Offered Papers Theme A: Efficient Production from Grassland
Description
Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) is a perennial C4 grass native to the North American tallgrass prairie (Weaver, 1954). It provides productive, high quality forage during late spring and summer in the Great Plains, USA (Mitchell et al., 1994). Increasing forage yield and digestibility can increase livestock performance and grassland profitability (Casler & Vogel, 1999). This study aimed to compare the economic value of 2 big bluestem strains developed by 3 generations of breeding for increased forage yield and digestibility with the base populations from which they were derived.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
The Economic Benefit of Increased Yield and Digestibility in a Perennial C4 Grass
Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) is a perennial C4 grass native to the North American tallgrass prairie (Weaver, 1954). It provides productive, high quality forage during late spring and summer in the Great Plains, USA (Mitchell et al., 1994). Increasing forage yield and digestibility can increase livestock performance and grassland profitability (Casler & Vogel, 1999). This study aimed to compare the economic value of 2 big bluestem strains developed by 3 generations of breeding for increased forage yield and digestibility with the base populations from which they were derived.
