Abstract
AbstractCool‐season grass species (18) and cultivars (85) were evaluated for use in seeded grasslands in the tallgrass prairie and shortgrass steppe ecoregions of the central United States at the test locations of Ithaca and Sidney, NE, respectively. Both native and introduced grasses were evaluated in sward trails. Significant differences existed among species and cultivars for all traits evaluated except for in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) among cultivars within species at Sidney. The grasses that had the best establishment, persistence, and forage yields in the Ithaca trial were introduced wheatgrass (Thinopyrum) and bromegrass (Bromus) species. At the Sidney location, the best species using the same criteria were wheatgrasses (Thinopyrum, Agropryon, Pascopyrum, and Elymus spp.) and wildryes (Psathyrostachys). The only native grasses that were marginally competitive with the introduced grasses were western wheatgrass [Pascopyrum smithii (Rydb.) A. Löve] and thickspike wheatgrass [Elymus macrourus (Turcz.) Tzvelev] at the Sidney location and western wheatgrass at Ithaca. The study was the largest cool‐season forage grass multispecies and cultivar sward evaluation to date in these two major land areas. The superior species and cultivars that were identified represent the best cool‐season grasses available for restoring marginal croplands to grazed grasslands in these two major land areas.
Highlights
Millions of hectares of grasslands have been converted to cropland throughout the central and northern Great Plains in the past two decades (Baker et al, 2020; Wright & Wimberly, 2013)
Because of adequate later precipitation, the Ithaca plots were well established by the late spring of 2000, and forage yields were harvested from those plots in the summer of 2000
At Sidney, which receives less annual precipitation and has a shorter grower season because of its elevation compared with Ithaca, it was necessary to delay harvests until 2001 to allow the plots to become better established before harvests were initiated
Summary
Millions of hectares of grasslands have been converted to cropland throughout the central and northern Great Plains in the past two decades (Baker et al, 2020; Wright & Wimberly, 2013) This conversion of both native and planted grasslands occurred because of high grain commodity prices as a result of mandated government efforts to increase the production of biofuels (Lark et al, 2015; Wright et al, 2017). Grain crops like maize (Zea mays L.) have been used for ethanol production and oilseed crops like soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] have been used for biodiesel production Much of this grassland conversion occurred on land that was in seeded grasslands in expiring Conservation Reserve Pro-. Profits on the marginal lands taken out of grasslands and converted to cropland are lacking or limited
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