Fertility Requirements of Coastal Bermudagrass and Crimson Clover Grown on Cecil Sandy Loam I. Yield Response to Fertilization

Abstract

Coastal Bermuda (Cynodon dactylon (L.). Pers.) is one of the most promising summer grasses adapted to the southeastern United States. While it was originally thought to be primarily suited to the sandy soils of the Coastal Plain, interest in Coastal Bermuda in the Piedmont Region (Adams and Stelly, 1958) is increasing rapidly as shown by the fact that at least 140,000 acres of this grass have been planted in the Piedmont of Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina during the past six years. It is estimated that 60 percent of this acreage is seeded to crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) . Burton and associates (1948, 1952, 1954) were first to demonstrate the high yield potential of Coastal Bermudagrass. More recently, agronomists in other sections of the southeastern United States have studied this grass and have shown that it is widely adapted and has a high yield potential when properly fertilized and managed (Coats, 1957; Fisher, 1953; Gausman and Crowley, 1954; Johns et al., 1957). Splitting the annual N rates into two or three applications has been suggested as a means of obtaining a better seasonal distribution of growth (Burton and