The native grasses are not widely grown for cultivated pastures in the South but are important forage producers in the United States. Their responses to frequency of clipping are not widely known and appear to be significantly different from that of the introduced cultivars, Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) and Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum). The introduced species, however, are slow to initiate growth in the spring, and it appears that the forage program in the South could be improved significantly by grazing switchgrass before the summer perennials initiate growth. Haying at flowering and grazing following frost could utilize the switchgrass later in the summer. Pangburn switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a native species, tolerated one clipping during the season with little or no reduction in forage production, clonal survival, tiller number per clone, or tiller height. However, two or more clippings per season reduced all of the above. Over-utilization of switchgrass at the start of the season decreased the number of tillers and clones per plot and resulted in a serious weed problem. 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.