Effect of Rates of Nitrogen on Yield, Nitrogen Use, and Winter Survival of Midland Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] in Appalachia1

This study was conducted to determine if Midland bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] could be utilized in the region of Appalachia as a summer forage during the midsummer months when cool‐season grasses are relatively nonproductive. The effects of N rate on yield and longevity of Midland bermudagrass were studied for 3 years in northern West Virginia. Nitrogen at rates of 112, 224, 448, and 672 kg/ha/yr was split into three equal applications. Dry matter yields were increased with each increment of N during the 1st and the 2nd years and through the 448‐kg/ha rate in the 3rd year. Nitrogen content of the forage increased with increasing rates of N and was greater in the second harvest than in the first. Percent recovery of applied N was highest at the 224‐kg/ha rate in the 1st and the 2nd years and at the 448‐kg/ha rate in the 3rd year. Where adequate N was supplied, bermudagrass competed effectively with native grasses and thus survived three winters, even though the temperatures reached as low as −22 C. By the 3rd year annual yields were as high as 16,000 kg/ha.