Managing Brunswickgrass In Bahiagrass Seed

Imagine buying seed only to find out that it was contaminated with a major weedproblem. What if cattle refuse to eat the weed, and it aggressively competed with the desired species. Unfortunately, that is the issue with brunswickgrass contamination in bahiagrass. 

 

Brunswickgrass (Paspalum nicorae) is closely related to bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum). So close, in fact, that the casual observer would have a hard time telling them apart. The seed produced by both species are so similar in size that it is practically impossible to separate the two when harvesting a seed field or cleaning the seed. 

 

Still, livestock can tell them apart. Livestock readily consume bahiagrass and will only eat brunswickgrass as a last resort. This differential grazing pressure gives brunswickgrass a competitive advantage, and a few plants of brunswickgrass can turn into a thick stand within a few years. 

 

For bahiagrass seed growers, harvesters, and processors, the challenge is to supply high quality seed that is free of brunswickgrass.