An Australian temperate pastures database

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 453 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Pearson ◽  
R. Brown ◽  
W. J. Collins ◽  
K. A. Archer ◽  
M. S. Wood ◽  
...  

A census of pasture types and their composition and attributes (e.g. purpose and carrying capacity) was carried out throughout southern Australia from June to October 1994. This paper describes the survey process and subsequent creation of an Australian temperate pastures database. Data were created for 562 local government areas (LGAs) from ‘desk estimates’ by trained agriculturists. They identified about 2500 pasture types, which were grouped into 120 standardised pasture categories. Some findings from the data are identified, namely the high relative importance on an area basis of unimproved native pastures, the importance of weedy species (e.g. Vulpia), and the marked decline with increasing rainfall in importance of annual medics compared with subterranean clover. This paper provides examples of the data and their use for assessment of the regional economic impact of increases in productivity of pasture species.

2003 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 51-59
Author(s):  
B.S. Dear

Australian farming systems have traditionally relied on annual legumes such as subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) and annual medics (Medicago spp.) in either short-term pastures in rotation with crops or permanent pastures to provide low cost biologically fixed N and a high quality forage for livestock. The role of legumes in farming systems is now being reassessed because of the recognition that their extensive use is associated with widespread soil acidification, loss of species diversity in native pastures and increasing dryland salinity. In the future, annual legumes are more likely to be sown in mixtures with deep-rooted perennial pasture species, both in permanent pastures and in rotation with crops, to improve hydrological balance in the landscape. As a result, there is a change of direction in annual legume selection and breeding programs within Australia with a greater focus on the ability of legumes to coexist with perennial species, as well as on characteristics such as an extended growing season and deeper rooting habit to exploit subsoil water. There is also a trend towards increasing the diversity of annual legume species sown in pasture mixes to better exploit paddock variation and variable seasonal conditions.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. e0229087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget Shovestul ◽  
Jiayin Han ◽  
Laura Germine ◽  
David Dodell-Feder

1992 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
RR Young ◽  
KJ Morthorpe ◽  
PH Croft ◽  
H Nicol

The tolerance of 5 species of annual medics (Medicago spp.), Trifolium subterraneum cv. Nungarin, and hedge mustard (Sisymbrium orientale) to a range of post-emergence broadleaf herbicides was tested over 2 years. The least damaging to M. truncatula was 2,4-DB, which provided more consistent and effective control of hedge mustard than the other chemicals tested, including the less expensive tank mix of 2,4-DB + diuron. MCPA amine or sodium salt (300 g a.i./ha), bromoxynil (420 g a.i./ha), and tank mixes containing MCPA amine (150-175 g a.i./ha) severely damaged annual medics, particularly M. truncatula, with flowering delayed by up to 21 days, and dry matter and seed yields often significantly (P<0.05) reduced. Seed yields of most test plants indicated a degree of recovery from herbicide damage assessed visually after 10 days. Hedge mustard was not always as severely damaged by MCPA amine as was M. truncatula. Nungarin subterranean clover and M. aculeata SAD 2356 were more tolerant than the M. truncatula cultivars of MCPA amine, MCPA sodium salt, MCPA tank mixes, and bromoxynil, and less tolerant of 2,4-DB. Medicago littoralis, M. polymorpha and M. laciniata were severely damaged by bromoxynil but were more tolerant of MCPA than M. truncatula.


1985 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 595 ◽  
Author(s):  
MDA Bolland

In three experiments located near Esperance, Western Australia, the effect of superphosphate phosphorus on seed yields of subterranean clover, serradella and annual medics was measured on newly-cleared soils, using low seeding rates. In two experiments, the relationship between seed yield and the amount of phosphorus applied was linear for subterranean clover and serradella; seed yields increasing by 7-24 kg/ha for each kg/ha of phosphorus applied, depending on species, strain or cultivar, and location. In the third experiment, seed yields of annual medic species also increased markedly with increasing amounts of applied superphosphate phosphorus, this response also depended on species and strain or cultivar, but the responses become less marked with increasing amounts of phosphorus. For the annual medic species, the phosphorus treatments had no effect on average weight of one burr, number of seeds per burr, weight of one seed, or the rate of softening of hard seeds as measured both in a 15/60� alternating temperature oven (one cycle/day) or for samples of burrs collected periodically during summer from the field. For all legumes, the appearance of first flowers was not affected by phosphorus treatment.


1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1125 ◽  
Author(s):  
SP Flett

Root rot caused by Phytophthora clandestina Taylor, Pascoe & Greenhalgh is a serious disease of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum), an important leguminous component of Australia's temperate pastures. Previous reports have shown that P. clandestina causes severe taproot rot in cv. Woogenellup, while cvv. Larisa and Trikkala remain highly resistant. In this study, 3 greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the effects of P. clandestina isolates collected between 1983 and 1990 on different subterranean clover cultivars. Woogenellup was consistently susceptible while Meteora was less affected by all isolates tested. Trikkala, a previously known root rot resistant cultivar, was as susceptible as Woogenellup when tested with a recently collected isolate from Katamatite, northern Victoria. This study provides the first evidence for variation in virulence between isolates of P. clandestina and for physiological specialisation in this species.


2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 138 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. McGregor

The effects of animal species (AS; Angora goats, Merino sheep or goats and sheep mixed grazed together at ratio 1 : 1) and stocking rate (SR; 7.5, 10 and 12.5 animals/ha) on the availability, botanical composition and sward characteristics of annual temperate pastures under continuous grazing were determined in a replicated experiment from 1981 to 1984. AS and SR had significant effects on pasture availability and composition and many AS × SR interactions were detected. The pastures grazed by sheep had significantly reduced content and proportion of subterranean clover and more undesirable grasses compared with those grazed by goats. There were no differences in dry matter availabilities between goat- and sheep-grazed pastures at 7.5/ha, but at 10 and 12.5/ha goat pastures had significantly increased availabilities of green grass, dead and green clover and less weeds compared with sheep pastures. There was a significant AS × SR interaction for the density of seedlings in May following pasture germination. Between July and January, the height of pastures was greater under goats than sheep but from January to March pasture height declined more on goat-grazed than on sheep-grazed pastures. There was an AS × SR interaction for incidence of bare ground. Increasing the SR increased bare ground in pastures grazed by sheep but no change occurred on pastures grazed by goats. Changes in pasture characteristics due to increased SR were minimised on pastures grazed by goats but the grazing of sheep caused larger and faster changes and the pastures were damaged at the highest SR. Goats did not always select the same herbage material as sheep, changed their selection between seasons and were not less selective than sheep. Angora goats were flexible grazers and continually adapted their grazing behaviour to changing herbage conditions. Goat grazing led to an increase in subterranean clover, an accumulation of dead herbage at the base of the sward, reduced bare ground, taller pastures in spring and a more stable botanical composition. Mixed-grazed pasture characteristics were altered with SR. With careful management Angora goats on sheep farms may be used to manipulate pasture composition, to speed up establishment of subterranean clover, to decrease soil erosion and to reduce weed invasion.


OENO One ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Anne Carey ◽  
Eben Archer ◽  
Gérard Barbeau ◽  
Dawid Saayman

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aims</strong>: A terroir can be defined as a grouping of homogenous environmental units, or natural terroir units, based on the typicality of the products obtained. Terroir studies therefore require an investigation into the response of grapevines to the natural environment.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results</strong>: A network of plots of Sauvignon blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon were delimited in commercial vineyards in proximity to weather stations and their response monitored for a period of seven years. Regression tree methodology was used to determine the relative importance of the environmental and management related variables and to determine regression trees for each dependent variable. Excepting for scion clone, which had a high relative importance for bunch mass of Sauvignon blanc and yield to pruning mass index of Cabernet Sauvignon, no other nonenvironmental variable included in the analyses appeared to have a strong effect on grapevine performance and wine character. The performance of Cabernet-Sauvignon was related to the potassium content of the subsoil and climate (temperature and rainfall) of the season. The performance of Sauvignon blanc appeared to be related to soil texture, wind exposure and temperature of the site and season, both during the green berry growth stage and the month prior to ripening.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusions</strong>: From the results presented, it appears that environmental parameters have an overriding effect on the performance of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon blanc but that these two cultivars react differently to environmental stimuli.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Significance and impact of study</strong>: These results should contribute to the identification of viticultural terroirs with specific agronomic potential for Cabernet-Sauvignon and Sauvignon blanc.</p>


2012 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger A. C. Jones

This paper reviews current knowledge concerning the occurrence, losses caused, epidemiology, and management of virus diseases of annual pasture legumes. The viruses commonly present are spread by contact, or aphid vectors either non-persistently or persistently. Whether they are seed-borne and their means of transmission are critical factors determining their incidences within pastures in climatic zones with dry summers or substantial summer rainfall. Large-scale national or state surveys of subterranean clover pastures revealed that some viruses reach high infection incidences. Contamination with seed-borne viruses was widespread in plots belonging to annual pasture legume improvement programs and seed stocks of subterranean clover, annual medics, and alternative annual pasture legumes, and in commercial annual medic seed stocks. Yield loss studies with grazed swards were completed for three common viruses: two in subterranean clover and one in annual medics. These studies demonstrated considerable virus-induced losses in herbage and seed yields, and established that virus infection causes deteriorated pastures with high weed contents even when foliar symptoms are mild. Comprehensive integrated disease management tactics involving phytosanitary, cultural, chemical, or host resistance measures were devised for these three viruses in infected pastures, and for seed-borne viruses in annual pasture legume improvement programs. Several other viruses are potentially important, but, with these, quantification of losses caused in grazed swards is lacking and information on incidences in pastures is currently insufficient. Critical research and development gaps that need addressing are identified.


1990 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 923 ◽  
Author(s):  
PS Cocks

Seven accessions of five annual medic species were grown in swards at low and high densities at Tel Hadya in north Syria. Flower shedding, seed size, and other components of seed yield were compared with data collected from spaced plants. Seed yield of the seven accessions, ranging from zero to 800 kg ha-1, was correlated with flowering time at high density but not at low density. Early flowering accessions of Medicago polymorpha and M. truncatula produced more seed at high density than at low density, but a late-flowering accession of M noeana failed to produce seed at high density. Flower shedding was greatest in dense swards and least in spaced plants. Shedding of the various accessions ranged from 70% to M. polymorpha at low density to 96% in M. rigidula and 100% in M. noeana at high density. Some accessions shed flowers uniformly from all nodes, but in other accessions late-produced flowers were more likely to be shed. The flower shedding observed here was less than found in many other legumes, but more than has been observed in subterranean clover. It seems unlikely that seed yield can be increased by selecting for increased flower retention, but it may be possible to increase seed numbers at the expense of seed size; this may be useful in pasturebased farming systems.


1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
GB Taylor ◽  
MA Ewing

Burrs of 3 cultivars of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) and 1 cultivar each of burr medic (Medicago polymorpha) and barrel medic (M. truncatula), which had experienced 1 summer at the soil surface, were placed on the soil surface and at depths of 2, 6 and 10 cm in the soil. The numbers of residual hard seeds were determined each year for up to 4 years. There was a marked reduction in the rate of seed softening in all 3 clover cultivars with increasing depth of burial. Whereas <20% of the seeds of the hardest seeded clover cultivar, Nungarin, survived 3 years at the soil surface, there was no significant decline in seed numbers during 4 years of burial at 10 cm. Even with cv. Geraldton, in which only 5% of seeds remained after 1 year of placement at the soil surface, 75% of seeds survived 4 years of burial at 10 cm. Hard seeds of both medic varieties were considerably more resilient than clover seeds at the soil surface, particularly during the first summer following seed set. However, burial had much less effect on their longevity, with no significant effect of burial to 2 cm in either medic, or of burial to 6 cm in the case of barrel medic. These results support earlier findings which showed that tillage operations associated with crop establishment which result in the burial of substantial proportions of subterranean clover seeds can lead to useful soil seed reserves. The much lesser effect of burial on seed softening of the medics, compared with subterranean clover, suggests that tillage operations will be less advantageous to medic persistence in leys.


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