Commodities: Field Crops: Forages
Forage Species and Varieties Recommended for Use in Georgia
Dr. Dennis Hancock, Forage Extension Specialist
Dr. Carl Hoveland, Professor (Emeritus)
Crop & Soil Sciences Dept.
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Warm Season Perennial Grasses
- Warm Season Annual Grasses
- Cool Season Perennial Grasses
- Cool Season Annual Grasses
- Warm Season Perennial Legumes
- Cool Season Perennial Legumes
- Cool Season Annual Legumes
- Links to Additional Information on These and Other Species
More than 50 forage species can be grown in Georgia. This count includes a wide variety of both annual (live for one season) and perennial (live for multiple seasons) grasses and legumes. However, only a few of these species will be appropriate to include in a forage system on any given farm.
This web page lists those species that are recommended for use in Georgia. For the best results with these species, a list of recommended varieties has also been posted here. These recommendations are based on yield, persistence, and (when possible) animal performance trials. Typically, these trials have been performed on the UGA's Agricultural Experiment Station's farms where conditions can be tightly controlled and replicated. In many cases, these recommended species/varieties are subjected to additional studies on cooperating producers' farms.
Warm Season Perennial Grasses
| Bahiagrass | |
| Adaptation: | South and Central GA. Best adapted on sandy soils. Tolerant of drought, poor drainage, acid soils, low fertility, and close grazing. Very aggressive and forms a dense sod. |
| Establishment: | Plant scarified seed at 15 to 20 lb/A in March or April. |
| Varieties: | Most bahiagrass plantings are the Pensacola variety. Tifton 9 is higher yielding than Pensacola and better suited for pasture and hay production. (More on bahiagrass varieties here.) |
| Bermudagrass | |
| Adaptation: | Grown in all areas of GA except in mountains. Varieties differ in cold hardiness. Best adapted on sandy soils but will do well on clay soils. Hybrids are higher yielding, deeper rooted, and more drought tolerant than common bermudagrass. Tolerant of close grazing. Not tolerant of poor drainage. |
| Establishment: | Seeded types planted at 5 to 10 lb/A in spring. Hybrids are planted in March-April with sprigs at 10 bu/A in rows. (Click here for a list of spriggers in Georgia). |
| Varieties: | South GA — Sprigged: Tifton 85, Russell. |
Warm Season Annual Grasses
| Pearl Millet | |
| Adaptation: | Entire state. Best on sandy soils. Very tolerant of drought and acid soils. |
| Establishment: | Seed are drilled at 12 to 15 lb/A or broadcast at 25 to 30 lb/A in May-June. |
| Varieties: | Tifleaf 3, SS-635 (Additional info on UGA's Statewide Variety Testing page) |
| Sorghum-sudangrass | |
| Adaptation: | Entire state. Drought-tolerant. Not tolerant of highly acid soils. |
| Establishment: | Seed are drilled at 20 to 35 lb/A or broadcast at 30 to 35 lb/A in May-June. |
| Varieties: | SS-220BMR, SS-211 (Additional info on UGA's Statewide Variety Testing page) |
| Crabgrass | |
| Adaptation: | Entire state. Tolerant of soil acidity and close grazing. Very high quality summer grass. |
| Establishment: | Usually naturally reseeds. Plant at 4 to 6 lb/A in March-May. |
| Variety: | Red River |
Cool Season Perennial Grasses
| Tall Fescue | |
| Adaptation: | North and central GA north of the Coastal Plain. Best adapted in clay or loam soil. Tolerant of soil acidity, poor drainage, and close grazing. Relatively tolerant of drought. |
| Establishment: | Seed drilled at 15 to 20 lb/A or broadcast at 20 to 25 lb/A in September or October. |
| Varieties: | MaxQ (non-toxic) for livestock pasture or hay. Kentucky 31 can be planted for conservation and other non-livestock uses. |
| Orchardgrass | |
| Adaptation: | Short-lived grass that should only be planted north of Gainesville. Less tolerant of drought, poor drainage, and close grazing than tall fescue. |
| Establishment: | Seed should be planted at 15 to 20 lb/A in September. |
| Varieties: | Benchmark, Olympia, Persist |
Cool Season Annual Grasses
| Annual Ryegrass | |
| Adaptation: | Entire state. Tolerates poor drainage and close grazing. Soil pH should be kept above 6.0 for best results. |
| Establishment: | Seed at 10 to 15 lb/A in mixtures or 20 to 30 lb/A alone during September or early October. |
| Varieties: | General Use: Oregro DH-3, Ed, Jumbo, Marshall, Passerel Plus Early Varieties: Oregro DH-3, Ed, Grazer |
| Rye | |
| Adaptation: | Entire state. More tolerant of soil acidity than oat or wheat. Rye will mature quickly and quality may decline fast. Timely grazing or harvest management will be required. |
| Establishment: | Plant 90 to 120 lb/A alone or 60 to 90 lb/A in mixtures during September or October. |
| Varieties:* | AGS104 (S);Bates (S); Early Graze (S); Oklon (S); Wintergrazer 70 (S); Wrens Abruzzi (S); Wrens 96 (S) |
| Oat | |
| Adaptation: | South and central GA. Oat can be winterkilled in some years. Soil pH should be kept above 6.0 for best results. |
| Establishment: | Same as for rye. |
| Varieties:* | Horizon 321 (S); Horizon 474 (S); Horizon 270 (S); NK-Coker 227 (S); Rodgers (P,M); SS76-40 (C); TAMO 406 (C) New Releases that are still being evaluated: Trophy, Horizon 314 |
| Wheat | |
| Adaptation: | Entire state. Not tolerant of soil acidity. |
| Establishment: | Same as for rye. |
| Varieties:* | AGS 2000 (S); Pioneer 26R61 (S); Roberts (P,M); USG 3209 (P, M); USG 3592 (S) |
*M = Mountains; P = Piedmont; C = Coastal Plain; S = Statewide.
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Warm Season Perennial Legumes
| Perennial Peanut | |
| Adaptation: | Lower Coastal Plain south of Tifton. Requires well drained sandy soils. Tolerant (but less productive) on low soil fertility or low pH. |
| Establishment: | Rhizomes are planted at 60 to 80 bu/A on prepared land from December to early March. Herbicide essential. Requires 2 to 3 years for establishment. Irrigation can shorten this time period. |
| Variety: | Florigraze for hay or pasture (Arbrook can be used for hay in far S. Georgia) |
| Sericea Lespedeza | |
| Adaptation: | Entire state. Very tolerant of drought, low fertility and acid soils. |
| Establishment: | Plant 20 to 30 lb/A on prepared seedbed during late March to May. Herbicide essential as seedlings are slow growing. |
| Varieties: | Low-tannin varieties AU Donnelly and AU Lotan are excellent for hay. AU Grazer is more tolerant and best for pasture. Serala, a high tanning variety can be used for hay as the tannin level drops when hay dries. |
Cool Season Perennial Legumes
| Alfalfa | |
| Adaptation: | Entire state. Very drought tolerant. Requires well drained soil and does not tolerate low soil fertility or acidity. |
| Establishment: | Seed 15 to 20 lb/A on a prepared seedbed in September. |
| Varieties: | North GA – Alfagraze, Bulldog 505, Ameristar 403. South GA – Bulldog 805 |
| Red Clover | |
| Adaptation: | Entire sate. Survives 2 years in north GA, is an annual south GA. Fairly drought tolerant. Tolerates more soil acidity and poorer soil drainage than alfalfa. |
| Establishment: | Plant seed at 6 to 8 lb/A in drill rows or 12 to 15 lb/A broadcast on prepared land during September-October. Excellent for overseeding closely grazed grass sods during December-January in south GA or February-March in north GA. |
| Varieties: | Bulldog Red, Cimarron Plus and Redland Max in north GA, Cherokee in south GA. |
| White Clover | |
| Adaptation: | Entire state on clay soils north of Coastal Plain, also in south GA on wet flatwoods soils or well irrigated pastures. Tolerant of moderate soil acidity and wetter soils. Grows best with cool season perennial grasses. |
| Establishment: | Seed broadcast at 2 to 3 lb/A in October-November or February-March. |
| Varieties: | Durana and Patriot. |
Cool Season Annual Legumes
| Arrowleaf Clover | |
| Adaptation: | Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont. Requires well drained soil, not tolerant of soil acidity or low fertility. |
| Establishment: | Plant scarified seed at 5 to 10 lb/A in September to early November. Excellent reseeder. |
| Varieties: | Apache. This variety has virus disease resistance but is still susceptible to crown and stem rot which wiped out most plantings of the Yuchi variety |
| Ball Clover | |
| Adaptation: | Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont. Best on loam to clay soils. Tolerates poor drainage. Excellent reseeder. Excellent honey producer. |
| Establishment: | Seed broadcast in October-November. |
| Variety: | Segrest. |
| Crimson Clover | |
| Adaptation: | Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont. Fairly tolerant of soil acidity but does not tolerate poor drainage. |
| Establishment: | Seed broadcast at 20 to 30 lb/A in September-October. |
| Varieties: | AU Robin and Flame produce more winter growth than the old variety Dixie. Tibbee and Chief may also provide satisfactory results. |
Links to Additional Information on These and Other Species
Forages of Texas - This is one of the best websites on southern forage species. It is a great resource that describes most forage species that could be utilized in Georgia, plus a few that are better in Texas.
USDA Plants Database - This site contains a very extensive database on all plant species in the USA (at least those that have been described). It uses scientific names and common names as searchable key words. However, sometimes the common name in Georgia is not so common as to register with this database.
Forage Information Systems: Species Page - Oregon State University has an outstanding website on forages from all over the country.