Perennial Grasses
Perennial grasses, such as bromegrass, orchardgrass, timothy, tall fescue and reed canarygrass will provide early and late season grazing as well as hay. Grass species and varieties within species vary in several important characteristics that influence their suitability to a particular situation. The most important characteristics are maturity (how quickly the grass produces heads in the spring), winterhardiness, stand survival, disease resistance, heat and drought tolerance, grazing and traffic tolerance. For example, tall fescue is well suited for high traffic lots while timothy will not survive because its crowns are sensitive to hoof damage. Orchardgrass would be a poor choice for drainage ditches and waterways because it is a bunch-type grass forming clumps that are interspersed with bare soil or weeds. Below are described the key characteristics of several important grass species grown in Ohio. The Ohio Agronomy Guide, 13 edition (available in county extension offices or on the web at http://ohioline.ag.ohio-state.edu/b472/index.html) provides more information on characteristics and management of these forage grasses.
Orchardgrass: A versatile perennial bunch-type grass (no rhizomes) that establishes rapidly and is suitable for hay, silage, or pasture. Orchardgrass is probably the most productive cool-season grass grown in Ohio, especially under good fertility management. It has rapid regrowth, produces well under intensive cutting or grazing, and obtains more summer growth than most of the other cool-season grasses. Orchardgrass tolerates drought better than several other grasses. Orchardgrass is especially well suited for mixtures with tall legumes such as alfalfa and red clover; however, very early maturing varieties of orchardgrass are not well-suited for mixtures with these legumes. The rapid decline in palatability and quality with maturity is a limitation of this species.
Tall Fescue: Commonly considered a versatile and persistent perennial forage. In addition, fescue is used for erosion control, reclamation, and for turf. Tall fescue can tolerate somewhat poorly drained soils and low pH. It can grow and establish on medium fertility soils and is somewhat resistant to drought. Tall fescue is the most desirable grass to stockpile for late autumn and winter grazing. During the winter, higher yields of quality stockpiled fescue are obtained when compared with other species of cool season grasses. New varieties of endophyte free and low endophyte tall fescue have potential to increase animal performance during the summer grazing season as well as provide adequate forage quality for beef cattle and sheep during the autumn and early winter. It is also tolerant of heavy traffic.
Timothy: A hardy perennial bunch grass that grows best in cool and moist climates. It generally grows better in northern than in southern Ohio. It produces most of its annual yield in the first cutting. Summer regrowth is often limited because of intolerance to hot and dry conditions. Timothy is primarily used as hay and is especially popular for horses. Timothy is less competitive with legumes than most other cool season grasses and is adversely affected by frequent cutting, and by harvesting or grazing in the jointing stage (stem elongation phase).
Reed Canarygrass: A high-yielding perennial grass that is tolerant of a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. It can be used for hay, silage and pasture but has a reputation of poor palatability and low quality. This was because older varieties contained high levels of alkoloids, chemical compounds which reduced palatability. New varieties are available which have improved quality and palatability, and these can even be used for lactating dairy cows. Only these newer low-alkaloid varieties (eg. Palaton, Venture, Rival) are recommended if the crop is to be used for animal feed. Reed canarygrass is winter hardy, drought tolerant and resistant to leaf diseases. It is persistent, responds well to high fertility and tolerates spring flooding, low pH, and frequent cutting or grazing. It also forms a dense sod. Limitations of this grass include slow establishment and forage quality and palatability decline rapidly after heading.
Performance Results: Tables 15 -18
present yield and forage quality data for several grass varieties at three sites
in Ohio under hay cutting management. Dry weather (Table
2) severely limited forage growth and yield of grasses across Ohio in 1999.
The grass varieties tested are currently marketed in Ohio, or can be obtained
by ordering from sources outside of Ohio.