DECEMBER 1961
Forage Production of Winter Annuals
Sod-Seeded on Dallisgrass-White Clover
C. S. HOVELAND, Associate Agronomist
L. A. SMITH, Supt., Black Belt Substation
H. W. GRIMES, Asst. Supt., Black Belt Substation
D ALLISGRASS-WHITE CLOVER pastures
are widespread throughout the Black
Belt area of central Alabama. These pas-
tures may be highly productive during
late spring, summer, and fall months but
contribute little or no forage in winter
and early spring. At other locations, sod-
seeding winter annuals on perennial
warm season grass sod has been success-
ful. These results suggested that this
method might be useful in extending the
grazing season and increasing total for-
age production on Dallisgrass-white clo-
ver sod in the Black Belt. Summarized
in this publication are results of sod-
seeding experiments at the Black Belt
Substation during a 3-year period, 1958-
60.
PROCEDURE
Oats, rye, wheat, ryegrass, rescuegrass,
Caley peas, and vetch were planted in
plots 6 x 30 feet on well established Dal-
lisgrass-white clover sod. Test plots were
arranged at random in a block design.
The experiment was repeated three times
to avoid differences resulting from soil
variation between plots. The plots were
on Sumter clay during 1958 and 1960
and on Vaiden clay during 1959. A grass-
land drill was used to open the sod and
the seed were planted by hand in rows
16 inches apart. A mower strip 38 inches
wide and 26 feet 10 inches long was
harvested for yield records.
Test crops were planted in October
and fertilized with 600 pounds per acre
of 0-14-14 and 40 pounds per acre of
nitrogen. An additional 40 pounds of N
was applied in February. Four clippings
were obtained during the spring period
in 1959 and three clippings each in 1958
and 1960.
RESULTS and DISCUSSION
Below normal rainfall during the fall
of 1957 caused poor stands of the winter
annuals. This resulted in extremely low
forage yields during the spring of 1958,
Table 1. Forage production was better
during 1959 and 1960 but yields were
below those usually obtained with these
species planted on a prepared seedbed.
Nevertheless, during these 2 years all
sod-seeded combinations were more pro-
ductive than the Dallis-white clover
AGRICULTUR
E. V. Smith, Director
AL EXPERIMENT STATION
AUBURN UNIVERSITY Auburn, Alabama
II
LEAFLET 66
TABLE 1. FORAGE YIELDS OF ANNUAL FORAGE SPECIES SEEDED ON DALLISGRASS-WHITE
CLOVER DURING A 8-YEAR PERIOD
Weed-free oven dry forage per acre
Species planted on sod
Average
as a per-
1958 1959 1960 centage
of Caley
peas'
Lb. Lb. Lb. Per cent
Check plot (Dallisgrass-white clover) 172 0 988 30
Caley peas 885 2,480 2,491 100
H airy vetch .......-.. . .. . .. . . .. . .. 1,042 118
Vetch-Abruzzi rye 1,989 225
Abruzzi rye -96 3,362 1,918 108
Coker 47-27 wheat -1,051 3,240 1,829 108
Victorgrain oats -995 2,695 2,278 104
Common ryegrass 127 2,455 56
Chapel H ill rescuegrass .......................... 180 20
Wheat-Caley peas 3,761 2,777 132
Rye-Caley peas .- 3,567 2,819 128
Oats-Caley peas .. 3,342 2,561 119
Based on years in which the species was compared to Caley peas.
alone. Stands of white clover in these
tests were not as good as desired. If ex-
cellent clover had been present, higher
yields would have been expected in late
spring from the grass-clover sod alone.
Small grains alone or in combination
with Caley peas were miore productive
than Caley peas alone in 1959, but the
following year Caley pears alone were as
productive as any other species. In gen-
eral, Caley peas alone gave nearly as
much total forage as other species com-
binations tested.
Early spring forage is often more im-
portant than total production. Since
Caley peas make the most growth in late
spring, it would be desirable to obtain
earlier production from other species. In
these experiments, small grains gave con-
siderably earlier production than Caley
peas in 1958 and 1960, Table 2. How-
ever, the total forage available from these
species in early spring of 1959 was low.
Low temperatures delayed spring growth
of all species in 1959 and there was lit-
tle difference between any of them. Lit-
tle or no forage was available from any
species before March and then only in
small quantities.
Weeds were a serious problem with
all species tested, Table 8. Little barley
and annual canarygrass were classified
as weeds, although they may furnish
some grazirg in early spring. As the for-
age plants matured, weeds followed until
they were replaced by Dallisgrass. Rye
matured early, resulting in heavy weed
growth during April; weeds were not a
problem in Caley peas until June.
All of the sod-seeded crops depressed
the growth of white clover. Caley peas
and ryegrass appeared to depress growth
more than the other crops. These results
TABLE 2. EARLY COOL SEASON FORAGE
PRODUCTION
Species planted
on sod
Check plot (Dallis-
grass-white clover)_
Caley peas ..
Hairy vetch
Vetch-rye
Abruzzi rye -----..........
Coker 47-27 wheat--
Victorgrain oats ....
Common ryegrass ..
Chapel Hill
rescuegrass --------------
Wheat-peas .......
Rye-peas
Oats-peas
Proportion of total
forage by early April
1958 1959 1960
Pct. Pct. Pct.
57
34
30
52
87
77
783
72
16
25
38 88
45
40
27
41
46
37
75
59
46
44
56
58
52
TABLE 3. BOTANICAL COMPOSITION 
OF FORAGE HARVESTED FROM 
SOD-SEEDING TESTS, 1960
Composition of harvested forage
Species planted
on sod
April 13 May 
13 June 29
Caley White Weeds Caley White Weeds Dallis- White Weeds
neas clover peas 
clover grass clover
Pct. Pct. Pct. Pct. 
Pct. Pct. Pct. Pct. 
Pct.
Check plot (Dallis-
grass-white clover) .. 
- 3 67 .
18 82 82 12 
6
Caley peas- 
87 7 6 85 7 
8 67 6 27
Coker 47-27 wheat ..... -- 
10 12 12 25 
83 12 5
Victorgrain oats -15 
15 10 82 81 
12 7
Rye-peas 
18 6 4 67 10 
8 66 7 27
Common ryegrass ... 
12 7 . 7 8 
50 3 47
Wheat-peas 23 
11 6 42 12 8 
64 8 28
Oats-peas 23 
13 7 45 10 7 
70 10 20
Abruzzi rye.. 
10 8 23 52 
83 13 4
indicate that it is not a
seed where a good stand
is present on Dallisgrass
Forage yields of Dalli,
clover were obtained d
mers of 1958 and 196C
cool season species plar
generally had no effect
grass-clover during the
TABLE 4. SUMMER PRODU
GRASS-WHITE CLOVER Foi
WINTER SPE
Species planted
on sod
Check plot (Dallis-
grass-white clover) ....
Caley peas ............
Vetch-rye h.............
H airy vetch ------------------------
Common ryegrass .......
Chapel Hill rescuegrass ._
Abruzzi rye ............
Coker 47-27 wheat ......
Victorgrain oats ........
R y e-p eas ----------------------------
W heat-peas .............
O ats-peas .............
dvisable to, sod-
of white clover
sgrass and white
months. However, in 1960 ryegrass de-
pressed the growth of 
Dallisgrass.
SUMMARY
luring the sum- Winter 
annual forage species were
, Table 4. The sod-seeded 
on Dallisgrass-white clover
nted on the sod each 
year during 1958-60. 
During these
on total yield of years 
there was an excellent 
stand of
summer and fall 
Dallisgrass with only 
moderate white
clover.
Total forage yields 
of small grains
TION ANN DALLS- were only 
slightly better than Caley
CING ANNUAL peas, but they gave considerably earlier
production in 
1958 and 1960. 
Results
Oven dry forage during this 3-year period indicate 
that
per acre sod-seeding on Dallisgrass-white clover
1958 1960 growing on Sumter or Vaiden clay 
is of
Lb. Lb. doubtful 
value where good stands 
of
white clover are present.
3,141 4,772 Where good 
stands and growth of
2,730 5,276 white clover are not being maintained
3,211 with Dallisgrass, sod-seeding with Caley
2,745
2,634 4,085 
peas offers an 
opportunity to 
increase
2,997 -- the total 
yield of forage and extend 
the
3,356 5,338 grazing season. A less desirable alterna-
2,977888 4,874 tive 
would be to seed small 
grains. Caley
8 5,104 peas offer the advantages of natural re-
4,905 seeding and furnishing 
nitrogen for the
4,885 Dallisgrass sod.
r