Effect of Establishment Methods on Growth of Brachiaria brizantha (A.Rich. ) Stapf as Annual Summer Grass in a Temperate Zone

Abstract

Elucidation of characteristic of palisadegrass (Brachiaria brizantha (A. Rich. ) Stapf) was conducted in this study. Dry matter production and utilization in grazed pasture where palisadegrass was sown in spring in an Italian ryegrass standing crops using a no-till planter. We prepared a non-plowed reseeding treatment and a plowed treatment (control) with spacing of 25 m x 25 m with three replications. The germination rate, above ground biomass and vegetation were compared. Germination rates of the non-plowed reseeding treatment tend to be lower than those of the plowed treatment. These findings suggested that the seeding process in the non-plowed reseeding treatment was inhibited by the Italian ryegrass standing crop. The non-plowed reseeding treatment was inferior to the plowed treatment during initial growth. The sluggish growth of the non-plowed reseeding treatment was expected to result from competition with Italian ryegrass and weeds. The non-plowed reseeding treatment had less aboveground biomass of palisadegrass than the plowed treatment at 56 days after seeding (grazing start day). From 41 days after grazing, the non-plowed reseeding treatment came to have more aboveground biomass of palisadegrass than the plowed treatment. The non-plowed reseeding treatment came to have less trodden-down parts of the plant than the plowed treatment had. Additionally, result show that dry matter production decreased with the decline of the air temperature from mid-September.