Persistence of a range of grasses in a continental climate

The possibility of growing grasses of higher quality than tall fescue (Fest uca arundinacea) in a continental climate with cold winters, hot summers an d low precipitation was investigated with and without irrigation at Taigu, Shanxi, China. Tall fescue was compared with perennial ryegrass (Lolium per enne), meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) and a perennial ryegrass x meadow fescue hybrid cultivar in field swards, managed by cutting, during the year of sowing and in the three subsequent years. Tall fescue persisted satisfa ctorily throughout the experiment, even without irrigation. With irrigation , the other three grasses persisted satisfactorily to the end of the second harvest year and fairly satisfactorily to the end of the third harvest yea r. Without irrigation, the other three grasses had incomplete ground cover in the second harvest year and did not recover from the third winter.