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Yields of Korean Lespedeza as Affected by Dodder 1
Author(s) -
Stitt R. E.
Publication year - 1940
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1940.00021962003200120007x
Subject(s) - lespedeza , citation , forage , agricultural experiment station , agricultural science , agriculture , agronomy , political science , library science , computer science , history , environmental science , biology , archaeology
I MANY sections where the annual lespedezas are grown, common dodder (Cuscuta peutagoua Engel.) {s found as a parasite on the lespedeza. Dodder is usually considered a noxious weed, and in spite of control measures that have been attempted, apparently is becoming more widely distributed from year to year. Questions often arise as to the effect of dodder on the hay and seed yields of lespedeza and on the relative feeding value of,dodder-infested hay. It is desirable, therefore, that more information on the subject be made available. During the season of ~939, square yard areas of adjacent infested and non-infested Korean lespedeza were harvested at Statesville, N. C. As the dodder was located in scattered spots from ~o to 3o feet in diameter, it was possible to obtain infested and non-infested paired samples from areas only a few feet apart. The hay samples were harvested on September 9. The dodder was separated from the lespedeza and the samples of lespedeza dried in the shade. It was necessary to dry the dodder in an oven at 80° C to prevent additional growth and spoilage from the high moisture content. Oven-dry weights were obtained after the samples had reached a constant weight at ~oo° C. The yields of hay are given in Table L The average yield of dodderfree lespedeza was 3,670 pounds and of the dodder-infested plots 3,677 pounds per acre. The amount of pure lespedeza was about 28% less on the dodder-infested plots than on the dodder-free plots, but the growth of dodder very nearly equaled the amount of the reduction of the lespedeza growth so that the total hay yields of both dodder-infested and dodder-free lespedeza were similar.