Teff grass increases summer forage availability in the Rolling Plains of Texas

Teff [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] grass has gained popularity in the United States as an emergency summer forage for livestock due to its drought tolerance and rapid growth habit. An alternative forage would benefit Texas Rolling Plains growers due to the summer forage shortage caused by drought conditions. However, among the teff research conducted in the United States, there is great variability in the forage yields and nutritive values depending on the amount of nitrogen and available water. The objective of the study was to evaluate forage productivity and nutritive value of teff in the Texas Rolling Plains under irrigated and dryland conditions with two nitrogen rates and application timings. Nitrogen fertilizer treatments included single applications of either 50 or 100 lb a⁻¹ applied at planting and a split application of either 50 or 100 lb a⁻¹ applied both at planting and after the first harvest. No differences were observed among nitrogen rates and application methods in the irrigated trial (5286 lb a⁻¹). The split application of 100 lb a⁻¹ produced the greatest total yield in the dryland trial (3096 lb a⁻¹) with no yield advantage of 100 lb N a⁻¹ over 50 lb N a⁻¹ at the first cutting. Forage nutritive values were similar to the warm-season forage species utilized in the region. This study showed that teff can be an alternative forage species in the region. Future research will include planting dates, nitrogen application timing, cutting height, and the interaction of these factors on yield and nutritive values of teff.