Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and greater lotus (Lotus uliginosus) in perennial pastures in eastern Australia. 2. Adaptation and applications of lotus-based pasture

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 521 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Ayres ◽  
M. J. Blumenthal ◽  
L. A. Lane ◽  
J. W. O'Connor
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Birdsfoot Trefoil ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Learning Study ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Lotus Uliginosus

This co-learning study with greater lotus (Lotus uliginosus Schukr.) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) was undertaken in the Perennial Pasture Zone of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, in conjunction with 14 community groups. The overall study combined a field experiment investigating grazing management practices with a co-learning study assessing the adaptation and potential applications of these 2 Lotus species. The present paper reports on the co-learning study. Seventeen sites were established on farms situated in the North Coast, Northern Tablelands, North West Slopes, South Coast and Southern Tablelands regions of NSW. Of the 17 co-learning sites, greater lotus or birdsfoot trefoil was established successfully and yielded useful findings at 9 of 10 sites in northern NSW and 3 of 7 sites in southern NSW. Establishment failure of greater lotus or birdsfoot trefoil at the 5 remaining sites was associated with severe drought conditions at, or shortly following, sowing. Results from across the 4 regions are collated to report on the adaptation of the 2 Lotus species to a diversity of climatic, edaphic and management applications. The study has confirmed that greater lotus is a valuable perennial legume for high rainfall coastal plains, coastal low-lands, coastal hill-country and niche tablelands environments where the average annual rainfall (AAR) exceeds 1000 mm. Significantly, the study shows that birdsfoot trefoil has important potential for low fertility acidic soils on tablelands and slopes where the AAR is 650–1000 mm, especially in northern NSW.

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and greater lotus (Lotus uliginosus) in perennial pastures in eastern Australia. 1. Effects of grazing management on persistence

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 503 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Ayres ◽  
M. J. Blumenthal ◽  
J. W. O'Connor ◽  
L. A. Lane ◽  
H. I. Nicol
Keyword(s):  
Management Practice ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
South Coast ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Birdsfoot Trefoil ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Grazing Experiment ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Lotus Uliginosus

A study was undertaken in the Perennial Pasture Zone in New South Wales, Australia, to investigate the potential of lotus-based pastures (greater lotus, Lotus uliginosus Schukr.; birdsfoot trefoil, Lotus corniculatus L.) to improve grazing production. The study was based on a methodology that combined a grazing experiment to determine the effects of grazing management on lotus persistence, with a co-learning phase to assess the adaptation and applications of lotus across the high rainfall zone. The present paper reports on the grazing experiment that was replicated in 4 regions (North Coast, South Coast, Northern Tablelands, Southern Tablelands) and that included combinations of grazing strategy (summer rest, autumn rest, 14-day spell or 28-day spell), grazing intensity (low or high herbage mass), Lotus species and cultivar (L. uliginosus cvv. Grasslands Maku, Sharnae; L. corniculatus cv. Grasslands Goldie or ‘Spanish’ breeding line) and companion grass (sown or volunteer) treatments. The experiment provided results for the establishment and botanical presence of both Lotus species, and the expression of their persistence mechanisms in these 4 environments. Greater lotus cv. Grasslands Maku established best under coastal conditions and birdsfoot trefoil cv. Grasslands Goldie established best under tablelands conditions. The degree of nodulation of greater lotus cv. Sharnae and birdsfoot trefoil cv. Grasslands Goldie was less than nodulation of greater lotus cv. Grasslands Maku, but nodulation had no apparent effect on seedling vigour. The population density of all Lotus cultivars declined substantially at the North Coast, South Coast and Southern Tablelands sites during severe drought conditions. However, both birdsfoot trefoil cv. Grasslands Goldie and greater lotus cv. Grasslands Maku remained relatively stable at the Northern Tablelands site with greater lotus cv. Grasslands Maku maintaining 20–40% presence and birdsfoot trefoil cv. Grasslands Goldie retaining 30–50% presence, depending on time of year. In general, there was little effect of grazing management practice on arresting the decline in lotus presence due to drought, or on enhancing the regeneration processes associated with lotus persistence.

Soil organic matter in rainfed cropping systems of the Australian cereal belt

Soil Research ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 435 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Dalal ◽  
K. Y. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Eastern Australia

The Australian cereal belt stretches as an arc from north-eastern Australia to south-western Australia (24˚S–40˚S and 125˚E–147˚E), with mean annual temperatures from 14˚C (temperate) to 26˚C (subtropical), and with annual rainfall ranging from 250 mm to 1500 mm. The predominant soil types of the cereal belt include Chromosols, Kandosols, Sodosols, and Vertosols, with significant areas of Ferrosols, Kurosols, Podosols, and Dermosols, covering approximately 20 Mha of arable cropping and 21 Mha of ley pastures. Cultivation and cropping has led to a substantial loss of soil organic matter (SOM) from the Australian cereal belt; the long-term SOM loss often exceeds 60% from the top 0–0.1 m depth after 50 years of cereal cropping. Loss of labile components of SOM such as sand-size or particulate SOM, microbial biomass, and mineralisable nitrogen has been even higher, thus resulting in greater loss in soil productivity than that assessed from the loss of total SOM alone. Since SOM is heterogeneous in nature, the significance and functions of its various components are ambiguous. It is essential that the relationship between levels of total SOM or its identif iable components and the most affected soil properties be established and then quantif ied before the concentrations or amounts of SOM and/or its components can be used as a performance indicator. There is also a need for experimentally verifiable soil organic C pools in modelling the dynamics and management of SOM. Furthermore, the interaction of environmental pollutants added to soil, soil microbial biodiversity, and SOM is poorly understood and therefore requires further study. Biophysically appropriate and cost-effective management practices for cereal cropping lands are required for restoring and maintaining organic matter for sustainable agriculture and restoration of degraded lands. The additional benefit of SOM restoration will be an increase in the long-term greenhouse C sink, which has the potentialto reduce greenhouse emissions by about 50 Mt CO2 equivalents/year over a 20-year period, although current improved agricultural practices can only sequester an estimated 23% of the potential soil C sink.

Small grain screenings in wheat: interactions of cultivars with season, site, and management practices

2004 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 797 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Sharma ◽  
W. K. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Yield Components ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Plant Population ◽  
Grain Weight ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Grain Number ◽  
Terminal Drought ◽  
Applied Nitrogen

Small grains that pass through a 2-mm slotted screen (sievings or screenings) are one of the most important causes of price dockages of wheat in Australia because grain size variation greatly affects flour yield and commercial value. The aims of this study were to examine the effects of season, time of sowing, plant population, and applied nitrogen, and their interactions with cultivars, on small grain screenings. Twenty-one field experiments involving 16 new cultivars and elite crossbreds, and various management variables, were conducted in the medium (annual rainfall 325–450 mm) and low (annual rainfall <325 mm) rainfall zones of the Northern Agricultural Region of Western Australia over 3 diverse cropping seasons (1999–2001). Rainfall events towards the end of the season were critical to the level of screenings. Screenings were higher in season 2000 with terminal drought stress, but were low in 2001 despite severe drought stress during early growth. Delayed seeding caused higher screenings in 1999 (average rainfall with even distribution) and in 2000 (terminal drought) but not consistently in 2001 when early drought stress restricted tillering and spike size thereby constraining the yield level. Strong varietal and time of sowing interactions were evident but the relationship between maturity group and the level of screenings was not consistent. Rather, the ability of cultivars to adjust yield components was more important; 82% of the total variance in small grain screenings was accounted for by a regression model based on variety-specific kernel weight, post-heading rainfall (from about 2 weeks before anthesis), and location factors. The effect of increasing plant population on screenings was mostly negative, with some minor exceptions for a few cultivars in the low-rainfall zone. As applied nitrogen was increased, screenings generally increased and cultivar influenced this trend more than rainfall zone. It is postulated that for a cultivar to be unaffected by applied nitrogen, it should have inherently higher grain weight as well as high stability of grain weight across nitrogen levels. Applied nitrogen had a significant effect on screenings only at higher plant populations. In experiments where the level of screenings exceeded 5%, the yield components that were significantly associated with screenings, in order of relative importance, were grain weight > grain number/area > grain number/head > grain yield. Cultivars differed in production of screenings in response to plant population, nitrogen fertiliser and sowing time. Harrismith was the most sensitive cultivar and Wyalkatchem was overall the most tolerant cultivar. Delayed seeding had the least effect on the screenings of cultivars Westonia, Carnamah, and Wyalkatchem. Carnamah was the most stable cultivar against higher levels of applied nitrogen, whereas Westonia required high plant numbers to contain screenings. It is concluded that cultivars can be classified according to specific sensitivities, and appropriate management practices may be suggested to growers.

Regeneration characteristics of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) in low latitude environments in eastern Australia

2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 833 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Ayres ◽  
W. M. Kelman ◽  
L. A. Lane ◽  
B. E. McCorkell
Keyword(s):  
Seed Set ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Birdsfoot Trefoil ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Breeding Lines ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Perennial Legume

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) is a perennial pasture legume with adaptive characteristics and agronomic potential for permanent pastures in the high rainfall temperate zone in eastern Australia. Most birdsfoot trefoil cultivars have been developed for high latitude (>40° north or south) locations, and have long photoperiod (>16 h) requirements for flowering. However, at low latitude (28–32°S) in northern New South Wales (NSW), daylength (~14 h on the summer solstice) provides insufficient photoperiod to stimulate flowering and the level of seed-set needed for effective seedling recruitment. As a precursor to breeding, a study was undertaken to characterise a collection of birdsfoot trefoil populations from low latitude origins. Eight cultivars, two breeding lines and 38 accessions were assessed for flowering prolificacy, seed-set, morphological characteristics and seasonal herbage growth at two sites in northern NSW (Glen Innes 29°42′S, Armidale 30°31′S). None of the cultivars expressed reproductive processes with sufficient intensity to provide the level of seed-set necessary for regeneration. However, three accessions consistently flowered strongly at both sites and expressed desirable agronomic characteristics, and a further 10 accessions and the Australian germplasm BLVR5 flowered strongly at least at one of two sites. These populations provide a genetic base for future cultivar development, so that birdsfoot trefoil might become a perennial legume option for northern NSW and other low latitude regions.

Seed pod shattering in the genus Lotus (Fabaceae): A synthesis of diverse evidence

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Grant
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Recurrent Selection ◽  
Somatic Hybridization ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Birdsfoot Trefoil ◽  
Pod Shattering ◽  
Seed Loss ◽  
High Heritability ◽  
Bridge Species ◽  
Interspecific Somatic Hybridization

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) is a perennial dehiscent species with an indeterminate growth habit. Pod shattering has been a major problem as seed loss is high due to the continuous flowering and time of pod maturity. The anatomy of the pod plays a role in pod shattering. A change in the orientation of the cells in the pericarp in which unequal swelling and shrinkage occur and a lower lignification of the mesocarp have been considered as major causes. The relative humidity (RH) at the time of harvest is also a major factor. The critical RH for dehiscence varies with genotypes between 35 and 49%. Pod dehiscence is uncorrelated with plants grown to maturity under green house conditions and the same plants grown in the field. Management practices (timing of the harvest, clipping early in the season, misting, mowing and turning the windrow during drying, desiccants) have not been successful to control pod shattering. Shattering resistance is a character of high heritability and in Lotus is considered to be controlled by more than one gene. Breeding to reduce shattering through recurrent selection has been unsuccessful. Attempts to transfer the indehiscent seed pod trait from distantly related indehiscent species via interspecific hybridization, diploid bridge species, amphidiploidy, and backcrossing to birdsfoot trefoil, or similarly by interspecific somatic hybridization, have shown promise. The molecular approach has so far not been attempted but since genetic transformation can be carried out in Lotus, this avenue should be investigated. Key words: Birdsfoot trefoil, Lotus corniculatus, indehiscence, dehiscence, pod shattering, interspecific and somatic hybridization

NUTRIENT STRESS IN BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL

1986 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 933-946 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. RUSSELLE ◽  
R. L. McGRAW
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Deficiency ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Growth Cycle ◽  
Solution Culture ◽  
Nutrient Stress ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Birdsfoot Trefoil ◽  
Complete Treatment ◽  
Opposite Manner

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) is often grown on poorly drained, low fertility, and low pH soils under marginal management. The objective of this research was to document several aspects of single nutrient stresses in birdsfoot trefoil. Plants were grown hydroponically in the glasshouse through two vegetative cycles and one reproductive growth cycle. Nutrient deficient treatments included P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Mo; toxicity treatments included B, Mn, Zn, Cu and Mo. Dry mass of shoots, shoot branching, and leaf area were typically lower in stressed plants than in plants grown in complete nutrient solution and specific leaf mass was generally larger in stressed plants. Nodule function and appearance were more severely affected by macronutrient than by micronutrient (except B) deficiencies. A deficiency or excess of a given nutrient often increased concentrations of other nutrients, but concentrations of some elements also decreased in response to a stress in another. In a few instances, concentrations of a nutrient differed from the complete treatment in an opposite manner in shoots than in roots. Seed yield and yield components were less frequently affected by nutrient stress than were herbage yields. Visual symptoms were generally similar to those of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and the clovers (Trifolium spp.).Key words: Lotus corniculatus L., mineral nutrition, nutrient deficiency, nutrient toxicity, hydroponic solution culture, birdsfoot trefoil

Developing birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) varieties for permanent pasture applications in low latitude regions of eastern Australia

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 488 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Ayres ◽  
W. M. Kelman ◽  
S. G. Wiedemann ◽  
L. A. Lane ◽  
B. E. McCorkell
Keyword(s):  
Germination Rate ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Phenotypic Selection ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Birdsfoot Trefoil ◽  
Phenotypic Variance ◽  
Seedling Vigour ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Selection For

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) is a potentially important alternative legume for recharge landscapes in the high rainfall zone in eastern Australia. However, in the summer rainfall region in northern New South Wales (NSW) where birdsfoot trefoil has the greatest potential application, flowering and seed set are limited by short daylength. Consequently, existing birdsfoot trefoil cultivars do not set enough seed to develop a seedbank that sustains a productive persistent stand. A breeding program was undertaken to develop birdsfoot trefoil cultivars adapted to short photoperiod to increase the area sown to deep-rooted perennials in the grazing lands in eastern Australia. Three new birdsfoot trefoil experimental varieties, Phoenix, Venture and Matador, were developed through: (1) phenotypic selection within cv. Grasslands Goldie for flowering intensity and pod set, (2) phenotypic selection for these same traits in a broader sample of 49 world-sourced lines, and (3) selection for prostrate growth habit among progeny of pair-crosses between erect and prostrate accessions identified as productive in southern NSW. Following two cycles of selection for flowering prolificacy and pod set, the average number of umbels per stem in the Goldie-derived populations was five times greater than in the commercial Goldie population; this response to selection closely approximated the predicted response based on previous estimates of heritability and phenotypic variance for this trait. In comparison with Goldie, the Syn1 and Syn2 populations of the three experimental varieties consistently expressed earlier flowering maturity and higher seed yield potential in glasshouse and field trials in northern NSW. While germination rate and seedling vigour of the three experimental varieties was slightly less than Goldie, intensive selection pressure on reproductive traits did not compromise seasonal herbage production.

Factors affecting the adoption of productive pastures by participants in a paired-paddock extension program

2000 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 1089 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Trompf ◽  
P. W. G. Sale ◽  
B. Graetz
Keyword(s):  
Regression Models ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Exit Survey ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Phosphorus Fertiliser ◽  
Fertiliser Use ◽  
Extension Program

A survey of 146 pastoral producers across south-eastern Australia was conducted after they had participated for 3 years in the Grassland’s Productivity Program. The exit survey, together with earlier surveys, enabled the changes in whole-farm stocking rate and phosphorus fertiliser use, management practices, and perceptions of the Grassland’s Productivity Program, to be determined. The magnitude of the increases in productivity settings and the increased use of most recommended management practices were not influenced by either the facilitator who guided the groups of participants, or by the annual rainfall for the farm, which varied between 400 and 1000 mm. Path analysis of the survey data found that changes in productivity settings during 1993–97 did not depend on any one feature of the extension program. Rather the changes resulted from a hierarchy of interacting effects including certain initial (1993) and final (1997) management practices, attitudes to the program and perceived benefits from the program, and situational constraints such as the availability of suitable soil types on the farm. There were differences in the significant terms in the regression models that predicted the change in stocking rate, the change in fertiliser rate, or the combined variable for both, that was designated as the change index.

PRIMING AS THE FACTOR OF INCREASE OF EFFICIENCY SEED PRODUCTION OF BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Zolotarev
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Characteristic Property ◽  
Seed Priming ◽  
Lotus Corniculatus ◽  
Birdsfoot Trefoil ◽  
Germination Energy ◽  
Field Germination

A characteristic property of legumes is the formation of hard-stone seeds. To use such seeds for sowing, it is necessary to carry out measures to increase their seeding indicators. The article provides an overview of methods of pre-sowing preparation of seeds, priming (Seed Priming). The harvest of Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) can contain up to 90% or more hard-stone seeds. Mechanical priming of hard-stone seeds of Birdsfoot trefoil increases their germination energy and field germination.

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