| Crabgrass for Forage: Management from the 1990s/'Red River' Crabgrass Forage Production with Irrigation and Fertilization |
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Crabgrass: A Synopsis
Introduction
History
Species
Crabgrass as Forage
Using Crabgrass
Crabgrass Cultivars
Establishment
Tillage and No-Tillage Management
Soil Fertility Considerations
Forage Production Potential
Stock Performance
Use
Volunteer Stand Management
Adaptation
Literature Available
Development, Naming, and Release of the "Red River" Crabgrass Variety
Abstract
Introduction
History of Varietal Development
Methods of Research and Development
Results
Official Naming and Release
Seed Availability
Literature Cited
'Red River' Crabgrass: Why and How it Happened
Historical Prespective
Species and Ecotypes
There is more to a Grass than Yield
Area of Use
More Information is Available
Official Seed Release Summary
Crabgrass Produces Top Quality Warm Season Hay
Crabgrass is the Winter Pasture for the Summer
Crabgrass for High Quality, Highh Production, Warm-Season Forage
Introduction
History of Use and Geographic Adaptation
Specific Adaptation
Production Input Practices
Forage Quality Aspects
Examples of Crabgrass Forage Uses
Forage and Stock Yields
Crabgrass Variety Development and Literature
Literature Cited
Average Daily Gain On 'Red River' Crabgrass
Crabgrass as a Variable and Flexible Forage Crop
History of ADG on Crabgrass
Management of This Trial
Forage Production Management
A Brief History of Production on This Unit
Livestock Management
Grazing Management
Weather Considerations
Results
Grazing Management Results
The Mistakes We Made
Crabgrass Forage Yields as Influenced by Forage Harvesting Regimes
Abstract
Introduction
Procedures
Results and Discussion
Double Crop Winter Pastures by Using Improved Crabgrass
Switching from Winter Pasture to Crabgrass
Broadcasting Crabgrass Seed into Annual Winter Pastures to Start a Crabgrass-Winter Pasture Double Crop
Fall Planting Rye into Crabgrass in a Low-Till Approach
Summer Annual/Winter Annual Rotation of Grazing and Forage Systems
Improving Overall Forage Quality by Adding Higher Quality Warm-Season Grasses to the Bermudagrass Sward
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results and Discussion
Bermudagrass or Bahiagrass and Crabgrass Mixtures in Practice
Managing for Volunteer Stands in Crabgrass Hay Meadows
Emergence Depth of 'Red River' Crabgrass in Volunteer Stands
Introduction
Methods and Materials
Results and Discussion
Practical Application
Literature Cited
Planting Rye in 'Red River' Crabgrass
Managing 'Red River' Crabgrass for Upper Level Forage and Beef Yield
Materials and Methods
Results and Discussion
'Red River' Crabgrass in Grazier Uses
Summary
The Effect of Seeding Rates on First-Season Crabgrass Development
Material and Methods
Results and Discussion
Summary of the Research
Summary
Feed Value and Management Characteristics of 'Red River' Crabgrass Seed for Planting and Volunteer Stands
'Red River' Crabgrass Forage Production with Irrigation and Fertilization
Crabgrass, including the Red River variety (RRCG), is one of the summer grasses with the highest quality. These grasses are used in numerous winter/summer double-cropping syndromes and other forage approaches. Interest in crabgrass forage has increased over the years, and the grass now is used in manure disposal and effluent and irrigation systems for cattle-confinement operations, including feed yards, and swine and poultry confinement enterprises.
This research was conducted in four replications over two years to determine production and quality parameters of RRCG under irrigation and high fertilization on a fine sandy loam soil. Harvests were made when grass was 12 to 24 inches tall during late grazing stages to early hay stages. Average total production of RRCG for the high-production treatment was 9,718 pounds per acre, for a total fertilizer input of 325 N-92 P2O5-400 K2O (pounds per acre) and 1.9 inches of total moisture per week for six months.
The nitrogen application averaged 1.9 pounds per growing day, which is a good guide for upper-level production and quality management. Total yields were satisfactory but less than optimal because of 2,4-D suppression, some nitrogen damage to seedling stands, and excessive mower damage, all of which retarded initial growth and regrowth.
Crude protein averaged 15.2 percent per date of sampling, with a low of 9.1 percent at the last harvest at mature plant stages (RRCG was managed for volunteer stands) and a high of 19.9 percent. Seventy percent of harvests were 14 percent crude protein or more. The RRCG produced 1,527 pounds of crude protein per acre per year, which indicated a nitrogen efficiency of 75 percent.
The RRCG averaged 76.8 percent in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility overall, 80.02 percent from June through August, and 65.7 percent from September through October in mature plants. These data indicate that RRCG pasture similarly managed would be capable of supplying growing heifers nutrition sufficient to produce 2.0 pounds or more of average daily gain 70 percent of the season, except during the last growth of matured forage, when heifers maintain weight or make only slight gains.
These and other data show that RRCG is suitable for good forage production under intensive fertilizer/nutrient management and adequate moisture availability.
Crude protein and in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility quality parameters were excellent and the latter's content was superb. These data illustrate that RRCG can be a valid, high-quality forage alternative under irrigation, in the more humid southeastern one-third of the United States and other areas, and in manure disposal systems.
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