Tall Fescue Online Monograph

Tall fescue has not been grown as widely or studied as extensively in China as in the United States, and therefore may have unrealized potential for expansion into new zones. The PRISM-Internet Mapserver maps provide a planning tool for targeting new seedings in China according to likely suitability. Central-eastern, central, and southern regions of China emerge as predicted high suitability zones (Fig. 3-8b). January mean minimum temperature limits result in many restricted-use areas for tall fescue in northeast China, Inner Mongolia, and the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. However, extensive areas of central-eastern, south, central, north, and northwest China emerge as potentially well suited or moderately suited. With adequate moisture, regions on the edges of the Taklamakan Desert and at the base of the Tian Shan range also show high potential suitability. High summer temperatures alone cause few unsuited areas for tall fescue, primarily in the Turpan depression in the northwest. Marginally suited areas occur in the northwest, north-central, and central southeastern areas.

In China, tall fescue is grown most extensively in central-eastern China, southern portions of north China, and higher elevation areas of south China. This includes the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi (west), Shanxi (east), and Henan provinces. Tall fescue is best suited in a zone that extends from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau northeastwards to lower Shaanxi, including northern Yunnan, most of Guizhou, northeastern Sichuan, most of Chongqing, and southern Shaanxi provinces. Well-suited areas also are found in the eastern and northeastern areas, including southern portions of Hebei and Liaoning provinces, southern and eastern Shandong Province, and southern Jiangsu Province. A large area of moderate suitability extends from southern and eastern Gansu Province, across most of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, and Shandong, to the eastern coastal provinces.