Nitrogen fertilizer responses and seasonal production of temperate and warm climate grasses on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales

1974 ◽  
Vol 14 (68) ◽  
pp. 362 ◽  
Author(s):  
RL Colman ◽  
A Lazenby ◽  
J Grierson

The seasonal patterns of herbage production and the nitrogen responses by two temperate (Lolium perenne and Phalaris tuberosa) and two tropical grasses (Digitaria macroglossa and Paspalum dilatatum) were compared in the field at Armidale, New South Wales from January 1969 to March 1971 with and without irrigation. Growth and nitrogen recovery of the grasses were affected by temperature, moisture and nitrogen rate. Temperate grasses produced little herbage at mean weekly temperatures below 6�C. Maximum growth rates were measured in October when mean weekly temperatures were approximately 14�C; growth rate declined markedly over summer. Digitaria was the highest yielding species during the first summer but failed to survive in winter. Paspalum was tolerant of winter temperatures as low as -8�C mean weekly minimum; growth commenced when mean weekly temperatures exceeded 13�C and maximum growth occurred in summer when the highest mean weekly temperature was 20�C. Phalaris and Paspalum were very tolerant of dry conditions but Lolium declined in sward density and subsequent productivity. Response to nitrogen was directly related to seasonal conditions. Highest responses were coincident with the highest growth rates and declined as a result of moisture stress and low temperatures. Splitting nitrogen rates into a number of smaller applications had little effect on total herbage yield or distribution of dry matter production compared with a single topdressing. In the first year of the study the per cent nitrogen recovery by the temperate grasses ranged from 72.5 to 81.9 per cent compared with 25.3 (dryland) and 39.4 per cent (irrigated) for Paspalum. Under dry conditions the apparent percentage nitrogen recovery was increased by irrigation but over the first 48 weeks of the experiment there was little difference in the recovery between irrigated and dryland swards of the temperate grasses.

1979 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 29-32
Author(s):  

The New South Wales Aboriginal Education Consultative Group feels that more emphasis needs to be placed on the training of teachers in regards to Aboriginal education.Many first year teachers are sent to country areas with a relatively high percentage of Aboriginal students. In the main, these teachers have had little or no contact with Aboriginal children or parents.


1987 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Lunney ◽  
B. Cullis ◽  
P. Eby

This study of the effects of logging on small mammals in Mumbulla State Forest on the south coast of New South Wales included the effects of a fire in November 1980 and a drought throughout the study period from June 1980 to June 1983. Rattus fuscipes was sensitive to change: logging had a significant impact on its numbers, response to ground cover, and recapture rate; fire had a more severe effect, and drought retarded the post-fire recovery of the population. The three species of dasyurid marsupials differed markedly in their response to ground cover, canopy cover, logging and fire. Antechinus stuartii was distributed evenly through all habitats and was not affected by logging, but fire had an immediate and adverse effect which was sustained by the intense drought. A. swainsonii markedly preferred the regenerating forest, and was not seen again after the fire, the failure of the population being attributed to its dependence on dense ground cover. Sminthopsis leucopus was found in low numbers, appeared to prefer forest with sparse ground cover, and showed no immediate response to logging or fire; its disappearance by the third year post-fire suggests that regenerating forest is inimical to the survival of this species. Mus musculus showed no response to logging. In the first year following the fire its numbers were still very low, but in the next year there was a short-lived plague which coincided with the only respite in the 3-year drought and, importantly, occurred in the intensely burnt parts of the forest. The options for managing this forest for the conservation of small mammals include minimising fire, retaining unlogged forest, extending the time over which alternate coupes are logged and minimising disturbance from heavy machinery.


2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 429-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Kenny ◽  
Emily Lancsar ◽  
Jane Hall ◽  
Madeleine King ◽  
Meredyth Chaplin

1992 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 447 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Sweeney ◽  
RS Jessop ◽  
H Harris

The yields and yield structure of cultivars of triticales and bread wheats (with a range of phasic development patterns in both species) were compared in 2 field experiments at Narrabri in northern New South Wales. The experiments were performed on a grey cracking clay soil with irrigation to prevent severe moisture stress. Triticales, both early and midseason types, appeared to have reached yield parity with well-adapted wheat varieties. Meaned over the 2 experiments and all sowings, the triticales yields were 19% greater than the bread wheats. Triticales were generally superior to wheat in all components of yield of the spike (1000-grain weight, grain number/spikelet and spikelet number/spike), whilst the wheats produced more spikes per unit area. The triticales also had higher harvest indices than the wheats. The results are discussed in relation to the overall adaptability of triticale for Australian conditions.


1967 ◽  
Vol 7 (24) ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
P McInnes ◽  
TJ Grainger ◽  
MD Smith

Data are presented on the recovery and reproductive performance of 2 1/2-year-old maiden Merino ewes after a prolonged period of undernutrition. The 217 sheep had been hand-fed on a submaintenance ration in pen feeding trials at Glenfield, New South Wales. During the seven months of the trials they had lost 6 kg (28 to 22 kg) body weight. They were transported to Condobolin in south-western New South Wales, divided into two treatment groups and run on good quality pastures. One group was joined immediately (May 1959) and again ten months later, and the other group was mated after six months at Condobolin (in October 1959) and again 12 months later. The ewes recovered rapidly. The mean weight of both groups had reached 30 kg within six weeks and 40 kg within six months. In the first year 73 of the 100 May-mated ewes bore lambs, but only 38 of these lambs were weaned. Ewes bearing lambs had a higher body weight at the start of joining and gained more during joining than the barren ewes. At the other three joinings (October 1959, May 1960, October 1960) lambing percentage was from 86-89 and weaning percentage from 62-69-both normal for the district. The proportion of twin lambs (3-6 per cent) was low. Wool weight in 1959 was not affected by time of mating or by pregnancy.


1963 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 114 ◽  
Author(s):  
JD Colwell

The effects of the different sowing rates of 20, 40, and 60 lb of seed an acre on the yield, bushel weight, composition, and response to fertilizers, of wheat grown on soils of high fertility has been studied in seven field experiments in the wheat-belt of southern New South Wales. Seasonal conditions ranged from drought to lush growing conditions and in addition one experiment was irrigated to reduce the effects of moisture stress on plant growth. Yields ranged from 10 to 70 bushels of wheat an acre and fertilizer treatments gave both positive and negative effects. For the wide range of growth conditions, variation in seeding rate had only small and non-significant effects on grain yields, with the exception of the irrigated experiment where a consistent trend indicated the need for higher seeding rates for maximum yield. Effects of the seeding rates on grain size and composition and fertilizer response, were negligible. Losses in potential grain yield, caused by the exhaustion of soil moisture reserves by excessive vegetative growth of high fertility soils before grain development has been completed, does not seem to be reduced appreciably by the use of low seeding rates.


1980 ◽  
Vol 20 (102) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
ID Sanderson ◽  
JD McFarlane ◽  
WR McManus

An experiment was conducted on the Central Western Slopes of New South Wales with Dorset Horn x Merino lambs to assess their liveweight gains during summer when weaned on to a lucernebased pasture under dryland conditions, and when weaned on to irrigated lucerne and red clover pastures. Lambs grazing irrigated lucerne, irrigated red clover and dryland lucerne had average growth rates of 155, 178 and 124 g day-1/head, respectively, throughout the 106 day experimental period. The poor growth rates of lambs on the dryland lucerne were apparently due mainly to the low digestibility of the dry feed on offer as a result of low rainfall, which also caused feed supply to be limiting during part of the experimental period. Lamb growth and intake data suggest that the diets selected from the red clover were of higher digestibility than those selected from the irrigated lucerne. It was concluded that irrigated red clover and irrigated lucerne provided useful diets for young lambs in this environment, although the growth rates achieved were less than reported elsewhere for these species in cooler climates. Growth rates achieved by lambs grazing dryland lucerne were less satisfactory for prime lamb production.


1979 ◽  
Vol 19 (99) ◽  
pp. 437 ◽  
Author(s):  
AC Andrews ◽  
FC Crofts

Four ecotypes of hybrid Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) were compared with common couch (C. dactylon) and kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) at five sites in coastal districts of New South Wales. The sites were Grafton and Coaldale (Lat. 30�S), Mitchells Island (Lat. 32�S) and Richmond and Badgerys Creek (Lat. 34�S). Hybrid Bermudagrass ecotypes 6389 and 692 were established quickly at all sites while ecotypes 71 9 and 632 were satsifactory. Kikuyu was strong at all sites except Grafton but the rate of establishment of common couch was poor. At the frost-free sandy site of Mitchells Island, Bermudagrass ecotypes 719, 692, 6389, and 632 outyielded kikuyu by 75, 65, 65 and 35%, respectively. However, at Grafton and Coaldale, the highest yielding Bermudagrass ecotype, 719, had only 35% higher production than kikuyu. At the frost prone southern sites of Richmond and Badgerys Creek, the annual production of kikuyu was equal to that of ecotypes 719, 6389, 692 and 632. Common couch yields were equal to kikuyu at all sites except at Richmond. At Mitchells Island, the hybrid Bermudagrasses outyielded kikuyu in spring, summer and early autumn but in the late autumn kikuyu had equal and sometimes higher growth rates than the best Bermudagrasses. In winter, the growth of both species was negligible, although kikuyu, unlike the Bermudagrasses, did produce some new shoots at the base of the sward. Data on persistence under grazing were collected from only three of the sites but trends were similar to establishment. Ecotype 6389 had the highest persistence rating of the Bermudagrasses. Kikuyu failed at the poorly drained sandy site of Grafton but remained strong at the other sites. It was concluded that hybrid Bermudagrasses were of potential value for pastures in New South Wales, especially for sites with sandy soils and low frost incidence.


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