Influence of Clipping Frequency on Herbage Yield and Nutrient Content of Tall Wheatgrass

Abstract

Grazing or cutting frquency has been shown to nffect yield and quality of many grasses, but similar data are lacking for tall wbeatgrass [Agropyrou e~ugu&ur (Host) Beauv. 'Jose'). The objective of the reseucb was to determine the effect of frequency of clipping on tall wheatgrass. The study was conducted at the Texm Agricultural Experiment Station at Bushland, Texas, in 1979,1980,1981, and 1984 on a Pullman clay loam soil. Plots were irrigated as needed from February to the end of the growing season and fertilized with 112 kg N/ha every 2 months for mrximum yield and clipped either every week, 2 weeks, of 4 weeks at a S-cm stubble height. Herbage yield was highest from spring harvests and de&red over summer as is typical of cool-season grasses. The plots that were clipped every 4 weeks produced greater herbage yields than plots th8t were clipped 1 or 2 weeks, suggesting that rot8tional grazing would increase productivity. The nutrient content of the herbage was highest during summer when herbage yield was lowest. Plants clipped less frequently had the highest concentrations of phosphorus and potassium and the lowest concentrations of calcium and magneshun. The greatest differences in nutrient content occurred among years, which emphasizes the importance of continual herbrge analysis to optimize mineral supplementation of graxing c8ttle.

Irrigation and Nitrogen Effects on Tall Wheatgrass Yield in the Southern High Plains

“…Tall wheatgrass is also used throughout the summer in lieu of warm‐season pastures. Although it performs best in areas having >450 mm yr −1 precipitation (Bleby et al, 1997), tall wheatgrass responds well to irrigation both in areas with high precipitation (Undersander and Naylor, 1987; Schuster and Garcia, 1973) and in areas with low precipitation (Jones and Hooks, 1976; Kirksey et al, 1993). There was an inconsistency in the results of these studies.…”

Crude Protein and Nitrate Concentrations of Fall Forage for Stocker Cattle: Wheat vs. Perennial Cool‐Season Grasses

“…The CP concentrations of forage produced by PCSG during the fall were generally less than, or equal to CP of wheat forage, but were above 148 g kg −1 , a level considered suffi cient to meet the needs of young stocker cattle (National Research Council, 1995). The overall yearly averages of CP in Jose TWG (150-235 g kg −1 ), in Manska IWG (150-230 g kg −1 ), and in Lincoln SBG (155-195 g kg 1 ) were often comparable to those levels measured in irrigated fall forage TWGs (220-300 g kg −1 ) and IWGs (240 g kg −1 ) grown in the Texas Panhandle (Schuster and Garcia, 1973;Undersander and Naylor, 1987). The overall yearly averages of CP in Jose TWG (150-235 g kg −1 ), in Manska IWG (150-230 g kg −1 ), and in Lincoln SBG (155-195 g kg 1 ) were often comparable to those levels measured in irrigated fall forage TWGs (220-300 g kg −1 ) and IWGs (240 g kg −1 ) grown in the Texas Panhandle (Schuster and Garcia, 1973;Undersander and Naylor, 1987).…”

“…The reduced levels of CP found in the PCSGs may lessen the level of soluble protein, which is a contributing factor associated with pasture bloat (Clarke and Reid, 1974;Majak et al, 2003). The overall yearly averages of CP in Jose TWG (150-235 g kg −1 ), in Manska IWG (150-230 g kg −1 ), and in Lincoln SBG (155-195 g kg 1 ) were often comparable to those levels measured in irrigated fall forage TWGs (220-300 g kg −1 ) and IWGs (240 g kg −1 ) grown in the Texas Panhandle (Schuster and Garcia, 1973;Undersander and Naylor, 1987). The higher clipping height (greater proportion of leaves) used to collect forage in the Texas Panhandle studies may have contributed partly to these CP values being equal to or exceeding the upper range of CP we measured.…”

“…1). For irrigated experiments, fall forage produced by TWG ranged from about 900 ('Alkar' and Jose) to 1300 kg ha −1 ('Largo') when grown in Amarillo, TX (Schuster and Garcia, 1973), were about 750 kg ha −1 (Jose) in Tucumcari, NM, on well-drained soil (Lauriault et al, 2002(Lauriault et al, , 2005, and ranged from 350 to 2000 kg ha −1 ( Jose) in Bushland, TX (Undersander and Naylor, 1987). Yields of fall forage by Jose TWG in a dry-land experiment near Woodward, OK, ranged from <20 kg ha −1 in a drought year to 890 kg ha −1 in a year when precipitation was well above average (Gillen and Berg, 2005).…”

Seasonal changes in nutrient content under three defoliation treatments in two coastal grassland communities of Transkei

“…Undersander & Naylor (1987) reported that concentrations of P and K were lowered with increased clipping frequency of Agropyron elongatum. The results for Ca and Mg were the opposite, since increased clipping frequency resulted in higher concentrations.…”