Photo: Kevin Thompson/The Horse

Then UK graduate student Marie Bourguignon, UK agroecologist Rebecca McCulley, and Randy Dinkins, a scientist with the USDA’s Forage-Animal Production Research Unit, looked at the potential effects of warmer and wetter conditions on four different genotypes of KY 31 tall fescue, one of the most common grasses used in pastures in Kentucky and the Southeast. Their U.S. Department of Energy-funded study looked at climate change effects on the common endophyte, a fungus found in most tall fescue that helps the plant grow better and tolerate stressful conditions. The fungus is also an insect deterrent, but it can be toxic to livestock. About 75% of all tall fescue in the United States is infected with the common strain of the endophyte.

“We really wanted to assess the response of the plant so we’re able to predict what’s going to happen in the future and to be able to give advice to farmers who use tall fescue in their pastures,” said Bourguignon, now a doctoral student at Iowa State University.

Climate scientists predict that in 50 to100 years, Kentucky will be around 3°Celsius warmer and could receive more rainfall. UK researchers simulated those effects using heat lamps to add 3° Celsius on top of the outside temperature and applied 30% more rainfall over the growing season using a water hose and precipitation collected on-site twice monthly