Indian ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides) plants were clipped at anthesis in a field study that compared the seed production, weight, and germination of plants that were exposed to heavy grazing or protection from grazing for the past 50 years. Grazed and ungrazed strains of Indian ricegrass had similar seed characteristics and responded to increasing clipping intensities by decreasing seed production. In a garden study that compared the plant response of the previous two strains of Indian ricegrass with two other commercially available cultivars, Nezpar and Paloma, Nezpar produced the most seed, the two field strains were intermediate, and Paloma produced the least seed. However, severe clipping treatments reduced seed production from all varieties of Indian ricegrass. Nezpar seeds were the lightest and had the greatest viability, while Paloma seeds were the heaviest and had the lowest viability and the two field strains again were intermediate. These results suggest that long-term heavy grazing has not altered the seed production or germinability of the field strains of Indian ricegrass and based on the results of the garden study the authors recommend the use of the commercially available Nezpar cultivar and not the Paloma cultivar in this area.
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