Bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum (Pursh) Scribn. & Smith) was clipped at 4 phenological stages to compare forage quality of subsequent regrowth relative to nondefoliated plants. Following 2 years of treatment, plants clipped at boot, emergence, flowering, and seed formation produced lower levels of ADF and higher values of CP and P than control plants at equivalent phenological stages. Clipping at boot and emergence for 2 years delayed flowering by 16 and 15 days, respectively, while subsequent flowering of plants clipped at flowering and seed formation occurred only sporadically. These delays in plant phenology altered forage quality on 26 October compared to nondefoliated plants. Clipping at boot, emergence, flowering, and seed formation reduced percent foliar ADF, while increasing relative proportions of CP, Ca, and P compared to untreated herbage. Crude protein in plants clipped for 2 years at emergence, flowering, and seed formation averaged 11.9%, 12.5%, and 13.7%, respectively. Phosphorus in regrowth foliage of plants clipped at flowering and seed formation equalled 0.22% and 0.26%, respectively, on 26 October. These values exceed maintenance requirements of cattle and elk, indicating that judicious grazing management can improve nutritive values of bunchgrass vegetation. 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
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.