Annual Cool-Season Legumes as Component of Cool-Season Perennial Grass Pastures
 |
The ability to fix nitrogen by cool-season annual legumes may reduce dependence on N fertilizer and improve forage quality of perennial grass pastures, if species compatible with cool- or warm-season perennial grasses in semi-arid environments of the Texas Rolling Plains could be identified. |
Rationale
Annual cool-season legumes may have a potential to improve pasture profitability in the Texas Rolling Plains and reduce soil erosion due to wind and excessive rainfall in the spring. Currently, mixed perennial cool-season grass pastures with annual legumes are not a common practice in this region due to insufficient knowledge of management requirements and farmers’ concerns about water use patterns by multi-species crops.
The growth pattern of annual cool-season legumes is similar to that of perennial cool-season grasses. Both components of a mixed stand will compete for water and other resources during periods of intensive growth.
Objectives
The objectives of this research are: 1) to evaluate productivity and persistence of mixed stands of annual cool-season legumes with obligatory summer-dormant perennial cool-season grasses 2) to select compatible legume and grass species for semi-arid grasslands of the Texas Rolling Plains; and 3) to determine the effects of management practices on reseeding potential of annual legumes as components of grass pastures.
Methods
The experiment was planted near Vernon, TX in autumn 2004 as a part of a cooperative research program with AgResearch (USA) Ltd. (Asheville, NC).