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FORAGE & GRAZING LANDS

Performance of Perennial Cool-Season Forage Grasses in Diverse Soil Moisture Environments, Southern High Plains, USA

^a Agric. Sci. Ctr. at Tucumcari, New Mexico State Univ., 6502 Quay Road AM.5, Tucumcari, NM 88401
^b Dep. of Agric. and Ext. Edu., Agric. Biometrics Ser., P.O. Box 30003 MSC 3501, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003

^* Corresponding author (lmlaur{at}nmsu.edu)

	ABSTRACT

TOP NOTES ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS AND DISCUSSION CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES

 
A continuing need exists to evaluate grasses for irrigated pastures in new and marginal environments. Persistence and yield of Altai wildrye, Leymus angustus (Trin.) Pilg.; beardless wildrye, L. triticoides (Buckley) Pilg.; creeping foxtail, Alopecurus arundinaceus Poir.; grazing bromegrass, Bromus stamineus E. Desv.; intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass, Elytrigia intermedia (Host) Nevski; meadow bromegrass, B. riparius (Rehmann); meadow fescue, Festuca pratensis (Huds.); orchardgrass, Dactylis glomerata (L.); prairie bromegrass, B. willdenowii (Kunth), syn. B. catharticus Vahl var. catharticus; reed canarygrass, Phalaris arundinacea L.; RS wheatgrass, E. repens var. repens L. Desv. ex B.D. Jackson x Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) A. Love; Russian wildrye, Psathyrostachys juncea (Fisch.) Nevski; smooth bromegrass, B. inermis Leyss.; tall fescue, F. arundinacea Schreb.; tall wheatgrass, E. elongata (Host) Nevski; and western wheatgrass, Pascopyrum smithii (Rybd.) A. Love, sown in late summer 1997, were measured from 1999 to 2001 at Tucumcari, NM. Soil moisture treatments were (i) furrow irrigated once before each harvest, which is typical management; (ii) typical irrigation plus irrigated monthly during winter; and (iii) poorly drained, saline/sodic soil, irrigated less than once per cutting. Russian wildrye, RS wheatgrass, tall fescue, tall wheatgrass, and western wheatgrass maintained ground cover across soil moisture treatments. Stand development by Altai wildrye and smooth bromegrass was inconsistent across soil moisture treatments, but eventually complete. Beardless wildrye established stands only in poorly drained soil, while intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass and meadow bromegrass did not establish well in that soil. No other species established or maintained satisfactory stands after 3 yr in any soil moisture treatment. Winter irrigation increased early-season yield of intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass, but decreased late-season yields of several species, especially Altai wildrye. Distribution of tall wheatgrass and Altai wildrye yield appear complementary, and a binary mixture might provide uniform season-long yields in this region.

Abbreviations: DM, dry matter

	INTRODUCTION

TOP NOTES ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS AND DISCUSSION CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES

 
WHILE IT IS ANTICIPATED that few species will be better adapted to a region than those already commonly grown, continued screening is needed to identify the potential of species in previously untested environments (Rogers et al., 1996). Additionally, a wider range of salt- and drought-tolerant germplasm is needed to provide ground cover for reclamation of marginal areas and even production benefits when these or other areas are used as pastureland (Rogers et al., 1996). Currie et al. (1986) stressed the importance of evaluating the performance of new species and cultivars under a variety of climatic conditions to determine broadness of adaptation. Once climatic adaptation is determined, several factors must be taken into account when selecting species for marginal areas, the most significant of which being adaptation to a broad range of edaphic factors to reduce the risk of stand loss. In semiarid regions, soil moisture availability, even under irrigation (Waldron et al., 2002; Hendrickson and Berdahl, 2002; Jones and Hooks, 1976), high pH, and saline (Rogers et al., 1996) and/or sodic conditions must be considered.

Tall wheatgrass and tall fescue are widely used in irrigated pastures in the Southern High Plains (Kirksey et al., 1993) and Middle Rio Grande Valley (Jones and Hooks, 1976) of the USA. Both of these species are adapted to a wide range of stress factors, but neither is without limitations. Although tall wheatgrass is one of the most salt-tolerant cool-season forage grasses (Rogers and Bailey, 1963), producing 4 to 5 Mg ha^–1 under furrow irrigation in the Southern High Plains (Kirksey et al., 1993; Lauriault et al., 2002), stands tend to deteriorate with time, often because of soil moisture and salinity factors (Taboada et al., 1998).

The objective of this research was to measure stand development of selected perennial cool-season forage grasses under different soil moisture treatments typical of irrigated pastures in the Southern High Plains and to measure dry matter (DM) yield of established stands.

	MATERIALS AND METHODS

TOP NOTES ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS AND DISCUSSION CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES

 
Studies were conducted from 1997 to 2001 at the New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center at Tucumcari, NM, USA (35°12'01'' N, 103°41'12'' W; elev. 1247 m) comparing the same species of perennial cool-season forage grasses under different soil moisture treatments. Soil moisture effects were as follows: (i) furrow irrigated once before each cutting beginning in middle to late April, which is typical to the region because that is when canal water for irrigation becomes available; (ii) same as typical irrigation, but also irrigated monthly in winter (November to March) using groundwater; and (iii) poorly drained soil irrigated only as needed to maintain a moist soil surface, but generally less than once per cutting.

The soil for the typical and winter irrigation tests was an area of mixed Canez fine sandy loam (fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Ustic Haplargids) and Quay fine sandy loam (fine-silty, mixed, superactive, thermic Ustic Haplocalcids) with initial soil test levels of 48 mg kg^–1 P (NaHCO₃ extractant), 192 mg kg^–1 K (ammonium acetate extractant), 8.2 pH, 0.04 S m^–1 soluble salts, and 0.9% Na base saturation. These soils have a rooting depth of approximately 1.5 m and a water holding capacity of 25 to 30 cm (Ross and Pease, 1974). The poorly drained soil was Canez fine sandy loam, calcareous variant, which had soil test levels of 34 mg kg^–1 P (NaHCO₃ extractant), 236 mg kg^–1 K (ammonium acetate extractant), 8.2 pH, 0.24 S m^–1 soluble salts, and 15.4% Na base saturation, making it borderline saline/sodic (Brady, 1974; Lauriault, 1997, unpublished data). The soil had a sandy clay loam substratum with high lime content (Ross and Pease, 1974), and the water table was approximately 1 m below the surface. The test site was downslope from other irrigated land and an unlined irrigation canal and was usually kept wet by subsurface drainage from those areas. A drainage ditch constructed around the test was used when necessary to allow sufficient soil drying to support harvesting equipment.

Sixteen perennial cool-season grasses species were tested, including ‘VNS’ Altai wildrye; ‘Shoshone’ beardless wildrye; ‘Garrison’ creeping foxtail; ‘Gala’ grazing bromegrass; ‘Luna’ and ‘Oahe’ intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass; ‘VNS’ meadow bromegrass; ‘Stella’ meadow fescue; ‘GA-OG1’, ‘Paiute’, and ‘Potomac’ orchardgrass; ‘Matua’ prairie bromegrass; ‘Palaton’ reed canarygrass; ‘Newhy’ RS wheatgrass; ‘Bozoiski’ and ‘VNS’ Russian wildrye; ‘Lincoln’ smooth bromegrass; ‘GA-178’ and endophyte-free and endophyte-infected ‘KY31’ tall fescue; ‘Jose’ tall wheatgrass; and ‘Arriba’ western wheatgrass. The seeding rate was 22.5 kg ha^–1 for all species except reed canarygrass, which was sown at 6.7 kg ha^–1.

Seedbeds were conventionally tilled and formed into beds on 0.9-m centers for furrow irrigation. Plots, 4.6 by 1.8 m, were sown 18 and 19 September 1997 using a disk drill (20-cm drill spacing) fitted with a seed-metering cone. Precipitation in the seeding year (1997) was much higher than average (Table 1), likely aiding in establishment across soil moisture treatments. During the 4 d after planting, 28.7 mm of precipitation fell, which promoted germination (Keeling et al., 1996). All plots were irrigated on 3 Oct. 1997, after which precipitation events occurred approximately every 2 wk until mid-November, keeping the surface 5 cm moist and helping to overcome a common problem of establishing smaller-seeded species such as perennial grasses on sandy soils (Rehm et al., 1998). Irrigation water was delivered through gated pipe for sufficient duration to completely wet the center of the beds for their full length. Historical irrigation flow rate data at this location, collected as described by Ziska et al. (1985), was used to apply approximately 20 cm of water with each irrigation. Experimentation was discontinued after the 2001 growing season because irrigation water was unavailable due to drought in the watershed.

Percentage ground cover of the sown species was visually rated in April 1999 to 2001. These ratings were based on a whole-plot estimate by the same observer each year. Dry matter yields were measured in May, June, August, and late October–early November, approximately 7 d before average killing frost. For each harvest, topgrowth above 7.5 cm was collected using a self-propelled forage plot harvester equipped with a reciprocating blade and electronic scales. Fresh weights were measured in the field. When weed infestations were high, visual ratings were used to adjust fresh weights to reflect weed-free forage (Sheaffer and Marten, 1991). Immediately after weighing each plot, a sample of up to 400 g was collected and placed in a paper bag and sealed inside a plastic bag. The samples were weighed and plastic bags removed before drying for 48 h at 70°C. Samples were then reweighed to determine DM concentration, which was used to convert fresh harvest weights to DM yield.

The climate in the region is continental, characterized by cool, dry winters and warm, moist summers. Approximately 83% of the precipitation occurs as intermittent, relatively intense, rainfall events from April through October. July and August typically have the highest precipitation (Table 1). Weather data were collected from a National Weather Service station located within 1 km of the study area (Tables 1 and 2). Four of five stand years were warmer than average, generally because of higher winter temperatures. Above-average precipitation fell in 1998 and 1999, but 2000 and 2001 were well-below average (Table 1).

	RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

TOP NOTES ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS AND DISCUSSION CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES

 
Stand Development
Incidences of severe temperatures each year and mild winters (Table 2) might have had a positive effect on stand persistence; however, there still was a considerable difference in response across years between soil moisture treatments within species for stand percentage (Fig. 1) . Several species (RS wheatgrass, Russian wildrye, tall fescue, tall wheatgrass, and western wheatgrass) established and maintained good stands across all soil moisture treatments throughout the test period, while stands of reed canarygrass remained low. Intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass maintained high stands under typical and winter irrigation and lower stands in the poorly drained soil, while beardless wildrye was the opposite (Fig. 1). Meadow bromegrass and smooth bromegrass established and maintained good stands under typical and winter irrigation, but had poor initial stands in the poorly drained soil that increased with time. Initial stands of creeping foxtail and meadow fescue were good under typical and winter irrigation, but declined with time, while stands in the poorly drained soils improved. Orchardgrass and prairie bromegrass also had good initial stands in the typical and winter irrigation treatments, and poor initial stands in the poorly drained soil, but there was no stand increase by either species in that soil (Fig. 1). Generally plants of species with low percentage stand in the poorly drained soil were concentrated in the furrow. It is likely that this related more to salt avoidance (Rogers and Bailey, 1963) than to greater access to moisture. It was observed that, as this soil surface dried, soil ridges turned white with salts (Brady, 1974; Fipps, 1996). Depressions formed by packer wheels on seed drills might be beneficial for establishing salt-sensitive species by collecting water to leach salts away from the seed zone and by forming ridges away from the seed zone where salts may crystallize at the surface (Fipps, 1996).

View larger version (43K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 1. The difference across years in spring percentage stand of selected grasses grown under different soil moisture treatments at Tucumcari, New Mexico. Data are the means of four replications. Bars indicate the LSD (P < 0.05) for within-year comparisons. Absence of an LSD within a year indicates no significant difference among soil moisture treatments. Lack of any LSDs within a grass indicates no significant year x soil moisture treatment effect for that grass. Poorly drained, typical irrigation, and winter irrigation signify poorly drained soil irrigated as needed to maintain a moist soil surface, but generally less than once per cutting; furrow irrigated once before each cutting beginning in middle to late April, which is typical to the region because that is when canal water becomes available; and same as typical irrigation, but also irrigated monthly in winter (November to March) using groundwater, respectively.

Duncan and Carrow (1998) mentioned that perennial grasses were often subjected to multiple abiotic stresses and that a strong genotype x environment interaction indicates a lack of stability and reduced performance under stress. They further stated that root system plasticity is the first line of defense against stress and the most essential component of tolerance (Duncan and Carrow, 1998). Beuselinck et al. (1994) categorized perennial forage legume species as crown-formers and clone-formers. Unlike crown-formers, clone-formers have the ability to spread by rhizomes or stolons, colonizing new areas with daughter plants (Beuselinck et al., 1994).

Waldron et al. (2002) compared eight perennial cool-season grass species, many of which were also used in the present study, at five irrigation levels, concluding that tall fescue, orchardgrass, and meadow bromegrass would be best in limited irrigation environments near Logan, UT. Of those, only meadow bromegrass (Alderson and Sharp, 1995) has the root system plasticity to avoid stress and recover quickly once the stress is removed (Duncan and Carrow, 1998), as with increased irrigation after drought. In the present study, grazing and prairie bromegrasses, meadow and tall fescues, orchardgrass, Russian wildrye, and tall wheatgrass are true bunchgrasses (Alderson and Sharp, 1995), not having the root system plasticity to form daughter plants in areas of lower stress (Beuselinck et al., 1994; Duncan and Carrow, 1998).

In a similar trial irrigated only once after planting to promote germination, Russian wildrye was the only species to persist after the first production year and still had 55% stand after four years (Lauriault, unpublished data, 2001). It also was observed before the complete stand loss by the other species that Russian wildrye was the first to green up after precipitation. This might be an indication of this species' ability to make use of small precipitation events compared with other grasses that are slower to reactivate growth. Hendrickson and Berdahl (2002) concluded that Russian wildrye had higher tiller numbers than intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass after grazing because axillary buds were more readily activated in the Russian wildrye. It is not likely that any stand improvement would be observed with the resumption of irrigation after drought, because Russian wildrye is a crown-forming bunchgrass (Alderson and Sharp, 1995; Beuslinck et al., 1994). However, satisfactory yield might be attainable due to larger individual plant size (Hendrickson and Berdahl, 2002). Stand percentages in 2001 for the other species in the study irrigated only to promote germination were Altai wildrye (18%), beardless wildrye (25%), creeping foxtail (5%), grazing bromegrass (4%), intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass (17%), meadow bromegrass (1%), meadow fescue (6%), orchardgrass (3%), prairie bromegrass (19%), reed canarygrass (3%), RS wheatgrass (1%), smooth bromegrass (9%), tall fescue (8%), tall wheatgrass (9%), and western wheatgrass (50%). Schuster and Garcia (1973) tested Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis L.), intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass, orchardgrass, tall fescue, tall wheatgrass, and western wheatgrass near Amarillo, TX, and found that none of these species would survive dryland conditions of <500 mm yr^–1 precipitation.

As drought-tolerant clone-formers (Beuselinck et al., 1994), Altai wildrye, intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass, smooth bromegrass, and western wheatgrass (Alderson and Sharp, 1995) could possibly improve stands if irrigation was initiated. Meadow bromegrass and RS wheatgrass might also have promise in this regard (Alderson and Sharp, 1995). It is not likely that the stress tolerance of the other clone-formers (beardless wildrye, creeping foxtail, and reed canarygrass) (Alderson and Sharp, 1995) or natural reseeders (grazing bromegrass and prairie bromegrass) (Beuselinck et al., 1994; Stewart, 1996) is sufficient, even under irrigation (Fig. 1), to be of much value for sustaining or regaining satisfactory ground cover after drought in the Southern High Plains. With the exception of Russian wildrye, stands of the other crown-forming bunchgrasses (orchardgrass, meadow and tall fescues, and tall wheatgrass) (Alderson and Sharp, 1995) would also not be adequate to recover after stand loss due to drought, if any plants survived (Schuster and Garcia, 1973).

Forage Yield
There was a difference between soil moisture treatments within species in annual DM production (Fig. 2) . Low precipitation in 2000 (Table 1) led to lower yields (Power, 1985; Schuster and Garcia, 1973) for all species in all soil moisture treatments, except reed canarygrass in the poorly drained soil. In most cases, yields were similar or higher in 2001. Yields of orchardgrass and prairie bromegrass declined again from 2000 to 2001 in the poorly drained soil (Fig. 2). Orchardgrass plants in the poorly drained soil were concentrated in the furrow and larger than those growing in the other soil moisture treatments. Thus, in spite of low percentage ground cover, some yield compensation might have occurred due to the greater availability of moisture in the poorly drained soil (Hendrickson and Berdahl, 2002).

View larger version (42K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 2. The difference over years in annual dry matter yield of selected grasses grown under different soil moisture treatments at Tucumcari, New Mexico. Data are the means of four replications. Bars indicate the LSD (P < 0.05) for within year comparisons. Absence of an LSD within a year indicates no significant difference among soil moisture treatments. Lack of any LSDs within a grass indicates no significant year x soil moisture treatment effect for that grass. Poorly drained, typical irrigation, and winter irrigation signify poorly drained soil irrigated as needed to maintain a moist soil surface, but generally less than once per cutting; furrow irrigated once before each cutting beginning in middle to late April, which is typical to the region because that is when canal water becomes available; and same as typical irrigation, but also irrigated monthly in winter (November to March) using groundwater, respectively.

Differences in seasonal distribution of yield led to a species x soil moisture treatment x harvest interaction (Fig. 3) . Altai wildrye, beardless wildrye, orchardgrass, reed canarygrass, smooth bromegrass, and tall fescue all yielded more in May and sometimes June when grown in poorly drained soil compared with typical irrigation. The only species that benefited significantly from winter irrigation compared with typical irrigation were intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass and tall fescue and then only in the May harvest (Fig. 3), having no effect on annual DM yield (Fig. 2). Lauriault et al. (2002) found that winter irrigation of tall wheatgrass also produced higher yields. In the present study, there was a tendency in that regard; however, there also was a tendency toward lower October tall wheatgrass yields due to winter irrigation (Fig. 3). October yields of Altai wildrye were lower under winter irrigation than under typical irrigation. Additionally, results for orchardgrass, smooth bromegrass, tall fescue, and western wheatgrass indicate that higher yields were achieved when poor drainage provided late-season moisture compared with winter irrigation.

View larger version (46K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 3. The difference in seasonal distribution of yield of selected grasses grown under different soil moisture treatments at Tucumcari, New Mexico. Data are the means of four replications. Bars indicate the LSD (P < 0.05) for within-harvest comparisons. Absence of an LSD within a harvest indicates no significant difference among soil moisture treatments. Lack of any LSDs within a grass indicates no significant harvest x soil moisture treatment effect for that grass. Poorly drained, typical irrigation, and winter irrigation signify poorly drained soil irrigated as needed to maintain a moist soil surface, but generally less than once per cutting; furrow irrigated once before each cutting beginning in middle to late April, which is typical to the region because that is when canal water becomes available; and same as typical irrigation, but also irrigated monthly in winter (November to March) using groundwater, respectively.

	CONCLUSIONS

TOP NOTES ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS AND DISCUSSION CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES

 
Russian wildrye, RS wheatgrass, tall fescue, tall wheatgrass, and western wheatgrass established and maintained uniform ground cover across soil moisture treatments and have value for stabilization of marginal lands, including poorly drained saline/sodic soils. Smooth bromegrass was slower to establish complete ground cover in poorly drained soil, but eventually achieved nearly 100% ground cover as it did under typical (April through October) irrigation and when irrigated in the winter. Altai wildrye was slower to establish in all soil moisture treatments, but eventually developed stands that yielded equally to tall fescue and tall wheatgrass. Beardless wildrye established uniform stands only in poorly drained soil, while intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass and meadow bromegrass did not establish well in that soil. Creeping foxtail, grazing bromegrass, orchardgrass, prairie bromegrass, and reed canarygrass did not establish or maintain satisfactory stands after 3 yr in any soil moisture treatment. Supplemental winter irrigation increased early-season yield only of intermediate-pubescent wheatgrass, but it decreased late-season yields of several species. Compared with tall wheatgrass, Altai wildrye had low early-season yields, but much higher late-season yields. A mixture of Altai wildrye and tall wheatgrass might provide more nearly uniform season-long yields than any other combination of perennial cool-season grasses in the Southern High Plains of the USA. Further research is needed to determine the value of such a mixture for irrigated pastures.

	ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 
We gratefully acknowledge the technical and field assistance of George Arguello, Eutimio Garcia, and Leslie Robbins; secretarial assistance of Terri Warren, Doris Hight, and Patty Cooksey; and the folks with the NMSU Library Document Delivery Service.

	NOTES

TOP NOTES ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS AND DISCUSSION CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES

 
A contribution of the New Mexico Agric. Exp. Stn., New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces.

Received for publication May 6, 2004.

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