Rangeland Ecology & Management

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Seeded wheatgrass yield and nutritive quality on New Mexico big sagebrush range
Author
Holechek, J. L.
Estell, R. E.
Kuykendall, C. B.
Valdez, R.
Cardenas, M.
Nunez-Hernandez, G.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
1989-03-01
Body

Establishment, yield, and nutritional quality of 'Nordan' crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum [Fischer ex Link] Schultes), 'Fairway' crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L.] Gaertner), 'Arriba' western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii [Rydb.] A. Love), 'Luna' pubescent wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium subsp. barbulatum [Schur.] Barkw. and D.R. Dewey), and 'Largo' tall wheatgrass (T. ponticum [Pod] Barkw. and D.R. Dewey) were evaluated on big sagebrush range (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. tridentata) in northcentral New Mexico during a 5-year study. All the above wheatgrasses showed high initial densities and long-term persistence. Wheatgrass yields across years and seasons during the last 2 years of study averaged 760 kg/ha compared to forage yields of 355 kg/ha on surrounding ungrazed native rangeland. There were no differences (P > .05) among wheatgrasses in standing crop of current year's growth during spring, summer, or fall. Crude protein concentrations did not differ (P > .05) among wheatgrasses with seasonal advance. However, all the wheatgrasses showed a consistent decline in nutritional quality from spring to summer to fall. All the wheatgrasses we studied will provide high-quality, spring (mid-April to mid-June) forage for livestock. During summer, use of native range is advantageous because it contains a high component of warm season grasses and forbs. Interseeding shrubs in wheatgrass seedings could reduce protein supplementation costs in winter. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020

Language
en
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Journal Issue/Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.2307/3899307
Additional Information
Holechek, J. L., Estell, R. E., Kuykendall, C. B., Valdez, R., Cardenas, M., & Nunez-Hernandez, G. (1989). Seeded wheatgrass yield and nutritive quality on New Mexico big sagebrush range. Journal of Range Management, 42(2), 118-122.
IISN
0022-409X
OAI Identifier
oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/645076
Journal Volume
42
Journal Number
2
Journal Pages
118-122
Journal Name
Journal of Range Management
Keywords
Elytrigia
Agropyron
yields
chemical composition
species differences
Pascopyrum smithii
Artemisia tridentata
New Mexico