believed that pangolagrass was produced by hybridization of
distantly related species4. Like most inter-specific hybrids, pan-
golagrass sterility results from meiotic irregularities which lead
to unbalanced gametes and abortive pollen. Environmental
differences which exist between the region of South Africa in
which pangolagrass originated, and the parts of Florida where
it is now grown apparently have no effect on its seed production.
 Improvement must involve the use of related Digitaria
species which are fertile. These parent varieties can be crossed,
and although the hybrid may be sterile like pangolagrass, new
combinations of favorable characteristics may be incorporated
in the hybrid. Various introductions of the genus Digitaria
have different chromosome numbers ranging from 9 to 36 pairs.
Pangolagrass has an intermediate number of chromosomes,
2n=27, so its ancestors probably are species with 18 and 36
chromosomes (31).
 Breeding a winter-hardy pangolagrass does not appear
possible by working directly with a sterile species. Therefore
obtaining cytogenetic information and hybridizing of related
species are the indicated methods for pangolagrass improvement.

 GRAZING EXPERIMENTS
 Pangolagrass, Coastal bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.)
Pers.] and Pensacola bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge)
produced similar beef daily gains and gains per acre in grazing
trials at Gainesville, Florida (Table 1).

Table 1.-Annual beef gain per acre and daily gain of steers grazing three
 grasses, 1944-47.

 Average Daily
Grass Variety Gain/Acre Gain/Head
 lb. Ib.

Pangolagrass 212 0.75
Pensacola bahiagrass 212 0.72
Coastal bermudagrass 225 0.72


 Fertilization consisted of 500 pounds per acre of 6-6-65 an-
nually in early spring and an additional 32 pounds per acre of

'Sheth, Anilkumar. Sterility problems in Digitaria decumbens, Stent. Univ.
of Fla. M. Sci. Thesis. June 1955.