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Experimental Grassland Renovator 1
Author(s) -
Smith E. M.,
Taylor T. H.,
Casada J. H.,
Templeton W. C.
Publication year - 1973
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/agronj1973.00021962006500030046x
Subject(s) - agronomy , tillage , poa pratensis , grassland , forage , environmental science , medicago sativa , trifolium repens , mathematics , biology , poaceae
Grassy swards inevitably become deficient in nitrogen unless some measure is used to replenish the supply. Renovation is a process by which legumes may be introduced into grass‐dominant fields. The legumes serve to replenish the nitrogen and to improve the quality and quantity of forage produced. The main problems in grassland renovation have been to determine tillage and seed placement requirements and to develop methods to meet these needs. Basic research has shown that there is a high probability of success in establishing whlite clover ( Trifolium repens ) and alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) in a Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis L.) sod when the following tillage and seed placement requirements are satisfied: till a furrow 0.6 cm wide and 1.9 cm deep, place the seeds in this furrow, cover the seeds 0.6 to 1.2 cm deep, press the soil over the seeds, and spray a band of herbicide 10 cm wide over the seeded furrow. The once‐over renovator described in this note is designed to satisfy the specified requirements of tilling, seeding, cnltipacking, and spraying. Tillage is accomplished with power‐driven blades that float in a vertical plane to follow the land surface, while seed placement is achieved with small double‐disk openers. The machine is designed to operate on rough terrain such as is prevalent in many grassland situations.