Hybrid Bermudagrass compared with Kikuyu and common couch in coastal New South Wales. 1. Establishment, dry matter production and persistence

Abstract

Four ecotypes of hybrid Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) were compared with common couch (C. dactylon) and kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) at five sites in coastal districts of New South Wales. The sites were Grafton and Coaldale (Lat. 30¦S), Mitchells Island (Lat. 32¦S) and Richmond and Badgerys Creek (Lat. 34¦S). Hybrid Bermudagrass ecotypes 6389 and 692 were established quickly at all sites while ecotypes 71 9 and 632 were satsifactory. Kikuyu was strong at all sites except Grafton but the rate of establishment of common couch was poor. At the frost-free sandy site of Mitchells Island, Bermudagrass ecotypes 719, 692, 6389, and 632 outyielded kikuyu by 75, 65, 65 and 35%, respectively. However, at Grafton and Coaldale, the highest yielding Bermudagrass ecotype, 719, had only 35% higher production than kikuyu. At the frost prone southern sites of Richmond and Badgerys Creek, the annual production of kikuyu was equal to that of ecotypes 719, 6389, 692 and 632. Common couch yields were equal to kikuyu at all sites except at Richmond. At Mitchells Island, the hybrid Bermudagrasses outyielded kikuyu in spring, summer and early autumn but in the late autumn kikuyu had equal and sometimes higher growth rates than the best Bermudagrasses. In winter, the growth of both species was negligible, although kikuyu, unlike the Bermudagrasses, did produce some new shoots at the base of the sward. Data on persistence under grazing were collected from only three of the sites but trends were similar to establishment. Ecotype 6389 had the highest persistence rating of the Bermudagrasses. Kikuyu failed at the poorly drained sandy site of Grafton but remained strong at the other sites. It was concluded that hybrid Bermudagrasses were of potential value for pastures in New South Wales, especially for sites with sandy soils and low frost incidence.