ABSTRACT
Summary A series of grazing experiments has been conducted 80 km east of Memphis, Tennessee, since 1969 on fine-silty, mixed, thermic, Typic Hapludalfs soils to evaluate productivity and quality of Cynodon pastures grown with N fertilizer or in combination with Festuca arundinacea and/or Ladino, Trifolium repens, and sometimes with T. pratense, for growing beef steers. Pastures were grazed by the put-and-take system, and forage growth and consumption were determined by the cage-and-strip method. These experiments have shown that bermudagrass pastures can support many young beef animals for 5 months/yr if they are fertilized with N, can produce rapid gains in spring if legumes are present, and can provide grazing for 9 to 10 months/yr if they are overseeded with fescue and/or legumes. Combinations of bermudagrass, fescue, and clovers can be maintained for several years and can result in satisfactory beef production of over 450 kg/ha/yr.
