Offered Papers Theme B: Grassland and the Environment
Description
Native prairie of the Upper Midwest, which was dominated by warm-season (C4) grasses, now exists as relatively small relict and restored patches (Curtis 1959). Re-introduction of natives into grazed agroecosystems would promote genetic, species, and landscape diversity. Extensive re-introduction of C4 grasses will require a shift away from the paradigm of maximizing production because C4 grasses have higher C:N ratios than C3 grasses rendering them inferior forage species. Nonetheless, there is great interest amongst the grazing community of the Upper Midwest in establishing native grasses as a means of improving wildlife habitat and increasing belowground carbon storage. That said, given the different phenologies of these 2 functional groups (Figure 1), a relatively even distribution of C3 and C4 species in grazed pastures theoretically could provide a more even distribution of forage production.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Native Grasses Seeded Into a Cool-Season Pasture Encouraged by Low Resource Availability
Native prairie of the Upper Midwest, which was dominated by warm-season (C4) grasses, now exists as relatively small relict and restored patches (Curtis 1959). Re-introduction of natives into grazed agroecosystems would promote genetic, species, and landscape diversity. Extensive re-introduction of C4 grasses will require a shift away from the paradigm of maximizing production because C4 grasses have higher C:N ratios than C3 grasses rendering them inferior forage species. Nonetheless, there is great interest amongst the grazing community of the Upper Midwest in establishing native grasses as a means of improving wildlife habitat and increasing belowground carbon storage. That said, given the different phenologies of these 2 functional groups (Figure 1), a relatively even distribution of C3 and C4 species in grazed pastures theoretically could provide a more even distribution of forage production.
