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Since 1994, urban-absentee landowners have dominated rural landownership in Texas. This landownership change has created potential environmental problems associated with natural resource management. Few of the new landowners have any formal training in the basics of the soil-plant-animal interface. The solution may be to develop a vehicle that provides the new class of landowners with basic information regarding natural resource management. Faculty members from the Texas A&M University (TAMU) Agricultural Research and Extension Center-Overton (representing both Texas Cooperative Extension and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and having department affiliations with Soil and Crop Sciences, Animal Science, and Agricultural Economics) developed the Pasture and Livestock Management Workshop for Novices. The main goals in developing the program were to: (1) provide basic information regarding management of soil-plant-animal resources; and (2) introduce the workshop participants to the educational resources available to them through the land-grant university system. To determine effectiveness of the program, pretests and posttests were administered to the workshop participants. To date, pretest scores have averaged 63.8 (D average), whereas posttest scores have averaged 80.3 (B average). Exit surveys were also conducted to determine the attitude of the workshop participants regarding the overall quality of their experience. The popularity of the workshop is such that, since the inception of the first workshop (2001), subsequent workshops have been booked nearly 1 year in advance. Given the combination of learning environment, mix of classroom and field laboratory exercises, and nonthreatening scientific presentations, we have little doubt that the Pasture and Livestock Management Workshop will continue to be a popular program with urban-absentee landowners. (Contains 1 table.)

Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) is an important perennial forage grass for the southeastern United States, being well adapted to conditions such as sandy or poorly drained soils, drought, and heavy continuous grazing. Current bahiagrass cultivars germinate over an extended period of time and the slow emergence produces incomplete stands, allowing weeds to compete and delaying grazing or first cutting for hay. A recurrent restricted phenotypic selection (RRPS) program began in 1996 and continued for four cycles for improving the emergence and establishment rates within Tifton 9 bahiagrass ('Pensacola' type). The resulting cycle-4 (C4) rapid-emergence 'TifQuik' was then increased and tested for seedling emergence, vigor, and establishment. TifQuik had a fourfold improvement of emergence compared to Tifton 9 after 1 wk in greenhouse trials. Emergence rates after 1 and 2 wk were significantly greater for TifQuik compared to Tifton 9 in replicated field trials. Plant heights after 3 wk from planting were 0.12 m for TifQuik versus 0.08 m for Tifton 9. The first-harvest dry-matter yield of TifQuik was 3128 kg [ha.sup.-1] compared with 1539 kg [ha.sup.-1] for Tifton 9 and the total establishment year dry-matter yields were 9230 kg [ha.sup.-1] and 7466 kg [ha.sup.-1] for TifQuik and Tifton 9, respectively. TifQuik had greater first-clipping yields than Tifton 9 at Ona, FL, in 2005. The accelerated emergence and establishment of TifQuik will be useful in sod-based rotation systems with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.).

Attempts to establish lowland types of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) in the Lower South have frequently been unsuccessful. A greenhouse study was conducted to determine the influence of soil texture and moisture on `Alamo' switchgrass emergence and seedling growth. Soils used were a very fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, silt loam, and clay that were watered every 3 to 4, 7, 10 to 11, or 14 d. Emergence was recorded daily for the first 28 d and seedlings were harvested at 6 wk to determine survival and seedling traits. The study was initiated on 30 March 2001 and repeated on 29 May and 24 July. Run date caused significant (P ≤ 0.001) interactions for all measurements with soil series and watering interval because of increasing greenhouse temperatures with each succeeding run. Watering interval affected emergence only at the 24 July run with emergence decreasing as watering interval increased. However, watering interval of at least 7 d was necessary for greater than 90% seedling survival in all soils. Only the day soil consistently had good seedling survival (≥ 94%) at all watering intervals. Shoot stage and weight and root stage and weight decreased as watering interval increased. These seedling traits were usually higher in the loamy fine sand and very fine sandy loam if watered at least every 10 d. The trend for root/ shoot ratios was to increase as moisture became limiting because shoot weight decreased faster than root weight. Rainfall occurring at greater than 10 d intervals is one of the factors for unreliable switchgrass establishment on sandy soils in the Lower South., AS WITH MOST native warm-season perennial grasses, obtaining good stands of switchgrass is difficult because of small seed size, slow and erratic germination, and poor seedling vigor. Several studies have [...]

Understanding factors that affect flowering of crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) could improve management decisions to optimize utilization by improving season of use. The experiment was a split-plot randomized complete block design with three replications at College Station, TX, in the 1997-1998 and 1999-2000 growing seasons, and Overton, TX, in the 1998-1999 growing season. Main plot treatments of two crimson clover cultivars and subplot treatments of six planting dates (PDs) were used to evaluate the effect of date to reach 50% budding and 50% flowering based on day of year (DOY), days after planting (DAP), photothermal index (PTI), and growing degree days (GDD) under field conditions. Correlations with 50% bud and 50% flower were almost identical. `Columbus' planted in the autumn flowered an average of 49 d later than `Tibbee'. Date to reach 50% flowering was best correlated with DOY (r = 0.93 and 0.97) and DAP (r = 0.92 and 0.98) for Columbus and Tibbee. Date to reach flowering was not as highly correlated with PTI (r = 0.66 and 0.82) or GDD (r = 0.71 and 0.85) for Columbus and Tibbee, thus temperature could not be used to predict flowering. Planting after 21 December delayed flowering in Tibbee 2 to 9 wks, whereas, Columbus planted after 21 December did not flower. It is important to plant early in the growing season or to use later-maturing cultivars to maximize the length of the growing season and possible total production in grazed environments., CRIMSON CLOVER is one of the most important annual clovers for overseeding into perennial warm-season grass sods because of its excellent seedling vigor, early forage production, and early maturity. Studies [...]

Understanding factors that affect growth and development of crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) are important for the development of management practices to optimize forage utilization. In a 3-yr field experiment at College Station, TX, we evaluated the effects of planting date on rate of leaf appearance of an intermediate- and late-maturing crimson clover. We wanted to determine if growing degree days (GDD) or a photothermal index (PTI) could be used to predict growth. Leaf appearance rates (LAR) did not differ between `Tibbee' and `Columbus' crimson clover. Leaf appearance rate was primarily controlled by temperature or GDD, which accounted for 90 to 99% of the variability within each planting date. Photoperiod did not consistently influence the rate of leaf appearance under normal daylengths of 10 h 12 min to 14 h 6 min used in this study. Predictions of LAR were not improved when photoperiod was combined with temperature in a photothermal index than with predictions that used GDD alone. Leaf appearance rate of crimson clover was generally higher when planted in October, November, and December and lower when planted in September, February, and March., CRIMSON CLOVER is one of the most important clovers for overseeding into perennial warm-season grass sods because of its excellent seedling vigor, early forage production, and early maturity. There have [...]

Production costs could be reduced if annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) could be managed for reseeding. Spring grazing termination dates (GTD) of 31 March, 14 April, 28 April, and 12 May were evaluated on seven cultivars for two growing seasons to study spring seed production and volunteer reseeding the following autumn in northeast Texas. There were year x GTD x cultivar interactions for spike density, seed yield, seed weight per spike, and volunteer seedling density and a year x GTD interaction for 1000-seed weight. Moisture conditions were good during the 1994-1995 growing season followed by a dry summer. Spike density was high (1256 ± 59 spikes [m.sup.-2]), seed yields were low (48.7 ± 3.2 g [m.sup.-2]), but seed weight was high with a 1000-seed weight of 3.12 ± 0.03 mg. All cultivars exceeded the 500 seedlings [m.sup.-2] target in 1995 when grazed through 28 April. In the 1996-1997 growing season, May was very dry followed by high June rainfall. Spike density was lower but seed yields were higher than in 1995. However, 1000-seed weight was only 1.37 mg. Only `Surrey' exceeded 500 seedlings [m.sup.-2] through 28 April GTD, `TAM 90' through 14 April GTD, and `Rio', `Gulf', and `Jackson' at only one of the two early GTDs. The superior reseeding ability of Surrey is probably due to its selection for a high level of high temperature dormancy. In normal rainfall years in the southeastern USA, most cultivars of annual ryegrass can be grazed until late April and still produce satisfactory volunteer stands the following autumn., AN ESTIMATED 1.1 million ha of annual ryegrass are planted each year in the southeastern USA (Evers, 1995). Its primary use is to provide forage with high nutritive value during [...]

Slow germination of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon [L.] Pers.) seed causes difficulty in stand establishment because of weed competition and drought. Temperature has a major influence on germination rate and total germination. Hulled and unhulled common bermudagrass seed were placed in a germinator for 28 days at night (12 hr)/day (12 hr) temperatures of 5/15, 10/20, 15/25, 20/30, 25/35, and 30/40°C. Germinated seed were recorded every two days. The best germination of hulled seed was at 20/30°C followed by 25/35°C and 15/25°C temperature treatments. Optimum germination of unhulled seed was more specific with the most rapid and total germination at 25/35°C. Temperature treatments lower than 15/25°C severely reduced germination rate and total germination of both hulled and unhulled seed. In the southeastern US, hulled bermudagrass seed should be planted from mid-April through June and unhulled seed from mid-May through June. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]