Results

1. PASTURE RENOVATION EFFECTS ON JIGGS BERMUDAGRASS PRODUCTION Robert A. Lane, Ph.D.Sam Houston State University • Interest in renovation of bermudagrass (Cynodondactylon) pastures is common following serious drought conditions. The drought of 2011 was one of historical proportions throughout Texas, causing extensive forage and livestock losses. It appears that when forage production experiences a steep decline due to lack of precipitation, producers turn their attention to production practices that might allow them to trap and store as much soil moisture as possible. Many assume compaction and reduced water storage are primary causes for losses in production. Local producers have indicated that hay yields were increased substantially in 10-20 year-old Jiggsbermudagrass pastures following renovation with either chisel plowing or disking, presumably due to improved water infiltration and root penetration. • To determine if pasture renovation via disking or chisel plowing will improve the dry matter yield of 15 year-old or one year-old paddocks of Jiggsbermudagrass. • Study was completed at Sam Houston State University’s Gibbs Ranch, Huntsville, Texas, during the summer of 2012. • Adjacent one and 15 year-old paddocks of Jiggsbermudagrass, each approximately 4.5 acres, were selected for treatment. • Two 1000 ft strips (two replicates per treatment) in each paddock were subjected to renovation on July 6, 2012 by disking (6 ft Frontier heavy duty tandem disk with notched blades set for relatively low sod disturbance) and chisel plowing (Hay King, penetrating 8-11 inches deep with a chisel spacing of 14 inches). • The soil is a Falba fine sandy loam, classified as a claypan soil. While the underlying massive clay of Falba soils ranges from 7 to 13 inches from the surface, the chisels did not contact an underlying clay layer at this site. • Plots measuring 40 sq ft from each treatment were harvested on July 23 and October 12, 2012 for determination of dry matter production. Introduction Results Table 1. Mean dry matter yields of Jiggsbermudagrass following renovation treatment, Huntsville, Texas, 2012. • The analysis of variance for dry matter production on July 23 showed no significant differences for either renovation treatment or paddock (Table 1). • There were also no significant differences among renovation treatments for the October harvest, however, the ANOVA for dry matter production on that date did indicate a paddock effect. • All treatments in the 15 year-old paddock outyielded those in the newer (1 year-old) paddock by an average of 687 lb dry matter per acre (figure 1). Conclusions Previous research indicates that renovation of bermudagrass pastures is of little agronomic or economic value (Hoveland, 2000; Self-Davis et al., 1996; and Wynne and Hancock, 2009). The results of this study also indicate that bermudagrass pasture renovation under conditions similar to those seen in this study is neither beneficial to new or well established pastures nor economically practical. Objective Methods References Hoveland, Carl. 2000. Does Aeration of Pastures and Hayfields Pay? “The Georgia Cattleman,” February, 2000. Self-Davis, M.L., M.S. Miller, R.L. Raper, and D.W. Reeves. 1996. Pasture Soil and Vegetation Response to Renovation Tillage, in Proceedings: “New Technology and Conservation Tillage,” 19th Annual Southern Conservation Tillage Conference for Sustainable Agriculture. Wynne, T. and D. Hancock. 2009. Does Aerating or Renovating Hay and Pasture Fields Pay? Forages FAQs. Retrieved 10-15-12. Fromhttp://www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fieldcrops/forages/questions/aerate.html Figure 1. Mean dry matter yields of Jiggsbermudagrass following renovation treatment as affected by age of paddock, Huntsville, Texas, 2012. Bars marked with different letters are significantly different at the .05 level of probability.