Issue Date
1993-01-01Keywords
Onobrychis viciifolialeucaena refusa
engelmannia pinnatifida
Leucaena
Asteraceae
Trifolium subterraneum
Medicago sativa
Desmanthus illinoensis
browse plants
protein content
Desmanthus
Atriplex canescens
crude protein
biomass production
Odocoileus
Texas
wildlife management
prairies
rangelands
nutritive value
forage
chemical constituents of plants
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Schweitzer, S. H., Bryant, F. C., & Wester, D. B. (1993). Potential forage species for deer in the southern mixed prairie. Journal of Range Management, 46(1), 70-75.Publisher
Society for Range ManagementJournal
Journal of Range ManagementDOI
10.2307/4002450Additional Links
https://rangelands.org/Abstract
Improving wildlife habitat through the introduction of nutritious forage species is a management tool that may be used to increase target populations such as deer. By increasing deer numbers the potential of leasing hunting rights on private land is improved. Our objectives were to evaluate and compare establishment and production of 2 browse species and to determine the production and nutritional quality among 6 forb species in range-land conditions. Browse species were littleleaf lead-tree (Leucaena retusa Gray) and four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens (Pursh) Nutt.). Forb species were 'Cody' alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), 'Renumex' sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.), 'Howard' subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.), 'Nungarin' subterranean (T. subterraneum L.), 'Eldorado' Englemann daisy (Engelmannia pinnatifida Nutt.), 'Sabine' Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis (Michx.) MacM.), and 'Plateau' awnless bush sunflower (Simsia calva (Engelm. & Gray) Gray). Establishment for littleleaf lead-tree was 21%. Successful four-wing saltbush plants produced a greater volume (m3) of plant material than littleleaf lead-tree. Littleleaf lead-tree leaf material contained crude protein (CP) values from 11.6 to 16.9%. Of the cool-season forbs, alfalfa, and sainfoin produced the most above-ground phytomass at 23.6 and 22.6 g/m of planted row, respectively. The subclovers produced intermediate amounts of phytomass while Engelmann daisy produced negligible amounts at phytomass of 4.2 g/m of planted row. Warm-season forages, awnless bush sunflower, and Illinois bundleflower produced an average of 115.1 and 120.2 g/m of planted row, respectively. Seasonal CP means were greatest for alfalfa (16.5%) and awnless bush sunflower (16.1%). Our results suggest that littleleaf lead-tree, awnless bush sunflower, and Illinois bundleflower would supply adequate supplemental forage from summer to fall; subterranean clovers, alfalfa, and sainfoin would provide forage from winter through spring. Four-wing saltbush could provide forage year-round.Type
textArticle
Language
enISSN
0022-409Xae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.2307/4002450