HISTORY OF RANGE SEEDING IN SOUTH TEXAS JULY 2011

HISTORY OF RANGE SEEDING IN SOUTH
TEXAS
JULY 2011
John Lloyd-Reilley
E. “Kika” de la Garza
Plant Materials Center
Kingsville, Texas

History of Plant Research by the
King Ranch

Robert Kleberg, Sr.
• Started testing grasses
and legumes
• 1900-1925

Robert Kleberg, Sr.
Philosophy
• If we settled for things the way they were, we would
be herding English cattle and developing shade
structures for them instead of developing the Santa
Gertrudis breed.
• We aren’t going to settle for native grass that you
have to protect.
• We are going to introduce or develop a hardy grass
that suits South Texas and the Santa Gertrudis breed.

African Rhodesgrass (Chloris gayana)
1915-1942

African Rhodesgrass
• Over 75,000 acres
planted on the King
Ranch by 1943.
• “WONDER GRASS”
• Carrying Capacity:
– 1 head /25 acres
untreated native range
– 1 head /6 acres after
clearing
– 1 head /3 acres with
Rhodesgrass

African Rhodesgrass
• 1943 was the last crop
• Scale (Antonina
graminis) devastated 74
species of grass in 63
Texas counties
• Dr. Paul Riherd at the
Weslaco Experiment
Station developed a
biological control with
the use of a small wasplike
parasite Anagyrus
antoninae.

• In the early 1940’s USDA had a grass nursery
at Texas A&I
• Nico Diaz was the SCS agronomist.
– In 1943 he was hired by the Ranch.
• The 3 entities entered into an agreement
– The Ranch would provide 200 ac. And plant grass
seed from the Texas A&I nursery plots.
– After2 yrs. The experimental plantings became the
property of the Ranch.

• WW II interrupted the plan.
• But 2 species did reveal themselves from the
early trials
– Kleberg bluestem
– Slender grama

Nico Diaz
• Grass Philosophy
– A grass needed to be:
• Aggressive
• Palatable
• Hardy
• Kleberg bluestem
• K.R. bluestem

• Tested Natives as Well as Exotics
– Seacoast bluestem
– Sandhill grass (Brachiaria ciliatissima)
– Gulf cordgrass
– Curly mesquite
– Buffalograss
– Plains bristlegrass
– Texas grama
– Hooded windmillgrass
– False Rhodes grass

• Research Observation:
– Native plants have already demonstrated their
ability to survive and do well under existing
fertility conditions

HISTORY OF RANGE SEEDING
Not Just About the Species
but also
About the Equipment

Prior to WWII little seeding done.
• Nibset Seeder precursor to the rangeland drill

Truax Rangeland Drill

• 1910-1930 - 17,000 acres (steam engines)
• 1936-1953
Cabled – 10,700 acres
Dozed - 103, 998 acres
Root Plowed - 141,264 acres
Sprayed - 100,162 acres

Cabling or Chaining

Dozer with Root Rake

Rootplow

Roller Chopping

Aerial Spraying

Aerial Seeding

South Texas in 1950
•Brush clearing extensive
acreage
•Seeding –Buffelgrass, Blue
Panicgrass, Rhodesgrass,
Kleberg and K.R. Bluestems

Buffelgrass

Blue Panicgrass

Rhodesgrass (Chloris gayana)

Kleberg Bluestem

K.R. Bluestem

South Texas in 1960
•Brush clearing extensive acreage
•Seeding – Kleingrass, Buffelgrass,
Wilman Lovegrass, Bermudagrass
Kleberg and K.R. Bluestems

Kleingrass

Wilman Lovegrass

BERMUDAGRASS

Key Points - Then
• Cattle was the #1 Priority
• Fuel was Cheap

South Texas in 1990
•Less Brush Clearning
•Increased Interest and Demand for
Natives
•Switchgrass, Sideoats Grama,
Green Sprangletop

Switchgrass

Sideoats Grama

South Texas in 2000
•Dr. Ocumpaugh promoting
legumes
•STPMC Releases 3 Native Grasses
– Big Sacaton, false Rhodes grass,
and Canada Wildrye

South Texas Natives
2001
An initiative to develop and
promote native plants for
restoration and reclamation
of habitats on private and public
lands

Key points - Now
• Fuel isn’t cheap
• Don’t seed if you don’t have to
• Seed for diversity

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