OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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Herbaceous, cool-season, perennial bunchgrass. Extensively used as a forage, as pasture and erosion control in mixtures with other grasses and legumes, and as hay and silage, typically as a monoculture. Best suited to well-drained soil conditions.Highly palatable to all livestock classes. No animal health issues, e.g. does not cause bloat.
Perennial bunchgrass
Habit: Erect bunchgrass, graminoid
Life: Moderate length perennial
Temperature: 1.4 to -23.8 °F/ -17 to -31 °C; Winter hardy
Precipitation: 13.8-21.7 inches (350-550 mm)
pH: 5.6-8.4
pH: 5.6-8.4
Soil drainage: ED-MWD
Salinity: Moderately sensitive, 1.5-3 dS/M
Drought Tolerance: Medium
Flood Tolerance: Medium. Tolerates 15-25 days of flooding.
Climate suitability characteristics in the following table are based on field experiments and forage agronomist experience. Soil factor data are based on values provided in Chapter 3 of the NRCS Range and Pasture Handbook (https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1043060.pdf).
| July Max Temp (°C/F°) | Jan Min Temp (°C/F°) | Annual Precipitation (mm/in) | Soil pH | Drainage Class | Soil Salinity (dS/m) | |||||||
| Low | High | Low | High | Low | High | Low | High | Low | High | Low | High | |
| Well-suited | 22/72 | 31/88 | -12/10 | 9999 | 550/21.7 | 9999 | 5.75 | 7.5 | MWD | MWD | 0 | 2 |
| Moderately-suited | 20/68 | 33/91 | -17/1 | 9999 | 450/17.7 | 9999 | 5.25 | 7.75 | SPD | MWD | 0 | 6 |
| Marginally-suited | 18/64 | 35/95 | -22/-8 | 9999 | 350/13.8 | 9999 | 4.75 | 8.25 | PD | WD | 0 | 8 |
**For the values of Jan min temp and annual precipitation: 9999 indicates no limit to the high values.
Soil Drainage categories: VPD (very poorly drained), Pd (poorly drained), SPD (somewhat poorly drained), MWD (moderately well drained), WD (well drained), SED (somewhat excessively drained), ED (excessively drained).
Response functions were developed from these tabular values using Rstudio scripts, with parameters provided for climatic and soil GIS spatial data layers.
To create highly detailed and accurate species suitability maps it was necessary to change from a qualitative description of plant characteristics to an approach that defines tolerances quantitatively. Tolerances to climatic and soil factors were defined (Table 1) and used to map suitability based on summary publications (Moser et al., 1996) and expert knowledge of forage scientists.
Moser, L.E, D.R. Buxton, and M.D. Casler, Eds. 1996. Cool Season Forage Grasses. American Society of Agronomy Monograph 34. 841 pp. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, Madison, WI.
Suitability patterns for forage species are caused by different factors in different locations. Low winter temperatures limit the northern range of many species, while low precipitation limits the western range of species in the semi-arid west. Low summer temperatures limit the range of species with increasing elevation while high summer temperatures limit the range in the desert southwest and hot and humid southeast. Soil characteristics (pH, drainage, and salinity) also limit the suitability zones of forage species. However, soil amendments (liming and drainage tiles) can alleviate many of these limitations. Thus, NRCS Soil Survey data should be informed and revised by management mitigations.
GIS software allow creation of highly detailed and accurate species suitability mapping based on biophysical characteristics of the region and plant characteristics (Hannaway et al., 2005). Precipitation and maximum and minimum temperature climate grids are now available for annual and monthly periods. Soil type, depth, drainage, pH, salinity, and alkalinity information was obtained from the NRCS STATSGO2 database. Species characteristics were provided by forage experts.
Hannaway, D.B., C. Daly, L. Coop, D. Chapman, and Y. Wei. 2005. GIS-based Forage Species Adaptation Mapping. pp. 319-342. In: S.G. Reynolds and J. Frame (eds). Grasslands: Developments, Opportunities and Perspectives. FAO and Science Pub. Inc., Rome, Italy.
Maps
Nine maps were developed; 1) 30-year long-term July maximum temperature 2) 30-year long-term January minimum temperature, 3) 30-year long-term annual precipitation, 4) soil pH, 5) soil drainage, 6) soil salinity, 7) combined climate factors, 8) combined soil factors, and 9) combined climate and soil factors.
Climate: Tmax, Tmin, Ppt, Combined
Soil: pH, Drainage, Salinity, Combined
All Factors
High fruit/seed abundance. Grows best in cool conditions (54 to 73°F), moderate to well-drained soils, non-saline conditions (1.5-3 dS/M), and acidic to alkaline soils (pH 5.2-7.0). Optimum production is achieved in areas with little spring frost. Forage yields can reach 7,000 to 10,000 lb/acre under ideal conditions and with proper management and a 120-130 day growing season.
Properly fertilized, well-managed stands of orchardgrass are capable of producing high-quality forage, with high levels of palatability, digestible energy, protein, and minerals. Orchardgrass accumulates high levels of usable carbohydrate in spring and fall. Composition, however, depends largely on maturity stage at harvest and on fertility. For hay or silage at early boot stage (prior to head emergence).
In summary, orchardgrass is:
Due to its rapid growth rate, orchardgrass may become invasive. It does not tolerate saturated soil for extended periods and is vulnerable to winterkill and overgrazing.
Diseases: Many diseases attack orchardgrass. Stem rust, leaf spots, brown stripe and scald are among the most prevalent. The presence of rust on leaves lowered animal digestibility of the forage. Rust-infected orchardgrass varieties gave 0.2 to 0.3 pounds (0.22-0.34 kg) per day less average daily gains than varieties having little or no infection.
The best and most practical means of controlling diseases, hence improving animal performance and stand persistence, is to plant varieties that are resistant or highly tolerant to foliar diseases.
Note: Diseases section extracted from Univ. of Missouri Extension publication: https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g4511
Orchardgrass does not cause bloat.
As a cool-season forage, magnesium levels will be reduced in early spring and potassium levels will be elevated. Thus, growing orchardgrass with a legume (white or red) will reduce the potential for grass tetany (hypomagnesemia).
