Harvest frequency affects herbage accumulation and nutritive value of brachiaria grass hybrids in Florida

Abstract Recently there has been growing interest in interseeding high-quality legumes, like alfalfa, into existing bermudagrass stands as a step towards improving forage, animal, and ecosystem sustainability in the Southeast. Current work evaluating these mixtures has focused on management and production of stored forages, and limited work has evaluated the use of alfalfa-bermudagrass mixtures under grazing conditions. It is known that both grazing intensity and frequency impact overall alfalfa stand production over time. The objective of this research is to evaluate the effect of harvest height and frequency on alfalfa interseeded into bermudagrass to develop grazing management recommendations. In 2018 thirty-six alfalfa-bermudagrass plots were established at 4 locations across Alabama and Georgia in a randomized complete block design with four replications at each location. Alfalfa varieties utilized were selected for suitability to location and were either ‘Bulldog 505’ or ‘Bulldog 805’ interseeded into existing hybrid bermudagrass sods. Treatments included combinations of harvest frequency (2, 4, or 6 weeks) and harvest height (5, 10, 15 cm) and plots were evaluated to determine the optimum interval in relation to sward yield, alfalfa persistence, stand density, botanical composition, nutritive value, and change over time. Forage yield was affected by the interaction of location with harvest frequency and height (P < 0.05). At three of the four locations, overall seasonal yield from the 5cm cutting height was greatest, however alfalfa persistence declined in these treatments throughout the season and was less than 10% at the northern locations when 2019 data collection began. Additionally, crude protein (CP) and in-vitro digestibility (IVDMD) declined throughout the season as the alfalfa presence decreased. This study is supported by funding from the USDA-NIFA-Alfalfa Forage Research Program (2017).

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Forage Yield and Nutritive Value of Elephantgrass as Affected by Harvest Frequency and Genotype

Agronomy Journal ◽

10.2134/agronj1991.00021962008300030005x ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 83 (3) ◽

pp. 541-546 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

K. R. Woodard ◽

G. M. Prine

Keyword(s):

Nutritive Value ◽

Forage Yield ◽

Harvest Frequency

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Effect of Phragmites japonicus harvest frequency and timing on dry matter yield and nutritive value

Journal of Environmental Management ◽

10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.11.008 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 187 ◽

pp. 436-443 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Takashi S.T. Tanaka ◽

Chagan Irbis ◽

Hajime Kumagai ◽

Pengyun Wang ◽

Kunzhi Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dry Matter ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Dry Matter Yield ◽

Harvest Frequency

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27 Defining Grazing Recommendations for Alfalfa-Bermudagrass Mixtures in the Southeastern U.S

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz397.030 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 14-14

Author(s):

Kaylyn Groce ◽

Jennifer J Tucker ◽

Katie Mason ◽

Landon Marks ◽

Mary K Mullenix

Keyword(s):

Nutritive Value ◽

Block Design ◽

Grazing Intensity ◽

Stand Density ◽

Forage Yield ◽

In Vitro Digestibility ◽

Harvest Frequency ◽

Management Recommendations ◽

Over Time

Abstract Recently there has been growing interest in interseeding high-quality legumes, like alfalfa, into existing bermudagrass stands as a step towards improving forage, animal, and ecosystem sustainability in the Southeast. Current work evaluating these mixtures has focused on management and production of stored forages, and limited work has evaluated the use of alfalfa-bermudagrass mixtures under grazing conditions. It is known that both grazing intensity and frequency impact overall alfalfa stand production over time. The objective of this research is to evaluate the effect of harvest height and frequency on alfalfa interseeded into bermudagrass to develop grazing management recommendations. In 2018 thirty-six alfalfa-bermudagrass plots were established at 4 locations across Alabama and Georgia in a randomized complete block design with four replications at each location. Alfalfa varieties utilized were selected for suitability to location and were either ‘Bulldog 505’ or ‘Bulldog 805’ interseeded into existing hybrid bermudagrass sods. Treatments included combinations of harvest frequency (2, 4, or 6 weeks) and harvest height (5, 10, 15 cm) and plots were evaluated to determine the optimum interval in relation to sward yield, alfalfa persistence, stand density, botanical composition, nutritive value, and change over time. Forage yield was affected by the interaction of location with harvest frequency and height (P < 0.05). At three of the four locations, overall seasonal yield from the 5cm cutting height was greatest; however, alfalfa persistence declined in these treatments throughout the season and was less than 10% at the northern locations when 2019 data collection began. Additionally, crude protein (CP) and in-vitro digestibility (IVDMD) declined throughout the season as the alfalfa presence decreased. This study is supported by funding from the USDA-NIFA-Alfalfa Forage Research Program (2017).

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99 Managing alfalfa-bermudagrass mixtures in the Southeastern U.S. to establish livestock grazing recommendations

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz053.078 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 35-35

Author(s):

Kaylyn Groce ◽

Jennifer J Tucker ◽

Katie Mason ◽

Landon Marks ◽

Mary K Mullenix

Keyword(s):

Nutritive Value ◽

Block Design ◽

Grazing Intensity ◽

Stand Density ◽

Growing Season ◽

Livestock Grazing ◽

Harvest Frequency ◽

Randomized Complete Block Design ◽

Alfalfa Varieties ◽

Over Time

Abstract Recently there has been interest in interseeding high-quality legumes, like alfalfa, into existing bermudagrass stands as a step towards improving forage, animal, and ecosystem stability in the Southeast. Current work evaluating these mixtures has been focused on management and production of stored forages (i.e. dry hay/baleage), and limited work has evaluated the use of alfalfa-bermudagrass mixtures under grazing conditions. It has been noted that both grazing intensity and frequency impact overall stand production over time. The objective of this research is to evaluate the effect of harvest height and frequency of newly established alfalfa interseeded into an existing bermudagrass stand, and begin to develop grazing recommendations for management of these mixtures. In 2018, 36 alfalfa-bermudagrass plots were established at 4 locations across Alabama (Crossville, Shorter) and Georgia (Watkinsville, Tifton), using a randomized complete block design with four replications at each location. Alfalfa varieties were selected for suitability to location and were either ‘Bulldog 505’ or ‘Bulldog 805’ interseeded into existing hybrid bermudagrass sods. Treatments included combinations of harvest frequency (2, 4, or 6 wk) and harvest height (2, 4, 6 inches), and plots were evaluated for their influence on sward yield, persistence, stand density, botanical composition, nutritive value, and change over time. In Georgia, the ‘Bulldog 805’ treatment harvested every 6 weeks at 6 inches had the greatest yield on average (2,453 kg/ha), while ‘Bulldog 505’ treatment harvested every 2 weeks at 6 inches had the lowest yield on average (382 kg/ha) during the 2018 growing season. Additionally, botanical compositions showed that the 6 week, 4-inch had the greatest proportion of alfalfa throughout the growing season, while alfalfa proportions decreased across the growing season in the 2 week, 2-inch harvest treatment. This study is supported by funding from the USDANIFA-Alfalfa Forage Research Program (2017)

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