Beef Cow‐Calf Performance on Coastal Bermudagrass Overseeded with Winter Annual Clovers and Grasses1

Abstract

AbstractOverseeding winter annuals on dormant ‘Coastal’ bermuda (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers) sod will lengthen the productive season and improve forage quality. Such management should result in more animal production, but little information is available for beef cow‐calf performance on overseeded sod. The objective of this study was to determine the performance of beef cows and calves on Coastal bermuda pasture at relatively low levels of N fertilization when overseeded with winter annual species. In a 3‐year southeastern Alabama study on Plinthic Paleudult soil, beef cows and calves were grazed on four Coastal bermuda sod treatments: (a) not overseeded + 112 kg/ha N; (b) overseeded ‘Gulp’ ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) + 168 kg/ha N; (c) overseeded ‘Wrens Abruzzi’ rye (Secale cereale L.), ‘Yuchi’ arrowleaf clover (Trifolium vesiculosum Savi), and ‘Autauga’ crimson clover (T. incarnatum L.) + 112 kg/ha N; and (d) overseeded arrowleaf and crimson clovers with no N fertilizer. Grazing season for treatments a‐d began respectively on 2 April, 14 February, 8 January, and 11 March with all ending 5 October. Calf gain in kg/ha/year for treatments a‐d averaged 328, 473, 628, and 460, respectively. Calf annual average daily gain (ADG) of 0.89 kg was higher (P<0.05) on rye‐clover clover than on ryegrass or non‐overseeded Coastal bermuda. Cow gain per ha and ADG were also increased by everseeding with clover. Overseeding sod with rye and clover resulted in nearly double the calf gain per ha and extended the grazing season 3 months longer than that of Coastal bermuda alone. Overseeding clovers alone with no N fertilizer resulted in calf gains equal to those for ryegrass overseeded on Coastal bermuda and fertilized with 168 kg/ha N.