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M- 4*j MRCS <br />United Department of Agriculture <br />• Natural Resources Conservation Service <br />Plant Guid-e <br />INTERMEDIATE <br />• <br />• <br />WHEATGRASS <br />Thinopyrum intermedium <br />(Host) Barkworth & D.R. <br />Dewey <br />Plant Symbol = THIN6 <br />Contributed by: USDA NRCS Idaho State Office <br />Alternate Names <br />Agropyron intermedium, Elytrigia intermedia, <br />pubescent wheatgrass, Agropyron trichophorum, <br />Thinopyrum intermedium ssp. barbulatum <br />Uses <br />Grazinglpasturelandlhayland: This is an introduced <br />species used for hay and pasture in the northern Great <br />Plains, west to eastern Washington, and south into <br />Colorado and Kansas. It produces good hay yields, <br />both individually and with alfalfa (Medicago spp.), <br />where stiff stems tend to keep alfalfa from lodging. <br />Intermediate wheatgrass has fairly slow re-growth <br />following clipping and is best adapted to single crop- <br />haying situations. Intermediate wheatgrass responds <br />very well to irrigation with production nearing the <br />level of'Regar' meadow brome (Bromus <br />biebiersteinii) and orchardgrass and exceeding <br />smooth brome (Bromus inermis) under full irrigation. <br />'Regan' and orchardgrass (Dactylis glomeratus) will <br />normally out produce intermediate wheatgrass hay <br />production in multiple cutting situations. <br />Intermediate wheatgrass responds well to limited <br />irrigation. It is able to tolerate droughty conditions <br />when irrigation ceases as long as about 12 inches of <br />total moisture is provided. It provides excellent <br />spring, early summer, and fall pasture, but must be <br />carefully managed to ensure maintenance of the stand <br />and high production. <br />Intermediate wheatgrass is palatable to all classes of <br />livestock and wildlife. It is a preferred feed for <br />cattle, sheep, horses, deer, antelope, and elk in spring, <br />early summer and fall. It is considered a desirable <br />feed for cattle, sheep, horses, and elk in summer and <br />winter. <br />Erosion controllreclamation: Intermediate <br />wheatgrass is well adapted to the stabilization of <br />disturbed soils. This grass can be used in critical and <br />urban areas where irrigation water is limited and to <br />stabilize ditchbanks, dikes, and roadsides. This grass <br />can also be use to build soils because of its heavy <br />root production. Levels as high as 7000 pounds (dry <br />weight) per acre of root production in the upper 8 <br />inches of soil have been measured in five-year-old <br />stands. <br />Wildlife: Strips of this grass ungrazed provide good <br />nesting cover for game birds and migratory <br />waterfowl. <br />Status <br />Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State <br />Department of Natural Resources for this plant's <br />current status, such as, state noxious status and <br />wetland indicator values. <br />Plant Materials <http://plant-materials.nres.usda.gov/> <br />Plant Fact Sheet/Guide Coordination Page <http://plant-materials.nres.usda.gov/intranet/pfs.html> <br />National Plant Data Center <http://npdc.usda.gov> <br />Hitchcock (1950)