Two New Limpograss Cultivars Released for Select Florida Cattlemen

Limpograss-cultivars-4F-and-10-experiment
Limpograss-cultivars-4F-and-10-experiment
(Lynn Sollenberger, UF/IFAS)

The University of Florida, in partnership with Florida Foundation Seed Producers Inc., has released two new limpograss cultivars so ranchers can increase the forage variety they feed their cattle.

Florida beef cattle producers use limpograss, a warm-season, perennial grass for its high digestibility, cool-season growth and tolerance to poorly drained soils.

The new lines, limpograsses 4F and 10, have superior traits, including persistence under grazing, good production and nutritive value, said Joao Vendramini, associate professor of agronomy at the Range Cattle Research and Education Center in Ona and one of the cultivars’ developers.

Limpograss 10 will be called Gibtuck in honor of Gilbert Tucker, who graduated from UF and, among his positions, worked as a ranch manager in Brevard County and as an animal husbandry expert at the Range Cattle REC, part of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Entry 4F will be called KenHy, to honor the forage breeding contributions of longtime UF/IFAS agronomy professor Ken Quesenberry for the Florida livestock industry.

“The creation of these hybrids and subsequent release of planting material to the cattle producers of Florida is an excellent example of UF/IFAS faculty working with stakeholders to provide solutions impacting the productivity of their farms and ranches,” said John Arthington, animal sciences professor and director of the Range Cattle REC.

Vendramini worked with Quesenberry and agronomy professors Ann Blount and Lynn Sollenberger to breed the new cultivars, which were approved by the UF/IFAS Cultivar Release Committee in April.

Florida Foundation Seed Producers Inc. worked with the Florida Cattlemen’s Association to select four to five producers from South Florida and two from North Florida to plant the new cultivars in 2014. Those producers will be responsible for increasing the planted area and planting material available for the next year and further distribute such increased stocks to other Florida producers in 2015.

The select group of producers increasing stocks will pay annual membership dues of $25 to FFSP and a one-time fee to offset the costs associated with the production of the UF/IFAS breeder stocks.

In 2004, the Florida Cattlemen’s Association Research and Education Committee identified the development of new limpograss cultivars as one of its highest priorities. The traits the committee wanted most were the persistence under grazing shown by the widely used Floralta. UF/IFAS scientists combined that trait with the nutritive value of Bigalta, Quesenberry said.

In spring 2005, UF/IFAS agronomy researchers responded by crossing cultivars Floralta and Bigalta in a greenhouse on the Gainesville campus. From those crosses, scientists generated 51 experimental hybrids.

They planted the experimental hybrids at the Agronomy Forage Research Unit at Hague, north of Gainesville, the Range Cattle REC in Ona and at the North Florida Research and Education Center in Marianna and evaluated the hybrids for four years before selecting lines 4F and 10.

Source: University of Florida Extension

 

Latest News

Skills Survey Reveals U.S. Agriculture & Food Industry Workforce Needs and Gaps
Skills Survey Reveals U.S. Agriculture & Food Industry Workforce Needs and Gaps

U.S. employers report challenges in finding suitable job candidates with work-ready skills to fill open roles in ag. The AgCareers.com U.S. Skills Survey offers insights, data and trends to address skill development.

USDA Authorizes CRP Graze and Hay Donations to Wildfire Victims
USDA Authorizes CRP Graze and Hay Donations to Wildfire Victims

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) participants can donate emergency grazing authority to ranchers in Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas impacted by recent wildfires.

New Guide Helps Producers Maximize Values of Cull Cows
New Guide Helps Producers Maximize Values of Cull Cows

A new resource developed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and CattleFax helps cattle producers maximize profitability from their culling decisions.

How Ranchers can Feel More Energized and Reduce their Aches and Pains
How Ranchers can Feel More Energized and Reduce their Aches and Pains

We can’t care for our livestock, resources and families without caring for ourselves first. That seems even harder during the busy seasons, but it isn’t impossible and even one thing a day makes a difference.

Profit Tracker: Packer/Feeder Margin Spread Grows
Profit Tracker: Packer/Feeder Margin Spread Grows

Last week’s rally to new record prices pushed packer and feeder margins in opposite directions. Pork producer margins continue higher with prices now above year ago.

Spring Forward Horse Health with Vaccinations
Spring Forward Horse Health with Vaccinations

As horses are exposed to the environment, wildlife and mosquitoes that transmit the five core equine diseases, it’s important to follow the core equine disease vaccination protocol.