Forage and Animal Gains of Coastal Bermuda and Pensacola Bahia

Abstract

Similarly fertilized "Coastal" bermudagrass and "Pensacola" bahiagrass were clipped from May 18 until October 22, 1964, at monthly intervals, ground, pelleted, composited, and fed to beef steers. Forage production of bermudagrass was more uniform during the growing season than was that of the bahiagrass. Forage harvested earliest and latest in the season had a higher apparent dry matter digestibility, lower cell wall, acid detergent fiber, and acid detergent lignin content than that harvested in the middle of the season. The growth habit of bahiagrass does not suggest that it is a desirable hay plant. Animal performance showed that both forages produced slightly lower gains than did ground snapped corn. Only gains on bahiagrass were significantly lower, however. Plants such as bermudagrass and bahiagrass are probably more satisfactory forage plants when kept young by either mowing or grazing.