For questions or comments regarding this publication contact Robert Kalmbacher Recent experiments at Ona with yearling steers grazing bahiagrass pastures illustrate the value of even small amounts of carpon desmodium. With a range of zero to five percent of the forage from carpon desmodium, positive responses in daily gain to the legume were obtained over the summer. Although its digestibility is typically no better than bahiagrass, crude protein of carpon desmodium leaf is generally greater than 15 percent compared to around seven percent for bahiagrass. A major limitation of carpon desmodium is low vigor and slow establishment of seedlings.
Seedlings are especially vulnerable to moisture stress.
Early summer plantings may be lost due to inadequate moisture when several days without rainfall occur immediately following germination. Plantings made later in the summer are susceptible to loss from excess water, since carpon desmodium seedlings are not tolerant of flooding even for a few days. By contrast, established carpon desmodium plants are well adapted to flatwoods sites subjected to short-term waterlogging. Results of attempts to establish carpon desmodium in bahiagrass pastures have shown that the degree of seedbed preparation, fertilization, and other expensive inputs are not generally the controlling factors in flatwoods pastures. Either moisture or plant competition is typically the controlling factor.