Forage Research Report, No. 4

Cooperating with the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agricultur

Forage Crops in Alaska

The foregoing report was reprinted from Alaska’s Agriculture and Forestry, Alaska Rural Development Council Publication No. 3, and the pagination has been changed. Alaska’s Agriculture and Forestry was published in December 1983 by Cooperative Extension Service, University of Alaska and U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating, Fairbanks, Alaska. Some of the information in this report represents contributions from research programs of other present and past Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station staff scientists, as indicated by text citations of numbered title s of publications in the reference list above. Foremost among these investigators are R. L. Taylor, W. W. Mitchell, A. L. Brundage, J. D. McKendrick, H. J. Hodgson, and A. C.Wilton.Forage crops can be defined as the aboveground growth (stems, leaves, and sometimes seed heads and immature seeds) of plants that are gathered and fed to herbivorous, domestic animals. Similar plant growth that is grazed directly by livestock in rotational or permanent pastures, but on a less extensive basis than rangelands, is also considered in this discussion. For the most part, forage crops are herbaceous (nonwoody) members of two large plant families—grasses and legumes. The grass family world-wide numbers about 5,000 species, but only about three dozen of these are important as forages. The legume family includes more than 12,000 species world-wide, fewer than 20 of which are considered to be important forage crops

Lawn Weeds in Alaska

Many different kinds of plants usually grow in close association with each other in nature. Woodlands, roadsides, mountain slopes, marshlands-almost all places not closely attended by man have their own complex plant associations. A lawn comprised of only one or a few grass species is an unnatural, artificial situation. Accordingly, lawns can be kept attractive only by diligent efforts to eliminate undesirable plants and to prevent the natural invasion of turfs by unwanted plants. This battle must be renewed each year. Knowledge of the habits and weaknesses of weeds enables the lawnkeeper to vanquish these foes in every encounter, usually with little expenditure of effort

Forage Research Report, No. 2

Cooperating with the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agricultur

Forage Research Report, No. 1

Joint research program with the Agricultural Research Service Crop Research Division Tropical & Subarctic Research United States Department of Agricultur

Circular 26

SMOOTH bromegrass ( Bromus inermis Leyss.) is the principal perennial forage crop grown in Alaska. Despite this, none of the varieties developed elsewhere are sufficiently winterhardy for consistently good survival in most of the State. Approximately two-thirds of Alaska's perennial grass acreage is in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley area. In two seasons since 1956 there has been widespread winterkill of bromegrass fields in the Matanuska Valley. Nearly half of the planted acreage winterkilled during 1956-57 and again in 1961-62. In other years individual fields have shown winter injury. Polar bromegrass, a new improved variety, has consistently displayed outstanding winter hardiness and forage yields in experimental tests in Alaska.The developmental work leading to this improved forage grass was partly underwritten by the Crops Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, U.S.D.A