Abstract:

Establishment of an excellent, uniform stand of forage in a short period of time is important. Ifa sparse stand initially develops, many of the perennial grasses have the ability to cover bare spots and achieve complete ground cover, especially iI planting was done on virgin land. If planting is on old pasture land contaminated with aggressive grass weeds such coach grass. the ability of the planted forage seed crop to provide complete ground cover is lessened. The producer needs to do everything possible to ensure successful establishment Iiil, first and second ploughing may be conducted at the on-set of rains and then the sites sown to seeds. The problem with this method of seedbed preparation is that weeds will have developed seeds at the time of ploughing and as they are l)loughcd into the soil, they instead germinate taking advantage of the available rain. A lot of resources shall thus be directed towards weed control.