Response of blue panicgrass, panicum antidotale retz., to frequency of clipping and fertilization

Abstract

A study was conducted on the Texas A & M Plantation near College Station, Texas, from April 1966 to October 1966, to evaluate the response of blue panicgrass, Panicum antidotale Retz., to frequency of clipping and nitrogen fertilizer. Plants were subjected to 3 frequencies of clipping (3, 6, and 9 weeks) and 4 levels of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 50, 150, and 250 pounds per acre of nitrogen as ammonium sulfate) in all combinations. Largest production of forage was experienced with a 9-week, frequency of clipping and 150 pounds of nitrogen fertilizer, but protein content was lower with the 9-week frequency. The change in yield with fertilization was. not as great as expected in a plant which is believed to require heavy fertilization. Small effects of nitrogen on production of herbage were obtained with frequent harvest; whereas, with mild and late harvests, the higher levels of nitrogen doubled production.