Dorsett, Donald J.

English

Texas A&M University

L-2204
Texas Agricultural Extension Service
Adapted Grasses for Texas Pastures
Donald J. Dorsett*
Bermudagrasses
(Warm-season perennials)
Coastal bermudagrass is the most widely adapted
high·potential pasture grass in Texas. Coastal grows
best on loam and sandy·type soils, but can produce
satisfactorily on clay soils which have adequate
drainage. Plans should be made to use high levels of
fertilization and intensive grazing for maximizing
profits from Coastal.
Brazos bermudagrass, released by Texas A&M in
1983, is higher quality than Coastal but produces
slightly less total forage. Brazos is adapted to the
same area that Coastal is and will provide better
animal gains.
Ti/ton-44 bermudagrass is higher quality forage,
but slightly less productive than Coastal. It is tolerant
to cold, but is slower to establish than Coastal.
Callie bermudagrass exceeds Coastal in quality,
but is not as cold tolerant. Callie bermudagrass has
exhibited some leaf rust infection, but no data on
damage has been collected. In sandy soils, heavy
fertilization of Callie promotes invasion of common
bermudagrass.
Coastal, Brazos and Tifton·44 must be established
from vegetative material. Other bermuda·
grasses which are established from sprigs and
vegetative material include Alicia, Zimmerly Select
and A/rican Star. These bermudas also grow well on
soils to which other bermudas are most adapted.
NK·37 and Common bermudagrasses may be
established from seed. These varieties usually show
more susceptibility to leaf diseases, which would limit
their potential in the Gulf Coast area.
. Introduced Bluestems
(Perennial warm-season)
Generally, bluestems lack the quality and yield
potential of other grasses. Most of these characteris-
tically grow on soils low in phosphorus.
Pretoria 90 has the highest yield and quality
potential of other bluestem varieties. Its disadvantages
are low seed production, low seed quality and difficulty
in obtaining a stand. For best results, Pretoria 90
should be planted from vegetative material. Once
·Extension forage specialist. The Texas A&M University System.
established, Pretoria 90 responds well to fertilization
and provides good-quality leafy forage.
Gordo and Media bluestems are quite popular in
the middle Gulf Coast area. These varieties can be
established from seed. Media is a leafier and higher
quality grass than Gordo, but stands of Media gen-
erally have not lasted as long as stands of Gordo.
Both of these varieties can be improved considerably
by adequate fertilization, rotation grazing and using
the forage before the plants become stemmy and
unpalatable.
Angleton bluestem grows satisfactorily in low, wet
soils in the Gulf Coast area. It grows later in the
spring and fall than most other bluestem varieties.
KR bluestem was publicized considerably 20 or 25
years ago as a soil·conserving grass to reduce erosion.
KR grows abundantly in the Austin·San Antonio-
Edwards Plateau area, but leaf and forage production
are low.
Kleberg bluestem was developed in the King Ranch
area. It grows in clumps with slender stems. Most of
the leaves are near the base. It provides satisfactory
quality grazing in the South Texas sandy soils.
Caucasian bluestem has fine stems that grow
slightly taller than other introduced varieties. Most of
these are near the base and contain some red color.
Lovegrasses
(Warm-seasoned perennials)
Weeping lovegrass varieties have received con-
siderable publicity in the past few years. These
grasses are best adapted to extremely sandy soils.
They grow best in the Northwest Texas and South·
west Oklahoma area. They are effective for stabilizing
soil and are very nutritious when young and tender.
Their quality declines very rapidly during the summer
and should be grazed intensely with a high stocking
rate when forage is young.
Varieties include: Common weeping lovegrass,
Ermelo, Morpa and Renner. Morpa was recently
released by the Oklahome Experiment Station.
Renner and Ermelo are varieties released by th.e
Texas Research Foundation at Renner, -T-exas.
Renner is the newest release, reported to be higher
quality than Ermelo. All lovegrass varieties have
similar characteristics of adaptation and would grow
Texas Agricultural Extension Service • Zerle L. Carpenter, Director. The Texas A&M University System. College Station, Texas
satisfactorily on sandy, well-drained, droughty soils in
the Gulf Coast area.
Paspalums
(Warm-season perennials)
As a group, the paspalums are high quality grasses,
but limited in production.
Dallisgrass is the most widely adapted, productive
paspalum for the Gulf Coast. It grows during cool
weather, regrows rapidly after grazing, responds to
fertilization and tolerates wet soils.
Pensacola Bahiagrass and other bahiagrasses grow
well in the high rainfall area of southeastern states,
such as Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Bahia can be
established from seed and makes satisfactory growth
in the Gulf Coast area. Most growth of bahia occurs
in the lower two or three inches. Thus, the grass
should be grazed extremely close and then cattle
rotated to another part of the pasture. Bahia usually
does not tolerate drought as well as Coastal ber-
mudagrass or dallisgrass. Bahia has been promoted
as a grass which will grow without fertilization, but
this concept has no place in profitable pasture pro-
grams.
Long Tom and brownseed paspalums are native
to many poorly drained soils in the area. These
grasses are members of the paspalum family and are
higher quality than many other grasses. For maximum
quality, they should be grazed before seedheads
form.
Rhodesgrass
(Warm-season perennials)
The rhodesgrasses are naturally high-quality grasses
with a satisfactory degree of drouth tolerance.
Common rhodesgrass grew abundantly in the Coastal
Bend and South Texas area until the rhodesgrass
scale insect became predominant and claimed many
stands. Bell rhodesgrass is a new variety which is
resistant to rhodegrass scale.
Panlcgrass
(Warm-season perennial)
Kleingrass-75 is a relatively new panicgrass which
offers considerable potential for the Gulf Coast
pastures. This new grass is drought tolerant, grows
on a wide range of soil conditions, can be readily
established from seed, is high quality and grows
early in the spring and late in the fall. Kleingrass
has grown satisfactorily in the Gulf Coast area on
soils that have good internal drainage.
Warm-Season Annual Grasses
Johnsongrass, although a warm-season perennial,
behaves more as an annual. The production practices
should be similar to those of seeded sorghum hybrids.
Johnsongrass can be a high-quality forage before
seedheads appear. Johnsongrass loses its quality and
leafiness faster than most of the pasture grasses. For
maximum grazing results, Johnsongrass should be
disked lightly in late winter and fertilized throughout
the season. Continuous grazing of Johnsongrass
seriously reduces the stand for subsequent seasons.
Cattle should be rotated frequently to permit
regrowth.
Sorghum a/mum is a hybrid with Johnsongrass as
a parent. It behaves as a weak perennial and cultural
practices should be similar to that for other warm-
season annual sorghum hybrids.
Sorghum-sudan hybrids are fast-growing, good-
quality forages which can be used for growing calves
and grazing animals for high market values. The
sorghum-sudan hybrids can make good quality hay if
harvested before seedheads form. The economics of
sorghum-sudan hybrids is questionable when hay is
to be used for the beef cow herd.
Millet is a warm-season annual grass that can be
used in place of sudan for temporary pasture or hay.
Indications are that millet does not have the prussic
acid potential that sorghums have. Millets tend to be
higher in nitrates than sudans, but are rapidly growing
grasses that furnish high quality grazing or hay if
harvested prior to seedhead formation.
Cool-Season Annual Grasses
Gulf ryegrass offers considerable potential for
high-quality grazing in permanent pasture sods. It
works well when overseeded in bermudagrass sod.
Three factors are essential for successful overseeding
of Gulf ryegrass: removal of summer grass by close
grazing, mowing or harvesting hay; sacrafication of
the soil; and high levels of fertilization.
Small Grains -Other cool-season annuals, such as
oats, rye , barley and wheat can provide an abundance
of high·quality grazing. Winter pastures of these
species should also be planted to Gulf ryegrass to
extend the grazing season. These forages are
extremely high quality and should be grazed by
animals with high market value, such as stocker
calves or beef cows with young calves.
Cool-Season Perennial Grasses
Fescue is a cool-season perennial grass that is well
adapted to high rainfall areas or soils that are wet or
poorly drained. Fescue performs well in the clay soils
of the blacklands, bottomlands of East Texas and the
Gulf Coast. Fescue can dependably furnish good
quality winter pasture for all classes of livestock.
Fescue toxicity (fescue foot) is a problem with all
animals grazing fescue, but research is actively pro-
gressing toward a solution to this problem.
Educational programs conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Seroice seroe people 0/ all ages regardless of socioeconomic level,
race. color, sex, religion, handicap or national origin.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics. Acts of Congress of May 8,1914, as amended,
and June 30. 1914. in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Zerle L. Carpenter, Director. Texas Agricultural
Extension Service. The Texas A&M University System.
3.SM-6·86. New AGR 3


Adapted Grasses for Texas Pastures.

Texas A&amp;M Repository

L-2204Texas Agricultural Extension ServiceAdapted Grasses for Texas PasturesDonald J. Dorsett*Bermudagrasses(Warm-season perennials)Coastal bermudagrass is the most widely adaptedhigh·potential pasture grass in Texas. Coastal growsbest on loam and sandy·type soils, but can producesatisfactorily on clay soils which have adequatedrainage. Plans should be made to use high levels offertilization and intensive grazing for maximizingprofits from Coastal.Brazos bermudagrass, released by Texas A&M in1983, is higher quality than Coastal but producesslightly less total forage. Brazos is adapted to thesame area that Coastal is and will provide betteranimal gains.Ti/ton-44 bermudagrass is higher quality forage,but slightly less productive than Coastal. It is tolerantto cold, but is slower to establish than Coastal.Callie bermudagrass exceeds Coastal in quality,but is not as cold tolerant. Callie bermudagrass hasexhibited some leaf rust infection, but no data ondamage has been collected. In sandy soils, heavyfertilization of Callie promotes invasion of commonbermudagrass.Coastal, Brazos and Tifton·44 must be establishedfrom vegetative material. Other bermuda·grasses which are established from sprigs andvegetative material include Alicia, Zimmerly Selectand A/rican Star. These bermudas also grow well onsoils to which other bermudas are most adapted.NK·37 and Common bermudagrasses may beestablished from seed. These varieties usually showmore susceptibility to leaf diseases, which would limittheir potential in the Gulf Coast area.. Introduced Bluestems(Perennial warm-season)Generally, bluestems lack the quality and yieldpotential of other grasses. Most of these characteris-tically grow on soils low in phosphorus.Pretoria 90 has the highest yield and qualitypotential of other bluestem varieties. Its disadvantagesare low seed production, low seed quality and difficultyin obtaining a stand. For best results, Pretoria 90should be planted from vegetative material. Once·Extension forage specialist. The Texas A&M University System.established, Pretoria 90 responds well to fertilizationand provides good-quality leafy forage.Gordo and Media bluestems are quite popular inthe middle Gulf Coast area. These varieties can beestablished from seed. Media is a leafier and higherquality grass than Gordo, but stands of Media gen-erally have not lasted as long as stands of Gordo.Both of these varieties can be improved considerablyby adequate fertilization, rotation grazing and usingthe forage before the plants become stemmy andunpalatable.Angleton bluestem grows satisfactorily in low, wetsoils in the Gulf Coast area. It grows later in thespring and fall than most other bluestem varieties.KR bluestem was publicized considerably 20 or 25years ago as a soil·conserving grass to reduce erosion.KR grows abundantly in the Austin·San Antonio-Edwards Plateau area, but leaf and forage productionare low.Kleberg bluestem was developed in the King Rancharea. It grows in clumps with slender stems. Most ofthe leaves are near the base. It provides satisfactoryquality grazing in the South Texas sandy soils.Caucasian bluestem has fine stems that growslightly taller than other introduced varieties. Most ofthese are near the base and contain some red color.Lovegrasses(Warm-seasoned perennials)Weeping lovegrass varieties have received con-siderable publicity in the past few years. Thesegrasses are best adapted to extremely sandy soils.They grow best in the Northwest Texas and South·west Oklahoma area. They are effective for stabilizingsoil and are very nutritious when young and tender.Their quality declines very rapidly during the summerand should be grazed intensely with a high stockingrate when forage is young.Varieties include: Common weeping lovegrass,Ermelo, Morpa and Renner. Morpa was recentlyreleased by the Oklahome Experiment Station.Renner and Ermelo are varieties released by th.eTexas Research Foundation at Renner, -T-exas.Renner is the newest release, reported to be higherquality than Ermelo. All lovegrass varieties havesimilar characteristics of adaptation and would growTexas Agricultural Extension Service • Zerle L. Carpenter, Director. The Texas A&M University System. College Station, Texassatisfactorily on sandy, well-drained, droughty soils inthe Gulf Coast area.Paspalums(Warm-season perennials)As a group, the paspalums are high quality grasses,but limited in production.Dallisgrass is the most widely adapted, productivepaspalum for the Gulf Coast. It grows during coolweather, regrows rapidly after grazing, responds tofertilization and tolerates wet soils.Pensacola Bahiagrass and other bahiagrasses growwell in the high rainfall area of southeastern states,such as Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Bahia can beestablished from seed and makes satisfactory growthin the Gulf Coast area. Most growth of bahia occursin the lower two or three inches. Thus, the grassshould be grazed extremely close and then cattlerotated to another part of the pasture. Bahia usuallydoes not tolerate drought as well as Coastal ber-mudagrass or dallisgrass. Bahia has been promotedas a grass which will grow without fertilization, butthis concept has no place in profitable pasture pro-grams.Long Tom and brownseed paspalums are nativeto many poorly drained soils in the area. Thesegrasses are members of the paspalum family and arehigher quality than many other grasses. For maximumquality, they should be grazed before seedheadsform.Rhodesgrass(Warm-season perennials)The rhodesgrasses are naturally high-quality grasseswith a satisfactory degree of drouth tolerance.Common rhodesgrass grew abundantly in the CoastalBend and South Texas area until the rhodesgrassscale insect became predominant and claimed manystands. Bell rhodesgrass is a new variety which isresistant to rhodegrass scale.Panlcgrass(Warm-season perennial)Kleingrass-75 is a relatively new panicgrass whichoffers considerable potential for the Gulf Coastpastures. This new grass is drought tolerant, growson a wide range of soil conditions, can be readilyestablished from seed, is high quality and growsearly in the spring and late in the fall. Kleingrasshas grown satisfactorily in the Gulf Coast area onsoils that have good internal drainage.Warm-Season Annual GrassesJohnsongrass, although a warm-season perennial,behaves more as an annual. The production practicesshould be similar to those of seeded sorghum hybrids.Johnsongrass can be a high-quality forage beforeseedheads appear. Johnsongrass loses its quality andleafiness faster than most of the pasture grasses. Formaximum grazing results, Johnsongrass should bedisked lightly in late winter and fertilized throughoutthe season. Continuous grazing of Johnsongrassseriously reduces the stand for subsequent seasons.Cattle should be rotated frequently to permitregrowth.Sorghum a/mum is a hybrid with Johnsongrass asa parent. It behaves as a weak perennial and culturalpractices should be similar to that for other warm-season annual sorghum hybrids.Sorghum-sudan hybrids are fast-growing, good-quality forages which can be used for growing calvesand grazing animals for high market values. Thesorghum-sudan hybrids can make good quality hay ifharvested before seedheads form. The economics ofsorghum-sudan hybrids is questionable when hay isto be used for the beef cow herd.Millet is a warm-season annual grass that can beused in place of sudan for temporary pasture or hay.Indications are that millet does not have the prussicacid potential that sorghums have. Millets tend to behigher in nitrates than sudans, but are rapidly growinggrasses that furnish high quality grazing or hay ifharvested prior to seedhead formation.Cool-Season Annual GrassesGulf ryegrass offers considerable potential forhigh-quality grazing in permanent pasture sods. Itworks well when overseeded in bermudagrass sod.Three factors are essential for successful overseedingof Gulf ryegrass: removal of summer grass by closegrazing, mowing or harvesting hay; sacrafication ofthe soil; and high levels of fertilization.Small Grains -Other cool-season annuals, such asoats, rye , barley and wheat can provide an abundanceof high·quality grazing. Winter pastures of thesespecies should also be planted to Gulf ryegrass toextend the grazing season. These forages areextremely high quality and should be grazed byanimals with high market value, such as stockercalves or beef cows with young calves.Cool-Season Perennial GrassesFescue is a cool-season perennial grass that is welladapted to high rainfall areas or soils that are wet orpoorly drained. Fescue performs well in the clay soilsof the blacklands, bottomlands of East Texas and theGulf Coast. Fescue can dependably furnish goodquality winter pasture for all classes of livestock.Fescue toxicity (fescue foot) is a problem with allanimals grazing fescue, but research is actively pro-gressing toward a solution to this problem.Educational programs conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Seroice seroe people 0/ all ages regardless of socioeconomic level,race. color, sex, religion, handicap or national origin.Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics. Acts of Congress of May 8,1914, as amended,and June 30. 1914. in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Zerle L. Carpenter, Director. Texas AgriculturalExtension Service. The Texas A&M University System.3.SM-6·86. New AGR 3

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Adapted Grasses for Texas Pastures.

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Adapted Grasses for Texas Pastures.

Abstract

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Texas A&M University

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Texas A&M Repository