Forage Quality and Steer Performance on Tifton 78 and Coastal Bermudagrass Pastures

orage quality and weight gains were measured during a 3-year experimenl in which yearling sleers grazed replicated 0.81-ha paslures of Tiflon 78 (T), a Tiflon 44 x Callie Fl hybrid, or Coastal (C) bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon [L.) Pers.). During 168-day grazing seasons, stocking rales were Increased as forage availability increased in spring and early summer resulting in mean slocking rales of 5.0 and 7.3 steers/ha, respectively, for C and T. Pastures were sampled al 28-day inlervals and in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) of available forage declined (P<0.01) for each bermudagrass with time, but seasonal mean IVDMD was higher (P<0.05) for T than C (T=57.4, C=56.5%). Steer average daily gains (ADO) were 15% higher (P<0.05) on T than on C pastures (C=0.59, T-0.68 kg), and gain/ha was 38.1%higher (P<0.01) for T than C (C=7l3, T=985 kg/ha). Superiority of Tifton 78 compared with Coastal has been verified in additional grazing experiments.