Screening Festuca paradoxa and other native cool season grasses for native plantings.

Festuca paradoxa Desv. and other native cool season grasses (NCSG) could be used in soil conservation, wildlife habitat, and agroforestry because they would provide forage during the fall and spring months and many are adapted to a wide range of habitats and environmental conditions. Although there is interest in adding these grasses to native plantings, seed of some species is not readily available. Our main goals are to determine the best management techniques to establish Festuca paradoxa and other NCSG for seed production and to learn about their physiology, ecology, and propagation. Early findings for F. paradoxa show that seed germination after 24 days at 70[degrees]C varies from 10 to 90% for seed from different sources. A study to determine how planting time and shade affect growth and development of F. paradoxa, F. subverticillata, Elymus spp, Koeleria macrantha, and Glyceria striata was established at the University of Missouri. First year results of seed harvested early summer, show that seedlings planted in the fall, 30-cm apart within rows and 1-m between rows, performed better than spring-planted seedlings. Fall-planted seedlings produced an average of 66 kg/ha seed compared to only 33 kg/ha for spring-planted seedlings. The same species were established in summer 2003 under 0, 30, and 55% shade to quantify persistence, forage yield, and seed production. First year results show that all these species grow well under all shade levels suggesting that these grasses could be grown as companion crops under the shade of trees in native plantings and agroforestry practices.

* Navarrete-Tindall (1), N. and J.W. Van Sambeek (2). (1) Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences and (2) USDA Forest Service, University of Missouri-Columbia.