G74-171 Summer Annual Forage Grasses (Revised January 1986)

Authors

Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Paul Guyer, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Date of this Version

1974

Document Type

Article

Comments

© 1974, The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska on behalf of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension. All rights reserved.

Abstract

This NebGuide discusses production practices, methods of use, and precautions for using summer annual grasses.

Summer annual grasses are used for summer pasture, green chop, hay, silage, and winter pasture. They are often used as sources of emergency forage. In addition, residues of summer annuals make an excellent seedbed mulch for new stands of perennial grass, particularly on sands.

The summer annual grasses most often used for forage in Nebraska are sudangrass, hybrid sudangrass, sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, and forage sorghums. Foxtail millet and pearl millet are used occasionally. Each of these grasses has unique growth characteristics that require proper management for optimum production.