Response of Established Bahiagrass to Broadcast Lime and Phosphorus J. E. Rechcigl, P. Mislevy, and H. Ibrikci Research Question Literature Summary Study Description Applied Question zyxwv Bahiagrass, a warm season perennial forage, is grown on nearly 5 mil- lion acres of land in the southeastern USA. With the exception of N, soil acidity and P deficiencies are believed to be major factors limiting bahiagrass growth and production. The purpose of this study was to reevaluate the lime and P recommendations for bahiagrass production and to determine whether the recommended levels of lime and P appli- cations in Florida could be reduced without detrimental effects. Despite the wide use of bahiagrass in the southeastern USA, there is a lack of information available about bahiagrass liming and P require- ments. The limited information that exists on the soil pH and P require- ments is based on greenhouse studies. Unfortunately it is difficult to relate greenhouse results to field conditions since bahiagrass is a deep- rooted forage. A 4-yr field study was conducted on an acid infertile spodosol at Ona, FL, to determine the response of established bahiagrass to four rates of surface applied domomitic lime (0, 1, 2, 3 todacre) and four rates of P (0, 11, 22, 44 lb Placre). What are the lime and P requirements for established bahiagrass? Bahiagrass yields increased with increasing rates of lime up to 2.0 tons/acre. Broadcast additions of 2.0 tons dolomite/acre to established bahiagrass fields increased soil pH to 5 .O and increased bahiagrass yields by 25%. Addition of lime above 2.0 tondacre did not effect yields (Fig. 1). Results of this study demonstrate the importance of dolomitic lime for bahiagrass production. Bahiagrass yields were not affected by P ap- plication due to high availability of subsoil P. Based on this study, it would appear that lime recommendations for bahiagrass could be reduced by over 50% in Florida spodosols without seriously affecting the crop yield and that P application may not be necessary when ade- quate subsoil P is present. 2' 0 1 2 3 Lime Rate (tondacre) Fig. 1. Influence of dolomitic lime on established bahiagrass produc- tion in 1992. Full scientific article from which this summary was written begins on page 249 of this issue. J. Prod. Agric., Vol. 8, no. 2, 1995 155 Published April 19, 2013