Perennial Grasses

Benefits to Growing Bermudagrass

• Hybrids are the highest yielding perennial forage option in Georgia
• Tolerates periods of close grazing
• Tolerates mild to moderate drought 
• Produces adequate forage nutritive value for mature, non-lactating animals
• More herbicide options than available in bahiagrass or tall fescue in established stands

Common Challenges when Growing Bermudagrass

• High fertility requirements compared to bahiagrass or tall fescue (especially for hybrid hayfields)
• Hybrid varieties must be sprigged
• Forage nutritive value will likely be limiting in growing or lactating animals 
• Does not tolerate poorly drained soils or shade 
• Shorter growing season than bahiagrass
• Increased incidence of disease and insect infestations compared to bahiagrass

Recommended Varieties

Sprigged varieties are strongly recommended over seeded varieties for use in Georgia. Sprigging an improved hybrid ensures consistently higher yields and improved nutritive value over seeded types. The recommended varieties are listed below in the order in which they were released. For an updated sprigger list, please visit our UGA Forage Team Bermudagrass Sprigger List. 

• Coastal has moderate yield and nutritive value. It has relatively fine stems and spreads by stolons and rhizomes. Coastal can be grown in the lower Piedmont of Georgia and throughout the Coastal Plains.
• Tifton 44 produces more rhizomes, has finer stems, is darker green, and forms a denser sod than Coastal. The yield is usually lower than Coastal, but nutritive value is typically higher. Its winter-hardiness allows successful growth as far north as Kentucky and Virginia. 
• Tifton 85 has larger stems, broader leaves, and darker green than most bermudagrass hybrids and spreads predominantly through stolons. Tifton 85 is consistently the highest yielding and most digestible bermudagrass variety. Unfortunately, Tifton 85 can take longer to dry down for baling compared to thin-stemmed varieties. It is also extremely susceptible to cold weather because of its stargrass influence and may not survive harsh winters north of Athens or Atlanta, GA.  
• Russell is relatively fine-stemmed and forms a dense sod from both rhizomes and stolons. The digestibility of Russell is less than Tifton 85 and it is not as drought tolerant. However, Russell is more winter hardy than Coastal or Tifton 85 which makes it suitable for plantings throughout much of Georgia. 
• Coastcross II looks nearly identical to Tifton 85, but is lighter green in color. It produces comparable yield and quality to Tifton 85. Coastcross II is susceptible to cold weather and may not survive winters in the Piedmont. Planting material for this variety is extremely limited.  
• Newell is also very similar to Tifton 85 but will establish more quickly. Newell is susceptible to cold weather and may not survive winters in the Piedmont. Planting material for this variety is extremely limited.  

Most of these varieties are found in the bermudagrass garden at the Darrell Williams Research Farm at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, GA.

Other Varieties 

There are many other varieties of bermudagrass found throughout Georgia and the Southeastern United States. Some of these include Alicia, Jiggs, Coastcross I, Midland, Tifton 68, and Tifton 78. These varieties have not historically performed well in Georgia or have not been properly evaluated under our conditions. Therefore, they are not currently recommended for use in Georgia.

Seeded Varieties

Seeded bermudagrass varieties generally have lower yields and lower nutritive value when compared to the improved sprigged hybrids. However, seeded varieties are more appropriate for some situations including plantings on small acreages, sprigs are not available locally, or there is a severe risk of soil erosion.  Unfortunately, there are no data available from the University of Georgia on the performance of seeded bermudagrass varieties that are on the market today.

Bahiagrass

Although bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flüggé) can be grown anywhere south of the fall line, it is more common in the southernmost parts of the state (Figure 1). There are an increasing number of reports of bahiagrass growing in volunteer stands north of the fall line. However, bahiagrass has not been rigorously tested in northern parts of the state and are only recommended for the Coastal Plains at this time. The anticipated production characteristics of bahiagrass are summarized in the Anticipated Production Characteristics of Perennial Forage Options table.

Benefits to Growing Bahiagrass

• Tolerates close grazing
• Requires low to moderate fertility for the stand maintenance compared to bermudagrass
• Severe disease and insect infestations are rare
• Tolerates mild to moderate drought 
• Produces adequate forage nutritive value for most mature, non-lactating animals
• Tolerates poorly drained soils better than bermudagrass
• Tolerates shade better than bermudagrass
• Best option for southern silvopastures

Common Challenges when Growing Bahiagrass

• Forage nutritive value may likely be limiting in growing, lactating, or high maintenance animals
• Herbicide options are extremely limited
• Lower yielding than bermudagrass
• Mature stands can be difficult to overseed (because of clump growing habit)

Recommended Varieties

Both diploid and tetraploid bahiagrass varieties exist in Georgia, but only diploid varieties are recommended for new plantings because they are more cold tolerant than tetraploid varieties. Tifton 9, TifQuik, and UF-Riata are all seeded diploid bahiagrass varieties recommended for new plantings in Georgia. 

• Tifton 9 has much greater seedling vigor, a more upright growth habit and generally produces up to 25% more forage with digestibility equal to Pensacola. 
• TifQuik is a variant of Tifton 9 that has superior seedling vigor and germination which leads to quicker stand formation than other varieties. The yield potential and other forage characteristics of TifQuik are essentially the same as Tifton-9.
• UF-Riata has matched the yield of Tifton-9 and TifQuik in variety trials and has been observed to stay green a few days longer than the other varieties. UF-Riata has not yet been well studied in more northern locations in Georgia.

Other Varieties 

Other varieties that are not recommended for forage uses in Georgia are Pensacola, Argentine, Paraguay 22, Tifhi-1, Tifhi-2, Riba, Wilmington, and AU Sand Mountain.

Tall Fescue

Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire.) can be grown throughout the northern part of the state, dominating the Mountain and upper Piedmont regions (Figure 1). Although there are an increasing number of heat-tolerant fescues hitting the market, these varieties have not been rigorously tested in our state. Old stands of tall fescue may still be growing outside of this region, but new plantings are considered risky in more southern counties. The anticipated production characteristics of tall fescue are summarized in the Anticipated Production Characteristics of Perennial Forage Options table.

Benefits to Growing Tall Fescue

• Most reliable cool season perennial forage option in Georgia
• Suitable for stockpiling
• Tolerates mild to moderate drought
• Tolerates brief periods of flooding 
• Tolerates light shade 
• Produces adequate forage nutritive value for mature, non-lactating animals
• Lower fertility requirements compared to bermudagrass (especially for hayfields)

Common Challenges when Growing Tall Fescue

• Common ecotypes and old stands are most likely infected with endophytic fungus (Neotyphodium coenophialum)
• Increased incidence of stand failure following overgrazing and poor fertility because of climate change
• Forage nutritive value will likely be limiting in growing or lactating animals 
• Limited herbicide options available

Recommended Varieties

• Novel endophyte varieties are strongly recommended for use in Georgia. These currently include varieties with the MaxQ II novel endophyte such as Jesup MaxQ II, Texoma MaxQ II, and Lacefield MaxQ II. This novel endophyte was selected by AgResearch and has been inserted into several varieties of tall fescue. 
• Jesup Max Q II was developed by the University of Georgia and was selected to be used in the southeastern US in the eastern regions of the fescue belt. At this time, this is the most preferred tall fescue variety for use in Georgia.
• Texoma Max Q II was developed by the Noble Foundation and was selected to be used for the south-central areas of the US in the western regions of the fescue belt. 
• Lacefield Max Q II was developed by the University of Kentucky. It is a later maturing variety compared to Jesup and is typically recommended for the more northern regions of the fescue belt. 

The novel endophyte helps alleviate symptoms in grazing livestock associated with fescue toxicosis but have reduced plant persistence and vigor compared to endophyte-infected varieties. Therefore, these varieties require more intense or careful management compared to common ecotypes of fescue or old stands of Kentucky 31. If you need more information on the tall fescue endophyte, please review the Oregon Seed publication on Understanding the Tall Fescue Endophyte: Practical Solutions to the Fescue Toxicity Problem.

Other novel endophytes are available but require more evaluation. Older varieties with the original MaxQ endophyte still exist and are suitable for their continued use. Endophyte free varieties are not recommended in Georgia because of their poor persistence.

Note on Other Perennial Species 

Native warm season grass species include big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides), indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Each of these species may be grown in Georgia, but establishment can be difficult and take up to three years. Any producer considering these forages should read PB1873, Establishing Native Grass Forages in the Southeast.   

Cool season perennials such as orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), and timothy (Phleum pratense) are common species in more northern parts of the United States. Unfortunately, these species cannot survive the heat of Georgia summers and will not likely persist beyond the establishment year. 

Tropical perennial forages such as limpograss (Hemarthria altissima (Poir.) Stapf & C.E. Hubbard), elephantgrass or Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus), brachiaria (Brachiaria sp.), and many others have shown great success in Florida. These species have not yet been tested in Georgia. They may not be able to persist in the relatively cold winters.

Anticipated Production Characteristics of Perennial Forage Options

Production Characteristics of the Most Common Perennial Forage Species Grown in Georgia.¹

¹ Anticipated yield, energy, and protein are based on estimates from literature. Actual results on your farm will vary with management, inputs, and weather.