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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Morris, Minnesota » Soil Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #81388
Title: FORAGE DISTRIBUTION OF COOL-SEASON PASTURES AS AFFECTED BY LEGUMES AND GRAZING MANAGEMENT

Author
item CUOMO, G - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item JOHNSON, D - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item FORCELLA, FRANK
item LEMME, GARY - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item MARTIN, N - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Submitted to: American Forage and Grassland Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: It is widely accepted that legumes are beneficial in grass pastures. Legumes enhance the productivity of cool-season pastures during summer, provide nitrogen to grass/legume mixtures, and improve forage quality. However, persistence of legumes under grazing is often limited and is a primary reason why legumes are not as widely used in pastures as would be expected. An experimental pasture was planted in 1994 and grazed in 1995 and 1996 to evaluate the impact of pasture renovation and grazing management on forage mass production and distribution of cool-season pastures. Paddocks that were grazed to leave 2 to 4 in. of residue level produced less season total forage mass when compared to paddocks grazed to leave 4 to 6 or 6 to 8 in. of residue. When averaged over years and grazing management treatments, paddocks planted to legumes had greater forage mass production throughout the growing season and produced 46% more season total forage mass production than the control. Addition of legumes can be a valuable tool for increasing forage mass production in cool-season grass pastures.