Publication Number 460-122, posted January 1997
Fast-growing annual grass species used as "nurse crops" in eastern U.S. mine revegetation
| Common Name (Scientific Name) | Principal Cultivars | Drought Resist- ance | Cold Toler- ance | Acid Toler- ance | Salt Toler- ance | High Water Toler. | Lower pH Limit | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) | German | Fair | Poor | Fair | Fair | Good | 4.5 | Rapid establishing, temporary crop. Seed in summer. |
| Japanese Millet (Echinochloa crusgalli) | Poor | Poor | Fair | Fair | Good | 4.5 | Quick, temporary cover. Food for wildlife. | |
| Pearl Millet (Pennisetum americanum) | Gahi-1, Starr | Poor | Poor | Good | Fair | Good | 4.0 | Fast growing, tall, annual. Food for wildlife. |
| Oats (Avena sativa) | Noble, Otee, Ogle, others | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Poor | 4.5 | Quick, temporary crop. |
| Winter Rye (Secale cereale) | Balbo, Abruzzi, Arostook | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Poor | 4.5 | Suitable for cover crop. Provides quick temporary cover. |
| Annual Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) | Poor | Good | Poor | Fair | Fair | 4.5 | Good winter annual. Outcompetes perennial grasses. | |
| Sudangrass (Sorghum sudanense) | Piper, Common | Good | Poor | Fair | Fair | Poor | 4.5 | Temporary, quick cover. Seed during summer. |
| Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum) | Feland, Severn, Tyler, Wheeler, others | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Poor | 4.5 | Similar to rye. |
Return to Section 1 of Table 2.
Return to the Grasses section of Revegetation Species and Practices.
Return to the Use of Grasses as "Nurse Crops" section of Revegetation Species and Practices.
Return to the Species and Application Rates section of Revegetation Species and Practices.