TITLE:
Comparison of Level of Stocking on Clover and Ryegrass Cover Crops Sod-Seeded into Bermudagrass
AUTHORS:
Francis M. Rouquette Jr., Paul DeLaune, William Pinchak, Kelli Norman, Kyle Turner, Gerald Smith
KEYWORDS:
Cover Crop, Grazing, Bermudagrass, Ryegrass, Clover
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.17 No.8,
August
13,
2026
ABSTRACT: Annual forages have been used as cover crops in cropland to provide cover to soil, reduce erosion and weed infestation, and enhance soil health. Mixed seedings of “Dixie” crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) and “Apache” arrowleaf clover (Trifolium vesiculosum Savi), “Nelson” annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), and a combination of clovers and ryegrass were drilled into “Coastal” bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon [L.] Pers.) plots. During the following two years, cattle grazed these cover crops to predetermined residual stubble heights each late April to early June to assess effects of mob-stocking on cover crop forage accumulation and sustainability. During active vegetative growth of cover crops (April-May), ryegrass had the greatest forage accumulation in Year 1; whereas, ryegrass-clover mix had the greatest forage accumulation in Year 2, which had greater rainfall than Year 1. During active vegetative growth of the cover crops, there was no effect of grazed stubble heights on forage mass accumulation; however, the season-long forage mass accumulation (April-September) was reduced (P P