Grass Establishment Research Articles

Warm-Season Grass Establishment as Affected by Post-Planting Atrazine Application

Warm-Season Grass Establishment as Affected by Post-Planting Atrazine Application

Role of Irrigation and Fertilization in Revegetation of Cold Desert Mined Lands

This study determined responses of vegetation and soils to different rates and seasonal schedules of ffrst-year irrigation in combination with varied N-P fertilization on cold desert mined lands. Certain irrigation treatments increased soil water content initially, but had no appreciable effects on soil salinity or fertility. Specific rates and schedules of irrigation temporarily benefited total stand and dominant peremdal grass establishment and productivity, but treatment effects diminished or reversed over time. Subdominant shrubs and perennial forbe were more persistently enhanced by specific irrigation treatments. Fertilization did not modify plant response to irrigation regimes. Although annual species were positively influenced by fertilization with heavier rates of irrigation, such stimulation proved ephemeral and perennial species never responded to fertilization under any irrigation regime.

Ammonia Volatilization from Nitrogen Fertilizer Surface Applied to Orchardgrass Sod

AbstractIf the N needs of the grass sward cannot be met with a compatible legume, then additional N inputs must come from other sources, such as urea, to sustain high yields. However, urea is difficult to incorporate in an established grass pasture, which can result in considerable inefficiencies in N utilization. One cause of this inefficiency is volatilization of NH3. Field measurements were made to determine the amount of NH3 lost through volatilization from urea‐based fertilizers surface broadcast onto an orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) sod on a Xenia silt loam soil (a fine‐silty, mixed, mesic Aquic Hapludalf). Nitrogen sources used were: urea applied as both a granular solid product and as a solution; cogranulated urea‐urea phosphate (UUP); ammonium nitrate (AN); and urea‐KCL and urea‐CaCl2 solutions at a cation/urea‐N equivalency of 0.50 KCl or 0.25 CaCl2·2H2O. Fertilizer N was applied at 200 kg N ha−1 in the spring and 100 kg N ha−1 in late summer. Measurable NH3 loss occurred within 12 to 24 h after N application. Rate of volatilization was greatest from mid‐morning to early afternoon. Highest NH3 losses were from solid urea, urea solution, and urea‐KCl solutions. Losses from these materials ranged from 27 to 41% of applied N in the spring and from 12 to 37% in the summer. No significant volatilization losses were observed with AN. Ammonia losses from UUP were significantly less than those from solid urea in the spring, and at least 40% less in the late summer. Relative to urea solution alone, mixing CaCl2 with urea lowered volatilization significantly in both 1983 studies. Finally, the concentration of KCl with urea in this study did not effectively reduce NH3 volatilization.

Transformations of Nitrogen Following the Application of 15 N-Labelled Cattle Urine to an Established Grass Sward

Cattle urine, labelled with 15 N urea, was applied in August 1987 at a rate equivalent to 74 g N m -2 to a series of confined microplots, inserted to a depth of 30 cm in a 16-year-old grass sward consisting mainly of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). Contents of total N and 15 N were determined at intervals between 2 and 321 days after the application in a range of soil and plant components of the sward, and assessments were made of ammonia volatilization and denitrification (...)

EFFECT OF COMPANION CROPS ON FORAGE ESTABLISHMENT IN SOUTH COASTAL BRITISH COLUMBIA

Field trials were conducted at the Agriculture Canada Research Station, Agassiz, B.C. from 1986 to 1988 to study, under south coastal British Columbia conditions, the use of companion crops in grass establishment. Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), or a mixture of the two was seeded with either oats (Avena sativa L.) or barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) as a companion crop, or as sole crops with weeds either allowed to grow or controlled by herbicide. First cut yields were highest and second cut yields lowest in the establishment year whenever a companion crop was used. Companion crops had no effect on third cut yield in the establishment year, nor on yield the following year. Total yield in the establishment year was highest whenever a companion crop was used due to the higher forage yield of annual cereals than perennial grass at first cut. Proportion of weeds in the first cut was lowest with a companion crop and highest where grass was seeded alone without herbicide. Crude protein content of the first cut was lowest with a companion crop while establishment method had no effect on crude protein content of subsequent cuts. In the second year crude protein content of the forage was highest with ryegrass and lowest with orchardgrass particularly if sprayed with herbicide. A companion cereal crop can be used when seeding forage grasses in south coastal British Columbia, and there is no advantage to using a herbicide for weed control on forage seedlings grown without a companion crop.Key words: Companion crop, establishment, forages, British Columbia

Importance of Nitrogen and Phosphorus for Production of Grasses Established with No-Till and Conventional Planting Systems

High stocking rates and season-long grazing practices have produced excessively grazed pastures in northeastern and eastern Nebraska dominated by smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) that are in need of renovation. There is a void of high-quality forage in midsummer that can be filled by either warm-season species or cool-season species that mature later than smooth bromegrass. Intermediate wheatgrass [Agropyron intermedium (Host) Beauv.] or switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) was seeded by either no-till or conventional seeding practices in the spring of 1978, following a fall application of a mixture of atrazine [2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropyl-amino)-s-triazine] and glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine] at 1.0 and 2.0 lb/acre, respectively. Established stands were fertilized with N (0, 40, 80, and 120 lb/acre) and P (0, 40, and 80 lb/acre). A complete factorial design with three replications was used. Fertilizer treatments were repeated each year through the 1982 growing season. Forage yields were consistently increased by the application of both N and P, and there was a consistent N × P interaction. The response to N and P rate was curvilinear for both methods of grass establishment. Conventional seeding techniques produced higher yields of intermediate wheatgrass, but yields of switchgrass were not affected by method of establishment. Nitrogen fertilization increased the protein content of both species. Protein concentration decreased with rate of applied P due primarily to plant dilution.

Liquid sprays to assist stabilisation and revegetation of coastal sand dunes

These studies examined the use of a range of liquid sprays, compared with brush matting, as temporary means of assisting the surface stabilisation and revegetation of coastal sand dunes. Measurements were made of the effects of the stabilisers on sand stabilisation, soil moisture and spinifex grass establishment, using small plot trials at Grassy Head in eastern Australia. All treatments allowed spinifex grass to establish from seed, however there were significant differences in the ability of the liquid sprays to provide sand stabilisation and hence the long term survival of spinifex. Brush matting was superior to all sprays as a stabiliser for the establishment of spinifex. No treatments had any significant effect on soil moisture.

Effects of bracken litter and frond canopy on emergence and survival of ryegrass and white clover seedlings

SUMMARYTwo field experiments, at Woolly Hills Farm, County Durham, UK, and a glasshouse experiment were carried out in 1977. Early in the growing season (May-July), a covering of bracken litter increased the number of ryegrass and clover seedlings which became established both in an area where bracken had been removed and where there were developing fronds. In a second experiment (August-October), bracken litter had no effect on seedling establishment in the open. Under the frond canopy, the absence of litter was beneficial to clover establishment. The frond canopy reduced the number of ryegrass seedlings by half compared with the numbers in the open. In the glasshouse, litter caused a small reduction in the numbers of ryegrass and clover seedlings becoming established.The results suggest that litter may be either beneficial because of the prevention of desiccation in dry periods or detrimental, perhaps through allelopathic effects or shading. In terms of the successful establishment of a sown grass and clover sward, it would seem that litter removal by incorporation or burning is more justified in upland hill pastures because of the need to improve soil fertility than because of adverse effects of the litter itself.

Dryland salinity in a subcatchment at Glenthompson, Victoria

SUMMARY Dryland salinity is a widespread and serious environmental problem in western Victoria. As a result river environs and farmland have been seriously degraded with loss of habitat, reduced farm production and increased erosion. Until recently, the preferred method of salinity investigation was centred around expensive drilling programs to obtain information on groundwater provinces. More recently, electromagnetic surveys have provided the means of rapidly assessing the levels of soil and water salinities present within the landscape. At a site south of Glenthompson, Victoria, the results of an electromagnetic survey together with an investigation of relevant soil properties are being used to plan salinity control options. High recharge areas do not appear to be present in the study district. The effects of agronomic control options, such as the establishment of perennial grasses, can be predicted by the use of a monthly water balance whereby climatic factors and the crop's efficiency in plant water ...

Seedbed Effects on Grass Establishment on Abandoned Nebraska Sandhills Cropland

Seedbed Effects on Grass Establishment on Abandoned Nebraska Sandhills Cropland

Herbicides for Postemergence Control of Annual Grass Weeds in Seedling Forage Grasses

The control of three summer annual grass weeds with herbicides during establishment of forage grasses was studied near Concord and Mead, NE, in 1984, 1985, and 1986. Three cool-season forage grasses, intermediate wheatgrass, tall fescue, and smooth bromegrass, and two warm-season grasses, big bluestem and switchgrass, were included. The control of three major summer annual grasses, green foxtail, barnyardgrass, and large crabgrass, was excellent with fenoxaprop at 0.22 kg ai/ha. Slight to moderate injury to cool-season forage grasses and severe injury to warm-season grasses were evident. Sethoxydim at 0.22 kg ai/ha and haloxyfop at 0.11 kg ai/ha controlled green foxtail and large crabgrass, but not barnyardgrass. Sulfometuron-treated big bluestem and switchgrass plots had the best forage stand frequencies and yields and, at the rate used, sulfometuron satisfactorily controlled green foxtail but only marginally controlled barnyardgrass and large crabgrass.

Grass establishment and performance on a high country soil fertilised with nitrogen

Abstract Slow release sulphur-coated urea (SCD) was drilled with seed of ‘Grasslands Nui’ ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), ‘Grasslands Roa’ tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), ‘Grasslands Wana’ cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.), ‘Grasslands Maru’ phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.), and ‘Massey Basyn’ Yorkshire fog (Holcus lanatus L.) in glasshouse and field trials to improve establishment on a low fertility high country soil. In the field trial, SCU (50 kg nitrogen(N)/ha) was also broadcast at sowing and uncoated urea (50 kg N/ha) was broadcast after seedling emergence. In the second year, one half of each field plot was given 125 kg N/ha in five applications and in the third year all field plots received 125 kg N/ha in three applications. Grass establishment was greatly enhanced by 25-75 kg N/ ha. SCU, drilled with the seed at rates above 25 kg N/ha,. caused germination injury but surviving seedhngs responded well to any additional N. At the highest N rates (100 kg/ha or more) individual grass plants grew vigorously but their patchy cover allowed the resident hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella L.) to grow vigorously in the intervening spaces. SCU broadcast at sowing or uncoated urea broadcast after emergence were generally less effective than the same rate of drilled SCU. Although Nui and Roa had the most uniform establishment, the second year yields were best overall for Wana and Basyn where N had been applied in both the first and second years. Without N in the second year there was little growth in any plots. Maru seedlings did well initially but appeared to suffer from aluminium toxicity in the second year. Third year yields were highly dependent on the application of N in the second year and to a lesser extent on the first year's application. The cultivarresponse varied, withNui being most affected by lack of N in the second year and Basyn the least. The need to supply N in a manner which minimises germination injury yet maximises uptake by the seedling is discussed. The option of applying N fertiliser is compared with liming, and with using a legume-dommant phase to improve N availability.

Vegetation establishment on a deposit of zinc mine wastes

Field trials concerning the establishment of plant cover on a deposit of wastes from the Åmmeberg zinc mine in central Sweden were carried out during 1976–1985. Different soil conditioners and manures were applied and plant species cultivars were evaluated with regard to plant biomass, vigour, durability and content of zinc, lead and cadmium. Sewage sludge and topsoil led to better establishment of grasses than did municipal waste, straw and hydraulic seeding. After 2 years, Festuca rubra and Poa pratensis dominated the swards. Other species ( Dactylis glomerata, Bromus inermis, Lolium perenne, Phleum nodosum, Festuca pratensis and F. arundinacea) constituted only a minor part of the stand. After 10 years, F. rubra was the most dominant species, while native Agrostis tenuis had invaded 20–50% of the area within the plots. Merlin was the clearly dominant red fescue cultivar. The concentration of zinc in shoots (616 mg kg −1 dw) was about 10% of that in the soil. Zinc concentration decreased with increasing biomass above ground. It increased with age in Scots pine needles and was very high in birch leaves. Grasses survived longer than legumes in the zinc sand waste. Among the surviving grasses was a group with high (3800 mg kg −1 dw) and a group with low (320 mg kg −1 dw) zinc concentrations. The low group included Merlin red fescue and Sobel creeping bent. The cultivar Merlin contained a much lower zinc concentration than the other cultivars of red fescue (375 and 624 mg kg −1 dw, respectively). A large amount of root biomass was present in plots with dominating Merlin red fescue (1715 g m −2), 97% of which was concentrated in the top 10 cm of the soil. The concentration of zinc in the roots was very high (13 000–25 000 mg kg −1 dw). Nitrate fertilizer, especially ammonium nitrate, and acidic water (pH 4·3) increased zinc leaching.

Adventitious Root Initiation in Kleingrass in Relation to Seedling Size and Age

Successful establishment of grasses depends on initiation and growth of adventitious roots. This study was undertaken to determine the minimum size and/or age requirement for adventitious root development in kleingrass (Panicum coloratum L.) seedlings, and also to determine which of these two factors is more important in controlling or regulating adventitious root development. Shoot mass was modified in dependently of age through use of populations having different seed mass. These were ‘Selection 75’ (low seed mass), ‘Verde’ (intermediate seed mass), and 79‐35 (greatest seed mass). Seeds were planted in soil in plastic cones and were germinated and grown in a growth chamber. Resulting plants were sampled at 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 d after emergence. Shoot masses of the three entries (at all sampling dates) were in the same relative order as seed masses of the entries, and Selection 75 initiated adventitious roots at the lowest shoot mass. Seedling age at first adventitious root development was not related to seed weight differences. However, Verde and 79‐35 were superior to Selection 75 in primary root length, number of adventitious roots, and length of longest adventitious root (data averaged over all sampling days). Because seedling age in kleingrass is apparently more important than seedling mass in influencing adventitious root initiation, selecting for rapid seedling growth will not necessarily shorten the interval between planting and development of the first adventitious root. However, selection for rapid seedling growth may concomitantly improve other root characteristics.

The influence of sowing method on perennial grass establishment. II. Seedbed microenvironment, germination and emergence

'Demeter' tall fescue (Festuca amndinacea Schreb.) and 'Victorian' perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) were sown separately into a white clover (Trifolium repens L.) dominant pasture. Eight sowing methods were compared to assess the ability of perennial grasses to germinate and emerge from direct drill sowing methods relative to conventional seedbed and aerial sowing methods. Within direct drill treatments, two drill implements were factorially combined with three herbicide treatments. Soil temperature and moisture conditions were cold and moist, but generally adequate for emergence of temperate pasture species. In-groove soil moisture content was always greatest in the disc plus herbicide treatment. Differences in seed level soil temperatures were minor, although diurnal fluctuations were greatest in the aerial plus herbicide treatment. Emergence of ryegrass at 50 days after sowing was similar in all sowing methods (67.9-93.9% viable seed sown) except for the aerial plus herbicide and disc plus band herbicide methods (23.4 and 44.0% of viable seed sown). There was a wide range of emergence percentages for fescue at 50 days after sowing (17.8-69.2% viable seed sown) and again the aerial plus herbicide treatment was lowest. One-pass, band spraying of a paraquat.diquat plus dicamba herbicide mixture at the time of sowing impaired the germination percentage of ryegrass seeds sown with the disc drill. Apart from the aerial plus herbicide treatment, sufficient seedlings passed through the germination/emergence filter in all direct drill and cultivated seedbed treatments to provide for a productive grass-based pasture.

The influence of sowing method on perennial grass establishment. III. Survival and growth of emerged seedlings

'Demeter' tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and 'Victorian' perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) were sown separately into a white clover (Trifolium repens L.) dominant pasture in June 198 1. Eight sowing methods were compared to assess the survival and growth of perennial grasses sown by direct drill sowing methods relative to conventional seedbed and aerial sowing methods. Within direct drill treatments, two drill implements were factorially combined with three herbicide treatments. Sown seedling density decline was approximately linear from the maximum emerged density at 50 days after sowing to the established plant density at 250 days. Established ryegrass density ranged from 104.9 plants m-2 in the cultivated seedbed to 30.0 plants m-2 in the aerial plus herbicide method. Established plant density of fescue in the direct drill sowings was higher for the plus herbicide treatments (56.6-61.6 plants m-2) compared with the minus herbicide treatments (0-6.6 plants m-2). Seedling growth was severely reduced when seeds were direct drilled into unsprayed vegetation. Fescue seedlings in these treatments had failed to develop tillers by 250 days. The distribution of an index of individual seedling size was highly skewed towards smaller seedlings in the direct drill minus herbicide treatments indicating a high level of stress in these treatments. Competition from the unsprayed resident sward was intense and occurred at a very early stage in seedling development. Promotion of rapid early seedling growth through cultivation or herbicides enhanced survival of sown perennial grasses.

The influence of sowing method on perennial grass establishment. I. Dry matter yield and botanical composition

'Demeter' tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and 'Victorian' perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) were sown separately into a white clover (Trifolium repens L.) dominant pasture in June 1981. Eight sowing methods were compared to assess the ability of perennial grasses to establish from direct drill sowing methods relative to conventional seedbed and aerial sowing methods. Within direct drill treatments, two drill implements were factorially combined with three herbicide treatments. Pasture production and botanical composition were sampled over a 27 month period following sowing. After a dry summer, 22 months after sowing, sown grasses dominated pasture composition (69-94% of total dry matter yield) in the high yielding treatments. At this time, the successful direct drill treatments were similar in yield to the conventional seedbed treatment. Within direct drill treatments, sowing implement had little effect on yield and composition, whereas herbicide application markedly increased sown grass yield. Pre-sowing blanket application of herbicide in the triple disc treatment increased tall fescue yield from 82 to 1504 kg ha-1 and perennial ryegrass yield from 98 to 807 kg ha-1. An inverse relationship was described between dry matter present at sowing and eventual yield of sown grasses. These perennial grasses can be successfully established by using direct drill sowing methods provided resident vegetation is adequately suppressed.

The Effects of a Calcareous Seaweed Product on Earthworms in Grassland Soil

ABSTRACT A granular, calcareous seaweed soil product, “Mermin”, was applied to an established grass sward at rates of 317 and 633 kg ha−1 annually for four years from October 1983 and compared with hydrated lime at the same rates and an untreated control. Soil pH rose in response to both lime and “Mermin” treatments and “Mermin” significantly increased magnesium and phosphorus levels in the soil. Earthworms were sampled on five separate occasions from March 1984 to March 1987. There was no evidence of a substantial effect of either lime or “Mermin” on worm numbers or biomass. Silage cut in May 1987 indicated that the four years of treatment had had a similarly slight effect on herbage yields. There appears to be no evidence supporting claims that “Mermin” causes increases in earthworm numbers.

A Study on the Establishment of Tropical Grasses and Legumes

AbstractThe importance of incorporating compatible legumes into tropical grasslands has been highlighted by many researchers. Thus an experiment was conducted to identify optimum times of establishing tropical grasses and legumes in mixtures. The species selected were Guinea grass (Panicum maximum); Brachiaria (Brachiaria ruziziensis) and Green leaf (Desmodium intortum).The grasses were established along with and 4 and 8 weeks after the legume. The growth of the species was monitored for 16 weeks. The results identified the importance of prior establishment of the legume to overcome the competitive dominance of the herbage grasses. The growth form of the grasses also had an effect on the success of legume establishment. The legume had no adverse effect on the growth of the grasses.

FACILITATION OF SUCCESSION BY THE NONMYCOTROPHIC COLONIZER SALSOLA KALI (CHENOPODIACEAE) ON A HARSH SITE: EFFECTS OF MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI

The effects of inoculation with vesicular‐arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on nonmycotrophic (plants which do not form a mycorrhizal association) colonizing annuals and on mycotrophic perennials were investigated in southwestern Wyoming. A subsoil containing no initial mycorrhizal inoculum was used, and seeds of the later successional perennials were planted. The annuals were removed from one‐half of the sampling quadrats to test for the interaction of competition and mycorrhizae on the perennials. During the third and fourth years of succession, the density and percent cover of Salsola kali, the most abundant nonmycotrophic annual, decreased by one‐half to one‐third with inoculation. Mycorrhizal hyphae and spores were found in the rhizosphere of S. kali, with only occasional (1–2% of the root length) penetration of hyphae into the cortex. There were no differences in tissue phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations or water relations of inoculated vs. uninoculated S. kali.The planted grasses, all Agropyron species, had no significant increase in density or percent cover with inoculation. The percent root infection of A. smithii was 5–30%. Grass density and percent cover was greatest where S. kali was present, suggesting facilitation of grass establishment by annuals on this harsh, windy site. However, grass density was lower where 5. kali density was lower following inoculation. Mycorrhizal fungi were hypothesized to hasten the rate of succession on other sites. On this site where facilitation is an important process, inoculation of early seral plants and their subsequent decline may slow primary succession in the early years.