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Interseeding Novel Cool‐Season Annual Legumes to Improve Bermudagrass Paddocks
Author(s) -
Rao S. C.,
Northup B. K.,
Phillips W. A.,
Mayeux H. S.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci2006.02.0088
Subject(s) - forage , biology , cynodon dactylon , agronomy , dry matter , fertilizer , legume , zoology , cynodon
Interseeding nontraditional, cool‐season legumes into bermudagrass [ Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] paddocks was evaluated as an approach to increasing the quality and duration of forage production and replacing a portion of the N fertilizer required in the southern Great Plains. We compared the effects of interseeding either grass pea ( Lathyrus sativa L. ‘AC‐Greenfix’) or lentil ( Lens culinaris Med. ‘Indianhead’) with N fertilizer rates of 0, 45, or 90 kg ha −1 N. All plots received 60 kg P 2 0 5 ha −1 in early March. The legume and fertilizer treatments were imposed in mid‐March during 2001, 2002, and 2003. Forage samples were clipped from 0.25 m −2 quadrats on five sampling dates between 1 May and 15 July each year. Yield, N concentration, species composition, and in vitro digestible dry matter (IVDDM) were determined. Year, sampling date, and treatment showed significant ( P < 0.05) effects, as did the two‐way interactions between all three factors. Total end‐of‐season standing dry matter of bermudagrass and grass pea was 5550 ± 423 (SEM) kg ha −1 , which was similar to biomass production with 45 kg ha −1 N (5305 ± 570 kg ha −1 ) and less than that produced with 90 kg ha −1 N (7785 ± 725 kg ha −1 ). Forage N and IVDDM concentrations for the grass pea treatment were 34 and 6% higher than for bermudagrass, but N and IVDDM concentrations of the forage mixture were intermediate between the higher N rates. Although additional studies are needed to optimize management for the interseeded legumes, we conclude that this practice can improve the quality and duration of bermudagrass forage production in this region.