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TIFTON 9 BAHIAGRASS
Tifton 9 is an improved variety of
Pensacola bahiagrass bred cooperatively at
Tifton, GA by the USDA-ARS and the
University of Georgia Coastal Plain
Experiment Station. Compared with common
Pensacola bahiagrass, Tifton 9 has more
vigorous seedlings, longer leaves, and is
equally digestible. In the first 3-year
replicated plot test it yielded 47% more
forage than Pensacola bahiagrass. It has
yielded at least 25% more forage than
Pensacola bahiagrass in tests at other
locations. In a 2-year replicated grazing
trial, Tifton 9 provided 17% more grazing
days and 25% more live weight gain per acre
than Pensacola bahiagrass.
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Tifton 9 will be well adapted wherever Pensacola
bahiagrass is grown. Tifton 9 yields more forage
than Pensacola bahiagrass from the same inputs. Its
greater seedling vigor will facilitate quick
establishment and permit the development of sod
based rotations. Farmers report
that turning under bahiagrass sod has
significantly increases yields of peanuts, corn, and
cotton. A two- or three-year rotation of Tifton 9
reduces soil-borne diseases and root knot nematode
damage, and increases yield of vegetables.
Because Tifton 9 bahiagrass is a variable
population and has no visible characteristics that
can be used for its identification, it is necessary
to depend on certification to preserve its identity.
Tifton 9 has Plant Variety Protection under the
Title V option. Seed of Tifton 9 can only be sold as
a class of certified seed. Certified seed fields
must be planted with foundation seed.
Foundation seed is available from the Georgia
Seed Development Commission, 2420 South Milledge
Avenue, Athens, GA 30605. Breeder seed of Tifton 9
will be maintained by USDA-ARS Crop Genetics and
Breeding Research Unit, Coastal Plain Experiment
Station, Tifton, GA 31793.
Management:
Bahiagrass seedlings are small and grow slowly.
For good establishment in one year, weeds must be
controlled by frequent mowing or grazing.
Unfortunately, there are no selective herbicides to
help. Plantings in newly cleared land will establish
quicker than those in old cultivated fields because
of fewer weeds. Grazing should begin when weeds such
as crabgrass are young enough to be grazed down
close to the bahiagrass seedlings.
1. Plant only certified Tifton 9 seed - your
guarantee that it is not ordinary Pensacola
bahiagrass.
2. Have your soil tested. Apply 50 pounds per
acre of nitrogen plus adequate phosphorous and
potassium.
3. Prepare a firm weed-free seed bed.
4. Plant seed 1/2 inch deep with a grain
drill or grass seeder. With excellent weed
control, 10 pounds of seed could give a good
stand by the end of the first growing season
5. Plant in early spring to give a full
summer season for establishment.
6. Pack the soil after planting with a very
heavy roller or the tractor to keep soil moist
around the seed.
7. Control weeds with mowing or limited
grazing to keep them down close to the top
bahiagrass leaves. An application of 2,4-D will
control broad leafed weeds if applied when
bahiagrass seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall. It
will not control grasses.
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Glenn W. Burton, Roger N. Gates and Gary M. Hill
