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Large areas of arid and semi-arid grasslands in Mexico are severely damaged. Large areas of high-risk rainfed crops have been abandoned. These problems are the result of constant overgrazing, extraction of firewood, overutilization of valuable species, fire and the practice of subsistence agriculture. The aim of this study was to measure the initial performance of the seedlings, as well as forage production and survival in the second year of nine Bouteloua curtipendula populations native to Mexico in comparison with El Reno, a commercial variety from the US. Plant development was visually estimated and dry matter (DM) production was estimated one year after the establishment. Survival was assessed at the end of the growing season in the following year. The experiment was carried out using a complet randomized blocks experimental design, and differences in vigor between genotypes were analyzed by a permutation test. Significant differences in DM production and plant establishment (P <= 0.05) were observed between genotypes. The US commercial variety was the least productive population, exhibiting less vigor during the first year than the rest of the genotypes evaluated. Large diversity in seedling establishment capacity, DM yield and survival was observed in the second year. The Mexican populations 241, NdeM-303, 47 and NdeM-5 were superior for plant establishment and DM production.