Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)
Characteristics
- Yield based on 2 harvests/season
- Seeds/pound: 389,000
- Seeding rate: 5-8 lbs pure live seed/acre
- Seeding date: early spring, late summer before August 15
- Warm-season grass with most of growth in mid-summer
- Unacceptable forage quality for ruminants in NYS
- Good potential as biomass crop for energy or wood pulp substitute
- Useful for soil protection purposes and wildlife cover
Advantages
- better suited to poorly-drained soils than big bluestem
- tolerates low pH and fertility
- high yield potential
Concerns
- unacceptably low forage quality
- loses forage quality rapidly
- slow to establish
- must be grown in separate pastures
More information
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