Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1972

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Plant Science

Abstract

Intermediate wheatgrass Agropyron intermedium (Host) Beauv. is a cool season, sod farming rhizomatous and/or stoloiferous grass, best adapted to upland silt or silty clay loam soils. Intermediate wheatgrass has a fast rat9 of root spread by rhizomes and sometimes stolon’s with late summer (July 15 August 30) seed maturity. The major area of distribution of intermediate wheatgrass in the United States is central North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Idaho and Washington, with a minor distribution area east to Minnesota and west to Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming. A growing interest in reseeding the Great Plains, both to improve the rangeland and to convert some cropland to grassland, has increased the demand for grass seed. Intermediate wheatgrass has increased the livestock carrying capacity of the western rangeland in the areas where it is grown with a highly digestible, palatable feed. Skills required to produce high yields of grass seed are much the same as those needed to produce high yields of other farm crops. Seed production fields need to be carefully selected. Cultivation, fertilization, and harvesting must be timely and intelligently carried out. Special skills are necessary in selecting a proper seedbed, planting date and rate, planting machinery, and land free of quack grass. The objectives of this research were to determine the effect· of certain cultural practices and nitrogen fertilizer treatments on the seed yield of intermediate wheatgrass in South Dakota. The experimental hypothesis set up for this experiment was that added nitrogen and selected cultural practices have no significant effect on the seed yield of intermediate wheatgrass.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Seed industry and trade
Crested wheatgrass

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

57

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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