 781 kg ha-1). Rapid establishment, strong late season yield, stable crude protein, non-structural carbohydrate, and total digestible nutrient concentrations, and dominance of sward composition suggest that improved prairiegrass cultivars are excellent resources for forage-based livestock production systems.