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Intermediate Wheatgrass (Agropyron intermedium)

Plant Species
From Montana Interagency Plant Materials Handbook *
 By S. Smoliak, R.L. Ditterline, J.D. Scheetz, L.K. Holzworth, J.R. Sims, L.E. Wiesner, D.E. Baldridge, and G.L. Tibke

Intermediate wheatgrass is a sod-forming, cool-season, perennial grass native to central Europe, the Balkans and Asia Minor. It was introduced into the United States from the Maikop region of Russian in 1932.

In its native habitat, it grows on high lime soils along hillsides and on plains. It produces good hay and pasture yields.

Description

Intermediate wheatgrass is more drought-resistant than smooth bromegrass and somewhat less hardy and drought-resistant than crested wheatgrass. It has erect stems with a heavy growth of basal leaves. The plants begin growth in early spring and reach a height of 3 to 4 feet by mid-summer. The heads are from 6 to 10 inches long and are typical of the wheatgrasses.

The seed is much larger than smooth bromegrass, resembling a small oat, and it is easily seeded through a grain drill. Seeds germinate rapidly and seedlings have good vigor.

Intermediate wheatgrass has a deep-feeding root system as well as creeping root stalks. Under irrigation, it is an aggressive sod-former. Under dryland conditions, it appears more like a bunchgrass.

Adaptation

Intermediate wheatgrass grows best on well-drained, fertile soils with ample moisture and tolerates alkalinity. It is suited to a wide range of soil and environmental conditions in its area of adaptation. In general, it does well where bromegrass does well. It grows well in irrigated areas, particularly if grown with a legume.

In the drier areas, intermediate wheatgrass yields more than smooth bromegrass and crested wheatgrass for the first three crop years, but then productivity declines. It can be used for hay or pasture in areas where annual rainfall is at least 14 inches.

Limitations

The drought resistance and winterhardiness of intermediate wheatgrass is lower than that of crested wheatgrass. Good pasture stands are difficult to maintain for much more than six years.

Intermediate wheatgrass can suffer from winterkilling after dry condi-tions in the fall. It does not tolerate salinity and wet conditions as well as tall wheatgrass, and does not persist in areas with poor drainage.

Use for Hay

Intermediate wheatgrass by itself, or in mixture with legumes, produces good yields of high-quality, palatable hay.

It is especially suited to seeding in mixtures with alfalfa because it usually has not flowered when alfalfa is ready to cut. For this reason, the hay cut from the mixture is of excellent quality.

Use for Pasture

Intermediate wheatgrass is a useful pasture crop. In many areas, it consistently out-yields smooth bromegrass and crested wheatgrass.

In pasture tests, intermediate wheatgrass-legume mixtures consistently out-yield other grass-legume mixtures under irrigation. Because of the higher forage yield, intermediate wheatgrass pastures can be stocked heavier than pastures of other grasses.

It provides excellent pasture from mid-spring to late summer and is very palatable to all classes of livestock. The foliage does not freeze back with an early frost as smooth bromegrass does, and can be used for fall pasture when moisture is favorable. Most growth is produced in spring and early summer, but regrowth is better than that of smooth bromegrass.

 

* The Montana Interagency Plant Materials Handbook (EB69) is no longer in print, but is available for viewing in
Montana County Extension Service and National Resource Conservation Service Offices.