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Forage
Selection and Seeding Guide for Indiana
K.D. Johnson, C.L. Rhykerd,
and J.O. Trott
Agronomy Department,
Purdue University,
Cooperative Extension Service
West Lafayette, Indiana
Introduction
Pure Stands or Mixtures
Selecting the Right Grass
Table 1. Forage grass species characteristics.
Table 2. Grass seeding dates and rates
Selecting the Right Legume
Table 3. Forage legume species characteristics.
Table 4. Legume seeding dates and rates.
Selecting the Right Mixture
Table 5. Seeding rates for grass-legume mixtures.
Selecting the appropriate forage for hay, pasture, and/or conservation use is an important decision facing producers. There is a wide range of grasses and legumes available, and each species has its own particular plant and seed characteristics, making it more or less suitable for a producer's purpose. Thus, this decision is as critical as selecting the best variety within a forage species itself and should be given equal attention.
Many factors have to be taken into account when making a forage selection. One of the foremost is the necessity of matching forage species to the characteristics of the soil to be sown, characteristics such as drainage, fertility, and pH. County soil survey books describe the limitations of a particular soil for agricultural production, and this information is helpful, especially with land the producer has not previously farmed. Crop use and managerial capability are also among the factors that will influence the final decision.
The purpose of this publication is to simplify the process of forage selection for the producer by collecting all of the relevant information and presenting it in one place and in convenient form. The relative advantages of pure stands and mixtures are discussed, as well as the processes of selecting the right grasses, legumes, and mixtures. A particularly helpful feature is a series of tables enabling the producer to quickly and accurately assess various forage species' potential suitability and usefulness. Simple instructions for using these tables are also included.
Pure Stands or Mixtures
One of the first decisions that should be made before selecting the forage crop to be sown is whether a pure stand of one forage or a mixture of two or more forages is desired.
A pure grass stand or a pure legume stand can be advantageous over a grass-legume mixture for the following reasons:
- Eases the management associated with trying to keep all species in a mixture competitive.
- Increases the number of herbicides that can be used for weed control. Weed control options are more limited with a grass-legume mixture.
- Improves forage quality. A pure legume stand is usually higher in forage quality than a pure grass stand or a grass-legume mixture.
A mixture of a grass and a legume can be advantageous over a pure grass or legume stand for the following reasons:
- Eliminates the need for nitrogen fertilizer on pure grass stands because the legume in the mixture will provide nitrogen for grass growth.
- Lengthens the life of the pasture or hayland because the grass will remain after the legume stand is reduced. If desired, a legume can be reintroduced by pasture renovation (see Purdue Extension publication ID-167, "Maximizing the Value of Pasture for Horses,")
- Reduces the problem of legumes "heaving." This is the process in which legumes are raised from the soil surface by freeze-thaw action in the late winter and early spring, resulting in plant damage. The grasses hold the legume plants in place better than a pure legume stand can hold itself.
- Reduces soil erosion on steep slopes. Grasses have a more massive root system and are better for soil conservation purposes than pure legume stands.
- Improves livestock performance. A grass-legume mixture can improve animal gain and cattle breeding performance over a pure grass stand, especially when the grass is endophytic-fungus infected tall fescue. The mixture can also reduce animal performance problems associated with grass tetany and fescue toxicosis (see Purdue Extension publication AY-258, "Minimizing Tall Fescue Toxicity").
Generally, there is no advantage with a "shotgun mixture," a mixture of many grasses and legumes. These mixtures, usually prepackaged, do not give the producer the opportunity to match the specific grasses and legumes to the soil types on his farm. In time, two or three predominant forage species survive because of soil type, cutting management, and/or the fertilization program. This small number of forage species in the established stand is far less than the six or more forage species that were in the "shotgun mixture."
Selecting the Right Grass
Table 1.
Some of the important characteristics to be considered when selecting the "right" grass for use on the farm are shown in Table 1 (Forage grass species characteristics). Soil characteristics are listed first, in the columns on the left, because they determine whether the crop is adapted to the different soils on the farm. The characteristics listed reflect the minimum level for adequate species adaptation. Next, the appropriate grass species are listed, given the particular drainage, fertility, and pH characteristics of the soil. (When consulting the table, producers should remember that soil pH can be increased with lime, soil fertility can be improved with fertilizer, and soil drainage improved with tiling). The remaining characteristics (reading to the right) are plant-related and determine which grass should be selected for a specific use. The last column contains relevant information such as comments on use and references to helpful publications.
Table 1. Forage grass species characteristics.
SOIL CHARACTERISTICS PLANT CHARACTERISTICS SEED CHARACTERISTICS USE AND COMMENTS
________________________ ___________________________________________________ _____________________________________ ________________________________________
(Minimum Adequate Level)
Emer- Optimum
Soil Winter Drought Cool or Pounds gence Germ.
Drain- Fer- Soil Palat- Hardi- Growth Toler- Warm Per Seeds Per Time Temp. (See references to
age tility pH Species Longevity ability ness Habit ance Season Bushel Pound (Days) (F.) extension publications)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VPD1* M-H2* 5.8-8.2 Reed Perennial L2* G3* S4* G3* C5* 44-486* 533,000 21 70-85 Pasture (immature stages only), hay,
Canarygrass soil conservation;AY-60.
PD L 5.4-6.2 Redtop Perennial L-M G S F C 14 4,990,000 10 70-85 Pasture, hay;low yielding.
SPD L-M 5.4-8.2 Switchgrass Perennial M G B1 G W 40 389,000 21 60-70 Pasture, hay,wildlife cover.
SPD L-M 5.8-6.2 Rye Annual M VG B G C 56 18,000 7 60-70 Late fall-early spring pasture, silage
SPD L-M 5.8-6.2 Triticale Annual M F-G B G C 50 16,000 7 60-70 Late fall-early spring pasture, silage.
SPD M 5.4-6.2 Tall fescue Perennial M F S F C 22 227,000 14 60-85 Pasture (include legume with mixture),
hay, soil conservation; AY-98 and AY-258.
SPD M 5.5-8.2 Orchardgrass Perennial M-H F B F C 14 654,000 18 60-75 Pasture, hay (withstands 4 cut system
with alfalfa).
SPD M 5.4-6.2 Timothy Perennial H G B P C 45 1,230,000 10 60-85 Pasture, hay (no more than 3 cut
system with legume included).
SPD M 5.8-6.5 Kentucky Perennial VH G S P C 14 2,177,000 28 60-75 Pasture; excellent quality, but low
bluegrass yields.
SPD M 6.0-6.5 Wheat Annual H G B G C 60 15,000 7 60-70 Late fall-early spring pasture, silage.
SPD M 6.2-6.8 Barley Annual M-H F-G B G C 48 14,000 7 60-75 Late fall-early spring pasture, silage.
SPD M-H 5.6-6.2 Ryegrass Annual or VH - to F B P C 24 227,000 14 60-75 Pasture, hay;quick establishment.
Perennial
SPD M-H 5.6-6.2 Bermudagrass Perennial M P S G W 40 1,787,000 21 70-95 Pasture in southernmost Indiana only,
SPD H 5.8-6.5 Smooth Perennial VH G S G C 14 138,000 14 70-85 Pasture, hay (no more than 3 cut system
Dromegrass when legume included), soil conservation.
MWD L-M 5.4-6.2 Big bluestem Perennial H G S G W 8 B 165,000 28 60-85 Pasture, hay,
25 D
MWD L-M 5.4-6.2 Indiangrass Perennial H G S C W 8 B 175,000 28 60-85 Pasture, hay.
25 D
MWD M 6.2-6.8 Pearl millet Annual M - B G W 50 88,000 7 70-85 Supplemental pasture; rarely grown,
regrowth slower than sudangrass.
MWD M 6.0-6.5 Spring oats Annual H - B P C 32 13,000 10 60-70 Fall grazing or spring grazing, silage.
MWD M-H 6.0-6.5 Corn Annual H - B F W 56 1,118 10 70-85 Silage; NCH-49
MWD M-H 6.0-6.5 Sudangrass Annual H - B G W 40 55,000 10 60-85 Supplemental pasture; AY-196.
MWD M-H 6.0-6.5 Sorghum X Annual M-H - B G W 56 28,000 10 60-85 Supplemental pasture; AY-196.
Sudan
MWD M-H 6.0-6.55 Sorghum Annual M-H - B G W 56 28,000 10 60-85 Silage.
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1*VPD = Very Poorly Drained SPD = Somewhat Poorly Drained *2L = Low H = High *3P = Poor *4B = Bunchgrass *5C = Cool *6B = Bearded
PD = Poorly Drained MWD = Moderately Well Drained M = Medium VH = Very High F = Fair B1 = Bunchlike W = Warm D =Debearded
G = Good S = Sod
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2.
The appropriate range of times to seed the grass crops and suggested seeding rates are found in Table 2 (Seeding dates and rates for pure stands of forage grasses). Producers in northern Indiana should plant their crop earlier in the span of time suggested for the late summer seeding and later in the timespan suggested for the spring seeding. Southern Indiana producers can plant their crop at the later summer date and earlier spring date suggested and obtain a satisfactory stand.
Careful selection of seeding time is, of course, important because planting earlier or later than the suggested seeding dates usually results in the young seedlings being killed by drought in the summer or cold weather in the winter. Weed pressure is also greater if spring plantings are delayed.
Another factor to consider is that some seed lots have a large quantity of inert material or non-viable seed. Since only live seed of the selected forage has importance to the producer, buying, selling, and seeding forage crops on a pure live seed (PLS) basis are important practices to follow. Thus the third column in Table 2 is PLS based.
The PLS content of a given lot can be calculated through information found on the seed tag, which contains data on the germination and purity percentages of the bulk seed:
% PLS = % purity x % germination.The amount of pure live seed in a quantity of bulk seed is found through the following equation:
Pounds bulk seed x % PLS = pounds PLS.For instance, suppose a 100 pound bag of tall fescue with a germination value of 80% and a purity value of 90% is purchased. According to the definition of % PLS, only 72% of the bulk seed is pure live seed (90% x 80%). This means that only 72 of the 100 pounds of bulk seed purchased can germinate and produce the desired crop. If the producer establishes the tall fescue correctly, consulting Table 2, approximately 21 pounds of the bulk seed will be sown on each acre [(15 pounds PLS/acre)/(0.72 pound PLS/pound bulk seed) = 20.8 pounds bulk seed / acre].
If 15 pounds of bulk seed are sown per acre, only 10.8 pounds of PLS are sown per acre [(15 pounds bulk seed/acre) x (72% PLS/pound bulk seed) 10.8 pounds PLS/acre]. This 10 pound seeding rate difference (20.8 - 10.8) can be significant enough to cause an establishment failure be cause of improper seeding practices.
Table 2. Seeding dates and rates for pure stands of forage grasses.
Seeding Rate
(Pounds Pure Live
Grass Seeding Date(s) Seed Per Acre)*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barley Sept. 15 - Oct. 15 96
Bermudagrass Apr. 15 - May 30 6-8
Big Bluestem Apr. 15 - May 30 10-12
Corn Apr. 25 - June 1 25,000 PLS/Acre
Indiangrass Apr. 15 - May 30 8-10
Kentucky Bluegrass Feb. 1 - May 1 or 5-10
Aug. 1 - Sept. 15
Orchardgrass Mar. 1 - May 1 or 10
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
Pearl millet May 1 - June 1 15-20
Redtop Feb. 1 - May 1 3-6
Reed canarygrass Mar. 1 - May 1 or 6-8
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
Rye Sept. 15 - Oct. 30 112
Ryegrass Mar. 1 - May 1 or 15-20
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
Smooth bromegrass Feb. 1 - May 1 or 10-15
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
Sorghum May 1 - July 15 5-10
Sorghum X Sudangrass May 1 - July 15 20
Spring Oats Mar. 1 - Apr. 15 or 96
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
(Fall Grazing)
Sudangrass May 1 - July 15 25
Switchgrass Apr. 15 - May 30 5-8
Tall fescue Mar. 1 - May 1 or 15
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
Timothy Feb. 1 - May 1 or 3-6
Aug. 1 - Nov. 1 (heavier rate in spring)
Triticale Sept. 15 - Oct. 30 100
Wheat Sept. 15 - Oct. 30 120
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* For definition of "Pure Live Seed", see discussion of Table 2 above.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Selecting the Right Legume
Table 3 (Forage legume species characteristics) and Table 4 (Seeding dates and rates for pure stands of forage legumes) are organized like Tables 1 and 2, respectively. As in the case of grasses, soil characteristics indicate whether a legume is adapted to a certain location. Table 3 identifies some key plant characteristics of several legumes and will help producers select legumes adapted to their land resources. Suggested seeding rates for pure legume stands and times of seeding are included in Table 4. Producers should follow the guidelines for planting date and location in Indiana discussed in the preceding section.
Table 3. Forage legume species characteristics.
SOIL CHARACTERISTICS PLANT CHARACTERISTICS SEED CHARACTERISTICS USE AND COMMENTS
_______________________ ________________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________________
(Minimum Adequate Level) Emer- Optimum
Soil Winter Drought Cool or Pounds gence Germ.
Drain- Fer- Soil Palat- Hardi- Toler- Warm Bloat Per Seeds Time Temp. (See references to
age tility pH Species Longevity ability ness ance Season Hazard Bushel Per Pound (Days) (F) extension publications)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PD*1 M*2 6.0-6.5 Alsike clover Perennial H*2 G*2 F*3 C*4 Yes 60 700,000 7 70 Pasture, hay; best suited to poorly
(acts as drained sites.
biennial)
PD M 6.0-6.5 White Dutch clover Perennial VH G P C Yes 60 800,000 10 70 Pasture only; extremely low yielding,
PD H 6.0-6.5 Ladino clover Perennial VH F P C Yes 60 860,000 10 70 Pasture only; low yielding.
SPD L 5.5-6.2 Sericea lespedeza Perennial L-M F F W No 60 350,000 28 70-95 Roadside vegetation, wildlife cover.
SPD L 5.5-6.2 Striate lespedeza Summer H -- F W No 25 190,000 14 70-95 Late summer pasture or hay; must
Annual Unhulled reseed itself annually to persist,
SPD L 5.5-6.2 Korean lespedeza Summer H -- F W No 40 225,000 14 70-90 Late summer pasture or hay; must
Annual Unhulled reseed itself annually to persist.
SPD L-M 5.8-6.5 Cowpeas Summer H -- F W No 60 3,000 8 70-85 Rarely grown,
Annual
SPD M 5.8-6.5 Hairy vetch Winter M F-P F C Yes 60 20,000 14 70 Included with small grains for a
Annual forage, winter cover crop in southern
Indiana; AY-247.
SPD M 6.0-6.5 Crownvetch Perennial M G F C No 60 110,000 14 70 Roadside vegetation; AY-178,
SPD M 6.0-6.5 Crimson clover Winter H VP P C Yes 60 150,000 7 70 Pasture, hay; extreme southern Indiana
Annual only.
SPD M 6.0-6.8 Birdsfoot trefoil Perennial VH G F C No 60 375,000 7 70 Complements Kentucky bluegrass; low
seedlinq vigor; ID-139.
SPD M 6.2-6.8 Soybeans Summer H -- F W Yes 60 3,000 8 70-75 Emergency hay or silage crop, often
Annual included with Sorghum in a mixture;
rarely grown for forage today.
SPD M 6.2-6.8 Red clover Perennial H G F C Yes 60 275,000 7 70 Excellent pasture renovation crop,
(acts as short-term hay crop.
biennial
SPD M 6.5-6.8 Sainfoin Perennial M G G C No 55 30,000 10 70-85 Pasture, hay; rarely grown dryland
forage legume.
SPD M-H 6.0-6.5 Kudzu Perennial L-M VP F W Generally 54 37,000 14 70-85 Pasture; considered a weed because it
Not is extremely aggressive,
WD M-H 6.8-7.2 Sweetclover Annual or M - to G G C Yes 60 260,000 7 70 Green Manure crop, forage for bees,
biennial Hay, pasture, silage; sweetclover
disease can be a problem; AY-213.
WD H 6.6-7.2 Alfalfa Perennial VH G G C Yes 60 200,000 7 70 Hay, silage, pasture, green manure crop.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1*PD = Poorly Drained WD = Well Drained *2L = Low H = High *3VP = Very Poor F = Fair 4*C = Cool
SPD = Somewhat Poorly Drained M = Medium VH = Very High P = Poor G = Good W = Warm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 4. Seeding dates and rates for pure stands of forage legumes.
Seeding Rate
(Pounds Pure Live
Legume Seeding Date(s) Seed Per Acre)*
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Alfalfa Mar. 1 - May I or 12-15
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
Alsike clover Jan. 1 - May 1 or 6-10
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
Birdsfoot trefoil Mar. 1 - May 1 or 4- 6
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
Cowpeas May 1 - July 1 30-60
Crimson clover July 15 - Aug. 1 20-30
Crownvetch Mar. 1 - May 1 10-15
Hairy vetch Aug. 1 - Oct. 1 20-30
Korean lespedeza Feb. 1 - May 1 25-30 unhulled
Ladino clover Jan. 1 - May 1 or 2- 4
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
Red clover Jan. 1 - May 1 or 8-10
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
Sainfoin Mar. 1 - May 1 30
Sericea lespedeza Mar. 1 - June 1 30
Soybean May 1 - July 1 45-60
Striate lespedeza Feb. 1 - May 1 30-35 unhulled
Sweetclover Feb. 1 - May 1 10-12
White Dutch clover Jan. 1 - May 1 or 2- 4
Aug. 1 - Sept. 1
------------------------------------------------------------------
* For definition of "Pure Live Seed", see page 2.
Selecting the Right Mixture
An earlier section suggests that there are situations in which a grass-legume mixture may be desired. In such situations, Tables 1 and 3 can be used to match the proper grass with the proper legume. For example, comparing the two tables tells the producer that alfalfa would not be a good legume to include with orchardgrass if the soil is not well drained. Table 3 informs the producer that a legume like red clover, which is adapted to somewhat poorly drained conditions, would be a better alternative. (Again, producers should remember that tiling can lessen or solve some drainage problems.)
As indicated in Table 1, timothy and smooth bromegrass do not persist too well if four cuttings of an alfalfa-grass mixture are made each year. Since producers striving for top hay quality will be cutting their fields four times each year, a better grass alternative for these producers would be orchardgrass, which can withstand this cutting schedule. Table 5 (Seeding rates for grass-legume mixtures) provides the seeding rates of the grasses and legumes to be used in the selected mixture.
Table 5. Seeding rates for grass-legume mixtures.
POUNDS OF PURE LIVE LEGUME SEED PER ACRE* POUNDS OF PURE LIVE GRASS SEED PER ACRE (One Only)*
------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Smooth Reed
Orchard- Tall Brome- Canary- Kentucky
Primary Legume Secondary Legume grass Fescue grass grass Timothy Bluegrass
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alfalfa 8-10 4-6 -- 5-7 --- 2-4
Alfalfa 4-6 Red clover 4-6 4-6 -- 5-7 --- 2-4
Alfalfa 6-8 Red clover 2-4 4-6 -- 5-7 --- 2-4
Alfalfa 6-8 Ladino clover 1/4 4-6 -- 5-7 --- 2-4
Red clover 6-8 4-6 8-10 5-7 --- 2-4
Red clover 4-6 Ladino clover 1/4 4-6 8-10 5-7 --- 2-4
Red clover 6-8 Annual lespedeza 8 --- 8-10 --- --- ---
Alsike clover 3-4 4-6 8-10 5-7 3-5 2-4
Alsike clover 2 Ladino clover 1/4 4-6 8-10 5-7 3-5 2-4
Birdsfoot trefoil 5 4-6 -- --- --- 2-4 2-4
Annual lespedeza 15 4-6 8-10 --- --- ---
Ladino clover 1 4-6 8-10 5-7 3-5 2-4
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* For definition of "Pure Live Seed", see discussion of Table 2 above.
It is practical and cost effective to take the time to consider forage species in terms of the land in which they are to be sown and the uses to which they will be put. This way, whether a pure stand or a mixture is eventually selected, it will be a selection specifically adapted to the producer's soil and will meet his criteria, thus assuring long-term forage production.
AY-253 RR 12/91
Cooperative Extension work in Agriculture and Home Economics, state of Indiana, Purdue University, and U.S> Department of Agriculture cooperating: H.A. Wadsworth, Director, West Lafayette, IN. Issued in furtherance of the acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. The Cooperative Extension Service of Purdue University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution.
For more forage information contact Dr. Keith Johnson: johnsonk@purdue.edu
Copyright © 2007, Purdue University, all rights reserved.
An equal access/opportunity university.
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