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Yield, Nutritive Value, and Preference of Annual Warm‐Season Grasses Grazed by Horses
Author(s) -
DeBoer Michelle L.,
Sheaffer Craig C.,
Grev Amanda M.,
Catalano Devan N.,
Wells M. Scott,
Hathaway Marcia R.,
Martinson Krishona L.
Publication year - 2017
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/agronj2017.02.0099
Subject(s) - biology , agronomy , forage , sorghum , lolium multiflorum , grazing , pasture
Core Ideas Teff, sudangrass, and sorghum sudangrass have potential as pasture forage for horses. Japanese and Siberian millet have little regrowth and are not ideal for pastures. Inverted Ca/P and high NO 3 –N were observed and should be determined prior to grazing.Annual warm‐season grasses have the potential to provide forage, but are rarely evaluated under horse ( Equus caballus ) grazing. The objectives were to determine yield, forage nutritive values, and preference of annual warm‐season grasses at different maturities under horse grazing. Horses grazed Japanese millet [ Echinochloa esculenta (A. Braun) H. Scholz], Siberian millet ( E. frumentacea L.), teff [ Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter], sorghum sudangrass brown midrib (BMR) ( Sorghum bicolor × S. bicolor L. var. sudanese ), sudangrass [ S. bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. drummondii ], and annual ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum Lam.) at vegetative and mature stages in Minnesota; annual ryegrass served as a control. Sudangrass had the highest yield ( P ≤ 0.01), producing ≥5.5 Mg ha −1 at the vegetative stage and ≥9.7 Mg ha −1 at the mature stage. Siberian millet produced the lowest yields at the vegetative (≤2.5 Mg ha −1 ) and mature (≤6.0 Mg ha −1 ) stages. While all grasses met the nutritional requirements of many classes of adult horses, an inverted Ca to P ratio and high nitrate‐nitrogen (NO 3 –N) levels were observed. Annual ryegrass was most preferred ( P ≤ 0.01) with ≥60% removal at the vegetative stage and ≥40% removal at the mature stage. Siberian millet was least preferred with ≤40% removal at the vegetative stage and ≤5% removal at the mature stage. Based on maximizing yield, forage nutritive values, and preference, teff, sudangrass, and sorghum sudangrass show potential as annual warm‐season horse pasture forages; however, Ca/P and NO 3 –N should be determined before initiating grazing.