Florigraze Rhizoma Peanut in Association with Warm‐Season Perennial Grasses

Abstract

AbstractThe rhizoma peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth.), a warm‐season perennial legume, offers enough promise to justify investigating its potential as a companion legume with various adapted perennial grasses. A field experiment was conducted on an Orangeburg sandy loam (fineloamy, siliceous, thermic Typic Paleudults) near Jay, FL, to determine the efficacy of using ‘Florigraze’ rhizoma peanut with ‘Tifton 44’ bermudagrass [Cynodon dactydon (L.) Pers.], ‘Floralta‘ limpograss [Hemarthria altissima (Poir.) Stapf and C. E. Hubb], and ‘Pensacola’ bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) from 1981 through 1988. Volunteer grasses replaced Floralta in 1985 through 1988, and cool‐season forage crops, ‘Wrens abruzzi’ rye (Secale cereale L.), ‘Fla. 80’ ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), and ‘Dixie’ crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L) were then seeded over the peanut‐grass plots in the fall. Dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and digestible organic matter (DOM) production of the combined grass and legume forage were determined. During the first 4 yr, the yields of DM, CP, and DOM from each grass‐peanut mixture were essentially equal; however, more DM and DOM were produced by limpograss‐peanut in 1981 and 1982. In the last 4 yr, the volunteer grass‐peanut generally produced the least DM, and less DOM, in 1986 and 1987. The peanut content decreased during the last 4 yr in all mixtures but most markedly in the bahiagrass‐peanut mixture. In general cool‐season crops performed best when seeded over bermudagrass‐peanut followed by performance over volunteer grass‐peanut and bahiagrass‐peanut, respectively. Rhizoma peanut can be successfully grown with various perennial grasses for several years but may eventually be crowded out by such thick‐sodded grasses as Pensacola bahiagrass.