Indiangrass

Pests and Potential Problems

Indiangrass may serve as a host plant for leaf spot pathogens of Colletrichum caudatum and Ascochyta brachypodii (Zeiders 1982 and 1987). Puccinia virgate, a rust fungi, was reported on Indiangrass cultivars and ecotypes in east Texas at varying degrees of infestation (Matula and Taylor 2004).

Environmental Concerns

Concerns

Concerns

Indiangrass may spread to adjacent areas. It is considered a desirable plant within its range of occurrence. However, Indiangrass may be vulnerable to foliar diseases such as leaf spot or rust.

Control

Indiangrass is controlled by tillage and broad spectrum herbicides. Please contact your local agricultural extension specialist or county extension weed specialist to learn what works best in your area and how to use it safely.

Seeds and Plant Production

Plant Production

Plant Production

Production fields should be fertilized and limed based on soil test recommendations after plants have had at least one growing season to establish. This will minimize competition from warm season weeds during the establishment year. Indiangrass can be direct seeded using methods previously discussed in this document. For production fields, plant in 36" rows (approximately 3.3 lb/acre) or 26 seeds per linear foot of row (Houseal 2007). Allow enough space between rows for field maintenance and harvesting equipment. Consult with your local agricultural cooperative extension service for assistance with recommendations on herbicides and application rates for controlling weeds in Indiangrass seed production fields. Indiangrass seed fields reach their peak production at three years and have a productive stand life of 10 to 15 years (Houseal 2007). Indiangrass seed is very susceptible to shattering at maturity. Harvest seed when some of the topmost spikelets have fallen and the middle ones are in hard dough stage. Indiangrass seed can be harvested by a conventional combine or flail harvester. When harvesting with a combine, use low volume air settings and slower cylinder speed (900 to 1100 RPM) to minimize seed loss. Flail harvesters or seed strippers are nondestructive harvest methods that allow multiple harvests of seed production fields. After harvesting, the seed should be air-dried. Drying time varies widely by location and depends on such factors as temperature, humidity, and the amount of residue in harvested seed. Seed yield per acre varies from 50 to 130 bulk lb/acre (Houseal 2007). Scalp the dried material to remove larger stems and chaff, and use a debearder or brush machine to remove awns and other seed appendages (Fig. 4). For the final cleaning process, use an air-screen cleaner to remove additional stems, chaff, and unfilled seed not removed during the initial cleaning process. To maintain seed viability, store seed in a temperature and humidity controlled environment where the sum of percent humidity + temperature (0F) is equal to value of 100. Fig. 4. Indiangrass seeds. Photo: Steve Hurst, hosted by the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database. 4 Indiangrass may be transplanted in the spring as seedlings where applicable. Transplanting reduces the time needed to achieve a solid stand, allows for use of pre-emergent herbicides, and reduces the amount of weed competition typically seen in fields planted from seed. Transplants may be grown in the greenhouse using standard greenhouse production practices. To start transplants, use seed that has been stored in cool, dry conditions for a year. Sow seed ¼ inch deep into transplant trays two months before the last frost-free date in spring (Houseal 2007). Grow in the greenhouse until transplant seedlings develop a dense, fibrous root plug. Before planting to the seed production field, harden off seedlings in a shade house for approximately two weeks. Once transplants are beyond the seedling stage, cultivation and selective, post-emergence herbicides are recommended to reduce weed competition and maintain stand integrity. Consult your local extension weed specialist for recommended herbicides. Always read and follow label directions when applying herbicides. Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) Cultivars or prevarietal releases and other sources should be selected based on the local climate, resistance to local pests, and intended use. Consult with your local land grant university, local extension or local USDA NRCS office for recommendations on adapted cultivars for use in your area. ‘Americus’ was released in 2002 by the Jimmy Carter Plant Materials Center in cooperation with the Alabama Crop Improvement Association. Two collections from Georgia (Terrell and Sumter County) and two collections from Alabama (Barbour and Houston County) were cross-pollinated to produce this synthetic cultivar. It was released for pasture and hay production in the southeastern U.S. ‘Cheyenne’ was selected at the SCS Nursery, Woodward, OK by J.E. Smith, Jr., and G.L. Powers, and informally released in 1945. It is a collection of diverse plants with good forage and seed production qualities. It is recommended for range and pasture plantings in western Oklahoma, and in Texas. Coastal Germplasm was released in 2007 by the Cape May, New Jersey Plant Materials Center as source identified germplasm. It is a composite of seed collections from Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. ‘Holt’ was selected at the Nebraska AES, Lincoln, and USDA-ARS by E.C. Conard and L.C. Newell, and released in 1960. The original seed was collected in Elkhorn Valley of Holt County in northeastern Nebraska. It is well suited for pasture and range seedings with other warm season grasses. ‘Llano’ was released in 1963 by the Los Lunas, New Mexico Plant Materials Center and New Mexico AES. The seed was collected from sandy sites in eastern New Mexico (near Hudson and Portales) at elevations above 4,000 ft. with an average annual precipitation of 16 inches. It is known for high seed yields under fertilization and irrigation. It is recommended for range seedings, irrigated and non-irrigated pastures and revegetating disturbed sites. ‘Lometa’ was released cooperatively in 1981 by the James E. “Bud” Smith Plant Materials Center, Knox City, Texas, and the Texas AES. The original seed was collected in 1964 near Lometa, Texas. It produces twice the amount of forage as ‘Cheyenne’ and cures well for hay production. It is suited for range and pasture plantings in central and south Texas and for revegetating disturbed sites. ‘Nebraska 54’ was released in 1957 from seed collected from native stands in southern Nebraska by Harold Hummel, a private seed grower. It is recognized for high seed yields and good seedling vigor. It is adapted to southern and eastern Nebraska, and in northern Kansas, for pasture and range seedings. Newberry Germplasm was released, as source identified germplasm, in 2005 by the U.S. Forest Service in cooperation with the Jimmy Carter Plant Materials Center and the South Carolina Native Plant Society. It is a composite of seed collections from Newberry County, South Carolina. Northern, Central and Southern Iowa Germplasms were cooperatively released in 1997, 1996, 1998, respectively, as source identified releases, by the Elsberry, Missouri Plant Materials Center, University of Northern Iowa, Iowa Department of Transportation, Iowa Crop Improvement Association and NRVC. They are all composite lines from collections made in Northern, Central and Southern Iowa. Northern and western Missouri Germplasms were released in 1999, as source identified releases, by the Elsberry, Missouri Plant Materials Center, University of Missouri, Missouri Department of Transportation, and Missouri Department of Conservation. They are all composite lines from collections made in northern and western Missouri. 5 ‘Osage’ was selected at the Kansas AES, USDA-ARS and SCS cooperatively by F.L. Barnett from seed collected in eastern and central Kansas and Oklahoma in 1953. It was selected for leafiness, vigor, rust resistance, and early maturity. Recommended for range and pasture seedings in eastern Kansas, western Missouri, and northeastern Oklahoma. ‘Oto’ was cooperatively released in 1970 by the Nebraska AES, Lincoln and the USDA-ARS from Seed was collected from natural grasslands of Kansas and Oklahoma in 1953-1954. It is known for its superior establishment and yield under favorable moisture and fertility. It is recommended in mixed stands of warm-season grasses for improved grazing in eastern and southern Nebraska. Prairie View Indiana Germplasm Indiangrass was cooperatively released in 2001 by the Rose Lake, Michigan Plant Materials Center and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife as source identified germplasm. It is a composite of seed collections from northern and central Indiana. ‘Rumsey’ was released in 1983 by the Elsberry, Missouri Plant Materials Center and the Missouri AES. Seed was collected from a native stand in Jefferson County, Illinois. It flowers 10-20 days later than most Indiangrass cultivars, and maintains forage quality later into the season. Southlow Michigan Germplasm was released cooperatively in 2001 by the Rose Lake, Michigan Plant Materials Center, Michigan Association of Conservation Districts, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources as source identified germplasm. It is a composite of seed collections from the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Suther Germplasm was released in 2002 by the Cape May, New Jersey Plant Materials Center as source identified germplasm. It is a composite of seed collections from Cabarrus County, North Carolina. Tejas was selected at the Texas AES in Renner, Texas, but never formally released as a cultivar. Seed collections originated from Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. ‘Tomahawk’ was cooperatively released by the Bismarck, North Dakota Plant Materials Center, ARS, and the North Dakota and South Dakota AES in1988. It is a composite of three seed collections from North Dakota (near Ludden and Britton) and South Dakota (near Hecla) known for producing high seed yields and having superior winter hardiness. Recommended for range and pasture plantings, wildlife habitat and surface mine reclamation in the northern Great Plains. Wynia Germplasm was released in 2017 by the Booneville, Arkansas Plant Materials Center as a selected class of natural germplasm. It is a composite of nine collections chosen from an assembly of 46 collections of Indiangrass originating from native stands in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Forage quality estimates of crude protein and digestibility are equal to or higher than ‘Americus’ and ‘Cheyenne’. It is recommended for critical area erosion control, forage production, and conservation cover for wildlife and soil stabilization in the southern Ozarks.

Literature Cited

Cuomo, G,, B, Anderson, L, Young, and W, Wilhelm, 1996, Harvest frequency and burning effects on monocultures of 3 warm season grasses, J, Range Manage, 49(2): pgs, 157-162, George, R, 1978, Native prairie grass pastures as nesting habitat for bobwhite quail and ring-necked pheasant, In: Glenn-Lewin, David C,; Landers, R, Jr,, eds, Proceedings, 5th Midwest prairie conference; 1976 August 22-24; Ames, IA, Ames, IA: Iowa State University: 104-106, Gould, F, 1975, The grasses of Texas, Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX, Grelen, H, and R, Hughes, 1984, Common herbaceous plants of southern forest range, Res, Paper SO-210, USFS Southern Forest Experiment Station, New Orleans, LA, Henning, J, 1993, Big bluestem, Indiangrass, and switchgrass, Bulletin G4673, University of Missouri Cooperative Extension, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, Houseal, G, 2007, Tallgrass prairie center native seed production manual, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, Johnson, J, and G, Larson, 2007, Grassland plants of South Dakota and the northern great plains, Bulletin 566, South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, 2017, Sorghastrum nutans, Native Plant Database, Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, TX, Leithead, H,, L, Yarlett, and T, Shiflet, 1971, 100 native forage grasses in 11 southern states, Ag, Handbook No, 389, Soil Conservation Service, Washington, DC, 6 Macleod, C, 2017, Sorghastrum nutans, North American Native Plant Society, Toronto, ON, Matula, J, and J, Taylor, 2004, An investigation of rust resistance in five Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans L, Nash) varieties, In R, Vela, M, Parker, R, Smith, M, Buckner, C, Hunt (eds,) Proc, 107th Annual Meeting Texas Academy of Science, Kerrville, TX, 4-6 Mar, 2004, Texas Academy of Science, Edinburg, TX, Mitchell, R, and B, Anderson, 2008, Switchgrass, big bluestem, and Indiangrass for grazing and hay, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, Ohlenbuseh, P,, E, Hodges, S, Pope, 1983, Range grasses of Kansas, Cooperative Extension Service, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 23 p, Pierce, R, and E, Flinn, 2013, Enhancing white-tailed deer habitats on your property: early successional vegetation, Pub, G9494, University of Missouri Extension, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, Robel, R,, J, Briggs, N, James, J, Cebula, [and others], 1970, Greater prairie chicken ranges, movements, and habitat usage, J, Range Manage, 34(2):286-306, Schmer, M,, Q, Xue, and J, Hendrickson, 2012, Salinity effects on perennial, warm season (C4) grass germination adapted to the northern great plains, Can, J, Plant Sci, 92:873-881, Stubbendieck, J,, S,L, Hatch, K,J, Hirsh, 1986, North American range plants, 3rd Ed, Univ, of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, Towne, E, and K, Kemp, 2008, Long term response patterns of tallgrass prairie to frequent summer burning, Rangeland Ecology and Manage, 61(5):509-520, Tyrl, R, T, Bidwell, R, Masters, and R,D, Elmore, 2008, Field guide to Oklahoma plants – commonly encountered prairie, shrubland, and forest species, Oklahoma State Univ, Stillwater, OK, U,S, Army Corps of Engineers, 2017, National wetland plant list v3,3, U,S, Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC, U,S, Fish and Wildlife Service, 2017, Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS), U,S, Department of the Interior, U,S, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC, USDA NRCS, 2008, Dry matter production of five Indiangrass cultivars, Technical Note, USDA NRCS Booneville Plant Materials Center, Booneville, AR, USDA, NRCS, 2017, The PLANTS Database (http://plants,usda,gov, 19 July 2017), National Plant data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA, Walkup, C, 1991, Sorghastrum nutans, In: Fire Effects Information System, USDA USFS Rocky Mountain Res, Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Ft, Collins, CO, Warnes, D, and L, Newell, 1969, Establishment and yield responses of warm season grass strains to fertilization, Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Indiangrass., J,

Range

Manage. 22(4): 235-240. Weaver, J. 1968. Prairie plants and their environment. University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln, NE. Zeiders, K. 1982. Leaf spots of big bluestem, little bluestem, and Indiangrass caused by Ascochyta brachypodii. Plant Disease 66: 502-505. Zeiders, K. 1987. Leaf spot of Indiangrass caused by Colletotrichum caudatum. Plant Disease 71: 348-350. Ziehr, R., G. Rea, J. Douglas, K. Spaeth, G. Peacock, and J. Muir. 2014. Ontogenesis and nutritive value of warm season perennial bunch grasses. Tropical Grasslands 2:188-196. Citation Brakie, M. 2017. Plant Guide for Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, East Texas Plant Materials Center. Nacogdoches, TX 75964. Published September 2017 Edited: JLD, RG For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ and visit the PLANTS Web site at http://plants.usda.gov/ or the Plant Materials Program Web site: