Abstract
Perennial herbaceous grasses have not been adequately evaluated to determine their productivity and persistence under management systems suitable for biomass production. Tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea), reed canarygrass ( Phalaris arundinacea) and orchardgrass ( Dactylis glomerata) were established under a two-harvest management system, with a factorial combination of three N rates (0, 168 and 336 kg ha −1), and five first-harvest dates at two-week intervals. Reed canarygrass persisted well and was very productive under the two-harvest management system, regardless of the time of the first harvest. Reed canarygrass averaged 10·6 Mg ha −1 dry matter yield over two years with no N fertilization. Tall fescue stands were reduced by 30% with high N fertilization, but were not affected by delaying the first-harvest date. Orchardgrass stands were eliminated by the two-harvest management system. All neutral detergent fiber concentrations were above 550 g kg −1 and permanganate lignin concentrations were generally above 40 g kg −1.
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