Cool-Season Forage Crops Seeded over Dormant Rhizoma Peanut

Abstract

The rhizoma peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth.) is a summer perennial legume which may offer considerable promise as a grazing and hay crop in the Southern USA. It is not used for nut production. A need exists to determine whether other crops can be grown successfully on dormant peanut fields during the cool season. Two field experiments were conducted on a Red Bay sandy loam (fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic Rhodic Paleudult) and an Orangeburg sandy loam (fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic Typic Paleudult) to investigate the feasibility of seeding the cool-season annuals rye (Secale cereale L.) and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) into dormant ‘Flori-graze’ rhizoma peanut, to determine their yield and forage quality, and to determine the yield of the succeeding crop of peanut. Dry matter (DM) yield of these cool-season crops was in the 3000 to 4500 lb/acre range. When planted at the beginning of peanut dormancy, comparison of annuals planted into areas either with or without peanuts revealed no differences with regard to production of DM, digestible organic matter (DOM), or crude protein (CP). Ryegrass produced more DM, DOM, and CP than rye grown over rhizoma peanut but was no more productive than a mixture of rye and ryegrass. No differences existed for the yield of rhizoma peanut following either of the cool-season crops, a mixture of the two, or volunteer winter weeds. Both crops can be grown over dormant rhizoma peanut; however, ryegrass or a mixture of rye and ryegrass is preferable from the standpoint of total forage yields.