Richard W. Medley, Philip S. Shine, and Tim Phillips. UK Coll of Ag Dept of Plant & Soil Sciences, 1405 Veterans Dr 325 PSB, Lexington, KY 40546-0312
Persistence of forage grasses under grazing pressure is a trait of interest to forage breeders. Reliable methods of determining plant densities in grazed swards are needed for evaluating persistence. Three replicates of large plots of ten tall fescue cultivars and one meadow fescue cultivar under grazing pressure by beef cattle were used to study different methods of evaluating stand density. Visual ratings, several direct tiller counting techniques, and digital image analyses were completed for the plots in this study. Differences in stand density could be a result of differential preference by grazing animals, genetic differences among entries, or stand establishment success.