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Production Papers

Reinfestation of Endophtye-Infected Tall Fescue in Renovated Endophyte-Free Pastures under Rotational Stocking

Department of Crop Sciences, Univ. of Illinois, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801

^* Corresponding author (bftracy{at}uiuc.edu)

Received for publication December 8, 2004. Endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire] is problematic in pastures because it produces alkaloids that can be toxic to cattle (Bos taurus). Replacement of E+ tall fescue pasture with endophyte-free (E–) fescue may effectively eliminate this problem. Endophyte-free cultivars, however, are less competitive than E+ fescue and are usually displaced over time. The main objective of this study was to determine whether E+ fescue would reinfest pastures planted with mixtures of E– fescue and other species and grazed under rotational stocking. In 2001, nine tall fescue pastures in western Illinois were renovated and planted with mixtures that contained E– fescue (Barcel) and two, four, or seven additional species. Pastures were grazed by beef cattle over 3 yr. Tall fescue tillers were collected each September and subjected to microscopic analysis for endophyte presence. After renovation, E+ still accounted for 18 to 38% of tall fescue. Relative to all other species, however, E+ fescue was <10% of pasture communities. The species mixtures sown with E– fescue had little influence on E+ fescue reinfestation (P = 0.70). Contrary to other studies, percentage of E+ fescue in E– pastures did not increase in the 3 yr of this study. Moderate grazing pressure under rotational stocking combined with relatively wet growing seasons likely favored E– fescue and suppressed E+ reinfestation. We also suggest that if pasture renovation can reduce E+ fescue percentage to <10%, it is unlikely that E+ fescue will reinfest pastures to an extent that may cause fescue toxicosis in cattle.

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