Forage Yield of Five Grasses Under Intensive Grazing Management in the Humid Region of Puerto Rico

Abstract

Three grasses on intensively managed and grazed 10 x 10 m plots produced statistically similar yields of dry forage over a 3-year period expressed in kg/ha/yr as follows: Stargrass—12,445; Coast Cross #1—12,285; and Hemarthria PI 299995—13,685. Hemarthria PI 299994 produced significantly higher yields—15,370 kg/ha/yr. Cynodon plectostachyus, on the other hand, did not tolerate intensive grazing and produced only 4,695 kg/ha during the second year. Yields of Star and Hemarthria PI 299995 were comparable to yields obtained in a large scale grazing experiment nearby, which confirmed the validity of the small experimental plot technique in determining yield potential of grazed forage grasses.