VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Dactylis glomerata | Orchardgrass 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Orchardgrass is moderately nutritious and highly palatable to deer, elk,
bighorn sheep, cattle, and domestic sheep and goats.  The persistent,
green, basal rosette provides good winter forage for deer and elk
[14,50].  Early spring growth provides green forage for all species
[60].  Cattle will eat orchardgrass preferentially in early spring and
summer, up to 50 percent of total diet [59,65].  Elk and mule deer also
prefer orchardgrass over a number of other species [42].  In areas
disturbed by fire where orchardgrass has been seeded (usually in a
mixture with other grasses and forbs), wildlife use increases over
nonseeded areas and nonburned areas [19,42,44,50,58].  Forest openings,
where orchardgrass is dominant, are associated with rufous hummingbirds,
pine siskins, slate-colored juncos, American robins, valley pocket
gophers, desert harvest mice, deer mice, Mexican voles, and white-tailed
deer [56].  Grasshopper sparrows and eastern meadowlarks were more
abundant in cultivated fields in Georgia codominated by orchardgrass
than in fallow or natural fields [33].  Wild turkeys graze orchardgrass
in winter, and poults use it as a source of cover and insects in late
summer.  Rabbits use orchardgrass for food and cover; Canada geese feed
on the seeds and leaves [13].


PALATABILITY : 
Palatability is rated high for cattle, elk, mule deer, and white-tailed
deer [15,50,59,64].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Orchardgrass is ranked below other popular grass species in nutritive
value and is considered by many farmers to be poor, but this perception
is based on harvesting orchardgrass for hay after its peak nutritive
level in the spring.  Nutritive values have been shown to decline
steadily after the early season peak [62,72].  Crude protein is highest
in the spring and declines to an average winter level of 4.3 percent
[62].

A number of studies have been done on nutritional values and
digestibility for cattle, elk, and domestic sheep.  The tables below
represent the range of average values as reported by author under
different conditions and extraction methods.

   Cattle        crude protein  14-16% [22]  16-19% [7]
                 crude fiber    23-25% [22]
                 lignin         4-8.5% [22]  5-7%   [9]
                 organic matter 92-93% [22]
                 dry matter     20-25% [9]
                 digestibility  56-77% [22]  55-59% [9]

   Sheep         crude protein  8-21%  
                 fiber          17-33%
                 organic matter 89-93%
                 digestibility  55-81% [22]

   Elk           crude protein   9-13%
                 organic matter  87%
                 digestibility   55-62% [8]


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Orchardgrass is widely recommended and used for a variety of
rehabilitation applications.  It is recommended for planting with a
mixture of grasses and legumes to reduce erosion after devegetation by
fire.  Orchardgrass often shows early success, eventually being replaced
by native vegetation or other seeded species [12,45,49].

Orchardgrass is used in seed mixtures with other grasses and forbs
(usually clover or alfalfa) for rehabilitation of overgrazed lands.  The
success of orchardgrass appears to depend on the appropriateness of the site
to specific adaptations of orchardgrass cultivars, and also on proper
management of grazing [1,10,18,47,63]. 

Orchardgrass is planted in areas that have been logged and burned to
provide a vegetative cover for soil stabilization and provide forage for
cattle and/or wildlife [10,31,49].

Orchardgrass is also used for rehabilitation of sites disturbed by
mining [28,46].  The most successful applications in the western United
States appear to be sites that are relatively cool and moist (upper
elevations, shaded areas, etc.) [27,29,53].

Plantings of orchardgrass mixtures do well where there is adequate
moisture (12 inches or more annual precipitation) [28,60] and where
temperatures are not extreme [4,70].  In the drier western states it is
better adapted for higher elevations or in irrigated pastures and
croplands [69].  However, in the northeastern United States,
particularly the southern part of the region, orchardgrass is so well
adapted that it will invade alfalfa stands (Medicago spp.) [72].

Some cultivars are more drought resistant than others [54,55].  The
following list of cultivars indicates the wide range of strains
available; there are many more cultivars available--new ones are still
being listed.

'LATAR' is a late-season strain, highly recommended for pasture and hay
production; it is 10 percent higher in digestibility than other
cultivars and is more compatible with legumes, especially alfalfa
(Medicago sativa) [30].

'POTOMAC' is an early-season strain, better adapted to mountain sites
[30].

'PAIUTE' is more drought tolerant than other cultivars [30].

'POMAR' is a specially adapted low-growing strain particularly suited as
a cover crop in orchards and for road bank stabilization [30].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Orchardgrass is a widely planted pasture grass [1,21,25,62] and is used
to increase forage production on rangelands [48].  It is frequently part
of mixtures that are seeded in mountain brush (especially Gambel oak
(Quercus gambellii) types to improve rangeland.  These mixtures are
drilled or broadcast seeded after some type of surface
preparation--usually removal of brush by burning or chaining, or by
herbicide application [6,38].  Orchardgrass is used to stabilize ski
slopes in Montana and to suppress annual weeds [5,39,40,41].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
As a forage species, orchardgrass does not withstand continuous heavy
use; it is therefore recommended for planting in less accessible sites,
and for early season, moderate grazing [32,47,65].  Grazing tends to
increase both crude protein and dry matter production, and increase
production of phytomass the following spring [57].  Orchardgrass
responds well to nitrogen fertilizers, and moderately well to coplanting
with legumes [62,72].  Clipping height has an effect on productivity--it
is recommended that orchardgrass not be clipped below 3 inches (7.6 cm)
in height as it appears to become much more drought sensitive [72].
Clipping frequency is apparently not as critical; orchardgrass has been
found to be as productive when cut at 2- to 3-week intervals as when cut
at 5- to 7-week intervals [72].

Burned sites (either from wildfire, or sites that have been logged and
burned) seeded with orchardgrass had higher forage values than either
unseeded or unburned areas [37,45,53].  However, seeded grasses may
suppress growth of desirable timber species and native forbs.
[2,17,35,45,47].  Seidel and others [61] reported that seedling
mortality of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine were slightly increased (5-6
percent) over unseeded areas.  They concluded that a light rate of
seeding is compatible with the establishment of tree seedlings [61].
Seedling survival of trees planted in established stands of orchardgrass
can be greatly enhanced (depending on soil type) by the application of
herbicide before planting.

On sites where growth of tree seedlings is desirable, grazing by cattle
and wildlife improves tree growth compared with no grazing or grazing by
wildlife alone.  The degree of forage use and timing of grazing are
critical to tree growth/cattle use compatibility; light, early season
grazing is the most beneficial [36,47].

Related categories for Species: Dactylis glomerata | Orchardgrass