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Cultivar Tifton 85 bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is often propagated using stolons, but the planting rate required for successful establishment varies under different soil conditions and on‐farm irrigation management. In the sandy soils of the U.S. Gulf Coast, desiccation of planting material can occur rapidly even under irrigated conditions due to variable on‐farm irrigation management, and few studies have evaluated stolon planting rate effects under these conditions. The objective was to assess the effect of stolon planting densities on establishment of Tifton 85. Treatments in this 2‐yr field study were five planting rates including 1120, 1570, 2020, 2470, and 2920 kg ha−1 arranged in four replicates of a randomized complete block design. Increasing planting rates increased bermudagrass frequency, ground cover, and dry matter harvested and decreased weed cover. All treatments had >80% bermudagrass frequency of occurrence and ground cover 3 mo after planting in 2011, but the three greatest planting rates achieved 80% frequency at 40 days after planting (DAP) compared with 68 DAP for the other treatments. In 2012, no treatment reached 80% frequency or ground cover until 118 DAP. The lowest stolon‐planting rate had 38% weed cover in April the year following planting compared with <15% for the three greatest planting rates. Independent of the year, the three highest rates presented greater cumulative herbage harvested than the lowest densities. These data suggest that planting rates of 2000 kg ha−1 or greater will likely be required to achieve rapid and successful Tifton 85 establishment in sandy soil environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Tifton 85' bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt Davy] is a highly productive warm-season grass, but it must be planted vegetatively using aboveground stems (stolons) or rhizomes. Use of stolons vs. rhizomes provides advantages of reduced cost, greater shoot production, and more planted area per hectare of nursery. However, establishment failures have been reported by producers under challenging environmental conditions common to the Coastal Plain region of the southeastern United States. Thus, strategies for harvesting and planting stolons need to be evaluated further. The objective was to assess the effect of stolon type (length and stolon position) and degree of stolon burial by soil (total or partial) at planting on Tifton 85 bermudagrass establishment. Partial burial of stolons at planting accelerated emergence and increased bermudagrass percentage cover and dry matter harvested at season end. Total burial resulted in only half as many shoots (3.5 vs. 7.8 m-2) as partial burial in 2011; total burial resulted in no emergence in 2012. Partial burial led to as much as 90% bermudagrass soil cover, while total burial provided 66 and 0% in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Also, partially buried stolons yielded 1000 kg ha-1 of forage more than totally buried in both years. This finding suggests the planting equipment should be set to achieve shallow planting, ensuring that some parts of the stolons remain uncovered. Stolon type is not as critical as the degree of soil cover on the stolons, which need to remain only partially but not totally buried. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tifton 85' bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is an important forage in the southern United States, but its responses to the interaction of grazing frequency and intensity have not been studied. Sward persistence, herbage accumulation, and nutritive value were measured during 3 yr. Treatments were all combinations of three post- graze stubble heights (SH; 8, 16, and 24 cm) and three regrowth intervals (RI; 14, 21, and 28 d). Short SH (8 cm) with long RI (28 d) or tall SH (24 cm) with short RI (14 d) produced greatest herbage accumulation (11-15 Mg ha-1 yr-1). Lowest or nearly lowest herbage accumulation occurred with 14-d RI and 8-cm SH or 28-d RI with 24-cm SH (7.4-12 Mg ha-1 yr-1). Intermediate levels of RI (21 d) or SH (16 cm) produced consistent herbage accumulation regardless of level of the other factor. Nutritive value was primarily affected by RI, and P (3.1 to 2.8 g kg-1), crude protein (CP; 150 to 108 g kg-1), and in vitro digestible organic matter (IVDOM; 602 to 582 g kg-1) concentrations decreased as RI increased. Organic matter and nutrient mass of storage organs increased with increasing SH, but the 24-cm SH treatment exhibited greater reduction in percentage cover (-.43% units) than the other SH treatments (-.22% units) after 3 yr of grazing. These data indicate that intermediate levels of SH (16 cm) and RI (21 d) provided relatively high Tifton 85 herbage accumulation and nutritive value while minimizing negative impacts on persistence-related responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]