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Performance of Bigflower Vetch Seeded into Bermudagrass and Tall Fescue Swards¹

Bigflower vetch, Vicia grandiflora var. kitaibeliana W. Koch, is a self-regenerating winter-annual legume which has several excellent agronomic characteristics. It has never been used extensively in pasture programs, however, and little information on it is available in the literature. Two field experiments were conducted on a Typic Paleudults, clayey, mixed, mesic soil (Maury silt loam) to study vetch establishment, productivity, and ecological behavior when seeded into established swards of bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., and tall fescue, Festuca arundinacea Schreb.

Vetch was broadcast by hand into a bermudagrass sod in fall and covered with a rototiller-type sod scarifier (contravator). Red clover and various N treatments were included for comparison. Four different sod treatment-seeding method combinations were used for planting into fescue and two N levels on the grass were also tested. The bermudagrass trial was repeated for 3 years and the fescue one twice. Seeding vetch into bermudagrass increased weed-free dry-matter production from 2,770 to 6,490 kg/ha (3-year avg.). In terms of dry-matter productivity, vetch-grass mixtures were more productive than either bermudagrass or tall fescue receiving 100 kg N/ha. Planting vetch into a short sward of tall fescue was superior to planting in accumulated growth when the seed were not covered, but with tillage to cover the seed height of grass was unimportant. Seed coverage was less beneficial when the seedings were made into a short sward than when planted in tall herbage.

Vetch grew rapidly in spring and in bermudagrass exerted severe competition against winter annual weeds. With tall fescue the better seeding methods resulted in first-growth harvests equal or superior in yield to those of tall fescue receiving 100 kg N/ha and herbages containing 48 to 70% vetch.

Owing to its ease of establishment and competitive abilities with established grasses it is concluded that bigflower vetch would be useful as a pioneer legume for grassland improvement and for use in permanent pastures where conventional seeding methods are impractical.

Key Words: Legume establishment • Pasture renovation • Red clover • Seeding methods • Legume N

² Professors, Dep. of Agronomy, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky 40506.

Received for publication January 25, 1971.

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