Old World Bluestem Seedings in Western Oklahoma

Old World Bluestem Seedlings in Western Oklahoma

Item Type text; Article

Authors McCoy, Scott D.; Mosley, Jeffrey C.; Engle, David M.

Citation McCoy, S. D., Mosley, J. C., & Engle, D. M. (1992). Old World bluestem seedlings in western Oklahoma. Rangelands, 14(1), 41-44.

Publisher Society for Range Management

Journal Rangelands

Download date 27/09/2021 04:19:23

Item License http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Version Final published version

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/638839 RANGELANDS14(1), February 1992 41

When we do this, ourplans for the future, based on broad Literature Cited can indeed meet needs when consensus, everyone's Leritz, L. 1987. No-Fault Negotiating. Pacific Press. Portland, Ore. these plans are founded on a healthy resource. 293 p. Society for Range Management.1989. Assessment of rangeland condition and trend of the United States. Public Affairs Commit- tee, Soc. for Range Manage. Denver,Cob. 12 p.

Old World Bluestem Seedings in Western Oklahoma

Scott D. McCoy, Jeffrey C. Mosley, and David M. Engie

OldWorld bluestems (Bothriochloaspp.)are an assem- (Dewald et al. 1985). WW-Spar is noted for producing blageof warm-season perennial bunchgrasses first intro- vigorous seedlings. Ganada bluestem (Bothriochloa is- duced into the United States in 1917 from Europe and chaemum var. ischaemum) originatedin Turkey and was Asia. These grasses are commonly seeded throughout introduced into the Great Plains in 1979 (Dewald et al. much ofthe southern Great Plains forstabilizing marginal 1985). Ganada is noted for its cold tolerance.WW-lron croplandand for increasingforage production on deteri- Master(Bothriochloa ischaemum var. ischaemum), aCu I- orated rangelands. Old World bluestem seedings can tivar tolerant of iron-deficient soils, was released by the produce four times the forage of well-managed native SPRRS in 1987 (Dewald et al. 1988). rangeland (Coyne and Bradford 1985). Consequently, Old World bluestems are an ideal choicefor seeded pastures used to complement native rangeland in an inte- grated forage-livestockproduction system (Sims and Dewald 1982). Forthe past 30 years, researchers at the USDA's South- ern Plains Range Research Station (SPRRS) at Wood- ward, Oklahoma have been studying these grasses and developingcultivars suited to the southern Great Plains To date, the five most commonlyseeded Old World bluestem cultivars are Caucasian, Plains, Ganada, WW-Spar, and WW-lron Master. Two experimental cultivars not yet available commercially, WW-51 7and WW-857,also appear usefulfor the future (DahI etal. 1988,Masters and Britton 1988). Caucasian bluestem (Bothriochloa caucasica) was introduced into the United States from the SovietUnion (Dal- rymple et al. 1984) and was one of the first Old World bluestems to be introducedinto the United States. Plains bluestem (Bothriochloaischaemum var. ischaemum) was developedat the SPRRS and released in 1982 (Taliaferro Fig. 1. Non-irrigated Old World bluestemseedlings can yield5,000 and Harlan 1973). It is a blend of 30 morphologically to8,000 lbs/acre. Productionmay be improved significantly where similar Old World bluestem accessions collected from irrigation is feasible. Afghanistan, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey,and the Soviet The development and release of these well-adapted Union (Dalrymple1978). One of these 30 original acces- cultivarsenabled many farmers and ranchers acrossthe sions was isolated and released by the SPRRS as WW- southern Great Plains to establish Old World bluestem Spar (Bothriochloaischaemum var. ischaemum) in 1982 seedings. USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) also helped proliferate Old World bluestem seedings Authors are research assistant and assistant professor, Department of the But the uncertainfuture of RangeResources, Universityof Idaho,Moscow 83843; andprofessor. Depart- throughout region. given ment ofAgronomy, OklahomaState University, Stillwater 74078. The authors CRPseedings and the ever-changing crop and livestock acknowledgethe suggestions of w. McMurphyon the surveyquestionnaire. This article is Contribution 592from the Universityof Idaho Forest, Wildlife markets, many farmersand ranchersare trying to assess and Range ExperimentStation. thefuture, long-termrole of OldWorld bluestem seedings 42 RANGELANDS14(1), February1992 in their agricultural enterprises. Thorough assessments achieved from preparatory cropping (DahI et al. 1988). will require information on grass establishment, forage Preparatory crops were used by 74% of the survey production, and management strategies. We believethat respondents. Preparatory crops used were either wheat, a valuable source of this needed information is other sorghum, or wheat-sorghum combinations; wheat was ranchers, so we surveyed 50western Oklahomaranchers preferred. One problem reportedwith sorghum was that seekingtheir knowledge and experienceconcerning Old its tall growth habit created too much shade, which World bluestem seedings. We hopethatthe results of this impeded the growth of bluestem seedlings. The thick survey will providepractical insightsinto some sucessful sorghum stubble also made it difficult to drill through, and some not-so-successfulstrategies for managing Old and volunteersorghum sometimes persisted for several World bluestems. years. Survey of Ranchers Managing ForageProduction and Management Old World Bluestem SeedIngs Old World bluestems respond well tofertilizers. So well, Survey Response in fact, that fertilizing Plains bluestem with 60 lbs N per acre can almost double its annual In Februaryof 1990,a 26-question survey was sent to50 forage production ranchers who managed Old World bluestem seedings in (Sims and Dewald 1982). Old World bluestems' respon- 12 westernOklahoma counties. The list of ranchers was siveness to fertilizerwas well-appeciated by the ranchers in our as 90% of them fertilized their in compiledfrom county agricultural extension agents, Soil survey, seedings 1989.The of fertilizer used varied but most ConservationService personnel, and an Old World blue- type widely, stem seed dealer. Even without afollow-up questionnaire respondents applied a nitrogen fertilizer alone. The re- mainderof also in we received 31(62%) usable responses. The survey ques- respondents applied phosphorus and, tions asked ranchers about their Old World bluestem afew cases, potassium. One potentialproblem with fertilizer is that stem size and the numberand management practices, including seeding, fertilization, application plant of inflorescencesincreases with fertil- irrigation and livestockgrazing. weight increasing izer rates (Sims and Dewald 1982). These changes in BackgroundInformatIon structure can reducea plant's to Most of the established their first plant acceptability graz- respondents (77%) ing animals (Dalrymple 1978).Prescribed burningor rota- Old World bluestem seedings during the 1980's, although tional be needed to one rancher's first to Before grazing may improvepalatability by seeding dated back 1952. reducingold dead and persistent stems. seedingthe Old World bluestems, all ofthe land included in thesurvey was dedicated previously to growingwheat, sorghum, or cotton. One ranchercommented that some of his OldWorld bluestem was planted on his less productive land and on those areas that were more difficult to farm. Old World bluestems appearto be a viable alterna- tive crop for these sites. Most ofthe seedings (92% of the total 7,366acres) were eitherthe Plains or WW-Spar cultivars,with few seedings reported of Caucasian, Ganada, or WW-lron Master. These resultswere not unexpected, giventhat both Plains and WW-Spar were developed nearbyat the SPARS and these cuItivars are well-adaptedacross mostof thesurvey area. GrassEstablishment Old World blustems are generally considered to be establish on wide soils Fig. 2.Many cattle ranchersin westernOklahoma manage their Old relatively easyto a varietyof (Sims World bluestems with short duration and In 94%of grazing programs. High 1988), oursurvey respondents agreed. fact, stockdensities help preventthese grasses from becomingcoarse respondents successfully established Old World blue- andunpalatable. tems their first and two during attempt, only respondents Split applicationswith lesser amountsof fertilizer do (6%) needed to reseed entire fields. Two other respond- not to increase with ents that their fields appear forageyield compared single reported some portions of required applications (Berg 1990), and only 32% of the respond- The rate ofsuccessful establishment reseeding. high may ents who used fertilizer applied it in split applications. have been a result of the use of stubble mulch cover and 4 were the This March 10 June average dates for the first crops. technique involves planting a residue- and second applications,respectively, with about64 lbsN producing crop during the growing season immediately acre with each These rates cor- before the Old and then seed- applied per application. seeding World bluestems, respond well with general recommendations made by ing the perennial grass into the crop residue without Altom For those fields further seedbed weed con- (1978). receivingsingle applica- preparation. Erosion control, tions, application dates ranged from Januaryto August and reduced are benefits trol, evaporation potential and rates ranged from 30 to 220 lbs N per acre, averaging RANGELANDS 14(1), February1992 43

80 lbs N per acre. We believethat applicationsas early as et al. 1987, 1988) and emphasize the need for intensive Januaryor February and as late as August are probably grazing management of these grasses. Large pastures less effective than applications in April, immediately grazed at low stock densities for long grazing periods before plant growth resumes. Earlyand late applications cannot maintain Old World bluestems in a palatable and may stimulate cool-season plants and improve their nutritious form. competitiveness with the warm-season Old World bluestems. Summary and Recommendations About one-thirdof the seeded acreage (34%) was baled Old World bluestems are valuable introduced grasses for hay in 1989. Twenty-seven percent of the hayed in the southern Great Plains. These grasses enable acreage yielded two cuttings, and none of the hayed ranchers to increase livestockcarrying capacity, provide acreage produced morethan two cuttings. Average har- grazing defermentfor native rangelands, and provide for- vest dates were July 1 and August 26 for the first and age reserves for drought periods. For best results, Old secondcuttings, respectively. Accordingto ourrespond- World bluestems should be managed intensively. Fertili- ents, hay productionaveraged 2,500 lbs/acre, and ranged zation and periodic burning or mowing will help keep from 1,500to 10,400lbs/acre. One ofthe two respondents seeded stands vigorousand productive.Production can who reported 10,000 lbs/acre or moreof hay harvested, be improveddramatically where irrigation is feasibleand used split applicationsof fertilizerat 32 and 48 lbs N/acre. economical. Old World bluestems can be harvested for The other respondent reportinghay productionof 10,000 hay, but palatability and nutritive contentdecline rapidly lbs/acre or more, fertilized with 50 lbs N/acre in both with advancing plant maturity. Properly managed rota- March and June and irrigated, too. Actual production tional grazing programs designed with small pastures values could vary significantly from these estimates, but and high stock densitieswill provideexcellent livestock hay production estimates from our respondents appear gains per acre. reasonable. For comparison, quantitativemeasurements When asked whether Old World bluestems had met of non-irrigated,well-fertilized Old World bluestems have their expectations, 30 of the 31 ranchers repliedfavora- revealed that single cuttings can yield from5,000 to 8,000 bly. It appears that OldWorld bluestems are truly a useful lbs dry matter per acre (Dalrymple et al. 1984). tool for ranchers in western Oklahoma. Of course, any Forty-six percentof the ranchers used prescribedfire tool is onlyas good as the craftsmanusing it. Our survey to help manage their seedings, while about one-third demonstrates clearly that ranchersin western Oklahoma (29%) used irrigation.The amountof water appliedbythe are indeed managing Old World bluestem seedings in irrigators varied greatly,from 1.5 inches upto 22 inches! very successful ways. year. The averagewas 7.4 inches/year. However, because 1989was a high rainfall year, theamount of waterapplied Literature Cited would be expected to increase in most other years. One Altom, W. 1978. Management of summergrasses: fertilization, rota- respondent stated that the annual production from his tion, and hay production, p. 48-69. In: Managementof Warm Season Grassesfor Utilization with Beef Cattle C.A. irrigated field is consistentlydouble the hay production (ed. Griffith), from his Noble Foundation,Ardmore, Okia. dryland seeding. Berg,WA. 1990. Old World bluestemresponses to nitrogen fertilization. J. 43:265-270. Cattle GrazingStrategies Range Manage. Booysen,P. deV., and N.M. Talnton. 1978. Grasslandmanagement: Most respondents (94%) grazed their seedings with principles and practice in South Africa. Proc. Int. Rangel.Congr. livestock. Beefcattle were the onlykind of livestock used 1:551-554. and included both cows and stockers. A short duration Coyne, P.1., andJ.A. Bradford. 1985. Somegrowth characteristicsof wasused 13of the29 four Old World bluestems. J. Range Manage. 38:27—33. grazing (SDG) program by graziers. Dabe, SM., C.M. Tallaferro, S.W. Coleman, F.P. Horn, and P.L. This is a surprisingly large proportion of respondents Claypool. 1987. Yield and digestibility of Old World bluestem giventhe large managerial inputsrequired by SDG. None- grassesas affected by cultivar, plant part, and maturity. J. Range theless, ranchers realize that the Manage. 40:10-15. many apparently high C.M. S.W. F.P. and P.L. utilization form SDG and Tainton Dabo, S.M., Tallaferro, Coleman, Horn, grazing of (Booysen Claypool. 1988. Chemical composition of Old World bluestem 1978) is well-suited to management of Old World blue- grasses as affected by cultivar and maturity. J. Range Manage. stems and similar improved forage species (Dahi and 41:40-48. Cotter DahI,B.E., and P.F. Cotter. 1984. Managementof weeping lovegrass 1984). in west Texas.Texas Tech Univ., Dep. of Range and WildI. Man- Sixty-three percent of the respondents used their Old age.. Manage. Note 5. World bluestem seedings as complementary forage to Dahi, BE., P.F. Cotter, D.B. Wester,and C.M. Brltton. 1988. Range allow grazing deferment of their native rangeland pas- plant establishmentin the southernplains region,p.42—46. In:J.E. Mitchell (ed.) Impactsof the ConservationReserve Programin the tures. We believe that this is one of the greatest values of Great Plains, USDA For. Serv. Rocky Mtn. For. and Range Exp. Old World bluestems. Sta. Gen. Tech. Rep.RM-158. Two of the most commongrazing management prob- DahI, B.E., H.D. Keesee, and J.S. Puts. 1988. Old World bluestems lemscited the rancherswere that for west Texas.Texas Tech Univ., Noxious Brush and Weed Con- by (1) foragepalatabil- trol Research Highlights 19:21-22. ity wassometimes poor,and (2) that foragenutrient qual- Dalrymple,R.L. 1978. Kleingrass,Old World bluestems, and weep- ity was sometimes less than livestock required. These ing lovegrassfor quality summer forages, p. 76-90. In: Manage- Utilization with BeefCattle problemshave also been documentedby research (Dabo mentof Warm SeasonGrasses for (ed. C.A. Griffith), Noble Foundation,Ardmore, OkIa. 44 RANGELANDS 14(1), February1992

Dairympie, R.L., J. Rogers, and L. Timberiake. 1984. Old World Masters, R.A., and C.M. Brltton. 1988. Response of WW517 Old bluestemcomparison. Noble FoundationRep. AB-84. World bluestemto fertilization, watering, and clipping. Texas J. Dewald, C.L., W.A. Berg, and K. Khaieeiuddln. 1985. Old World Agr. and Natural Resources 2:48-53. bluestemcultivar selection for Oklahoma, p. 24—33. In: Proc. Old Sims, P.L. 1988. The role of Old World bluestems, p. 1-4. In: Proc. World Bluestems in the Southern Great Plains (ed. D. Rollins), Old World Bluestem Conf. (ed. D. Webb), Okla. Coop. Ext. Ser. Okia. Coop. Ext. Ser.,OkIa. State Univ., Stillwater. Circ. E-901. Dewaid, C.L.,P.L. Sims, W.A. Berg, and L.M. White. 1988. Registra- Sims, P.L., and C.L. Dewaid. 1982. Old world bluestemsand their tion of 'WW-lron Master' Old World bluestem. Crop Science forage potential for the southern Great Plains.A review of early 28:189. studies. USDA-ARS, Southern Regional Office, New Orleans, ARM-S-28. Taliaferro, C.M., and J.R. Harlan.1973. Registrationof Plains bluestem. Crop Science13:580.

Economic Multipliers

Martin K. Beutler

economicsis often called upon to determinethe value effect represents what happens to me money receuveu of a given use of rangeland and, more particularly, of from the sale of the steer. Receipts from the sale of the public lands. For example, livestock grazing permittees steer go to: (1) pay for inputs used to produce the steer may cite the valueof livestockproduced on public lands, and (2) provide incometo the rancher. while timber interests value the lumber harvested and Many of the inputs used in the production of the steer environmental groups assign valueto recreational visitor werepurchased from various businesseswithin the region. days. An economic analysis may then be employed to Money spenton these inputsis consideredgross receipts determine not only the initial impact of the goods or by those businesses which supplied them. These busi- services provided, but also to value anyadditional impacts nesses usethe moneythey receive to pay for inputs pur- that may arise to a region or local community. chased from other businesses and to provide income The total impact of a dollar produced or spent in a communityis often measured through the use of a 'multiplier." Multipliers are commonlyused in economicstu- dies which to show how one business attempt important ______ECONOMIC IMPACT or industry isto agiven geographicregion or community. 6O $i.OO+.40+.1 6+06+02+0141.65 Much confusionexists, however, overthe properusage of Leakage ______multipliers and how they fit in an economic analysis. I i i Multiplier 1.65 Multipliers are numbers which measurethemagnitude of o-I I . Turnover 6 the direct and indirect effects that a given amount of El___ productionor expenditurehas on aregion or community. 24f : I There are many different kinds of multipliers.The most — sioo Leakage commonlyused are for total output, income, and employ- I ment. There are also two types of effects, direct and indirect. A direct effect is to the initial of the equivalent impact I original production or expenditure. For example, the 1 Leakage 16 direct effect of $1.00 spent on some good or service in a ______4 1 community is 1. Indirect effects measure the additional Leakage effects the original purchasemay have as that expendi- L Turnovers 2f (6) ture"turns-over" within the regionor community. Indirect (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) l effects I4.uirec k may range from 0 to 2 or Indirect Effects higher. Effect For example, let us assume that we want to know the total on a of the This example assumes 40% of the money spent in a community impact community money received from remains in the region while 60% leaks out. the sale of a feedersteer. The direct effect represents the Thus, a dollar spent in the community turns—over 6 times while money received from the sale of the steer. The indirect the multiplier is only 1.65.

Martin K. Beutler is an assistant professor/extensionranch economist, 1. of a South Dakota StateUniversity, West RiverAgricultural Research &Extension Figure Example Multiplier. Center,Rapid City, SD 57701.