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 Cool Season Forage Crops

Common Name:

 Smooth Bromegrass

Latin Name:

 Bromus inermis

Variety:

 landrace

Crop Origin:

 Eurasia

Type:

 Perennial Cool Season

Date Planted:

 24 June, 2003

Growth Stages in Ohio

Smooth Brome Jan 1 06.JPG (2944918 bytes) Smooth Bromegrass feb 6 06.JPG (1658721 bytes) Smooth Bromegrass March 4 06.JPG (3464337 bytes) Smooth Bromegrass Apr 4 06.JPG (3495112 bytes) Smooth Bromegrass May 5 06.JPG (2823841 bytes) Smooth Brome 3 June 05.JPG (3217979 bytes)
January February March April May June
Smooth brome 1 July 05.JPG (3712920 bytes) Smooth bromegrass 7aug05.JPG (2498184 bytes) Smooth brome 3 sep 05.JPG (2623933 bytes) Smooth brome 1 oct 05.JPG (2603863 bytes) Smooth brome 4 Nov 05.JPG (2662571 bytes) Smooth brome 2 dec 05.JPG (3513655 bytes)
July August

September

 October November December

Cultivation in Ohio

Primary Uses:

 Forage

 Planting:

 Drilling is preferred at 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep in spring or late summer.

 Seeding Rate:

 12-16 lbs/acre

Fertility:

 Grows best on well-drained silt-loam or clay loam soils.  Performs best at pH between 6.0 and 7.0.  Apply 100-200 lb N/acre in split applications of 50 lb/acre in early spring and 50 lb/acre after each cutting.

Insects:

 none reported

Diseases:

 none reported

Harvest:

 Cutting should be done before tillering starts.  When seed heads emerge it is time to harvest for hay or silage.  Early harvesting can reduce growth and yields.

Comments:

 A leafy, sod-forming grass spreading by rhizomes.

Identification

Leaf:

 Smooth Brome leaf1.JPG (2059248 bytes) smooth_brome_rhizome.JPG (1459629 bytes)

Flower:

 Smooth Brome flower.JPG (2848195 bytes) Smooth Brome flower2.JPG (2253294 bytes)

Seeds:

 Smooth_bromegrass_seed.JPG (1357192 bytes) Smooth_Bromegrass_seedhead.JPG (2013597 bytes)

Distribution:

 smooth bromegrass distribution map.jpg (30947 bytes)

More Information

Links:

 http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRIN2 
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/forages/publications/grasses/smooth_brome.htm 
http://cropsoil.psu.edu/Extension/Facts/agfact27.pdf