Persistence and productivity of Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb. (Caucasian clover) in a high altitude region of south-eastern Australia

1985 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
BS Dear ◽  
M Zorin

The persistence and productivity of 12 lines of Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb., encompassing three ploidy groups, and one line of T. montanum subsp. hurnboldtianum were compared in an elevated environment (1150 m) over a 4-year period with one cultivar each of T. repens L. and T. pratense L. Trifolium ambiguum was found to be well adapted to the cold winters and dry summers, all lines persisting throughout the experimental period, whereas the T. repens and T. pratense cultivars disappeared by the fourth year. The T. arnbiguum lines 'Monaro' and 'Kirovakan' (both hexaploid) and 'Alpine' and Forest (diploids) had the highest dry matter production. The control cultivars of T. repens and T. pratense outyielded T. ambiguum in the first year but were substantially less productive in later years as their density declined. T. montanum persisted but produced less dry matter than T. ambiguum and did not produce rhizomes or daughter plants. Ploidy of T. ambiguum was found to affect the date of flowering, persistence, leaflet shape and leaflet area. Productivity was not closely related to ploidy; however, the two most productive lines were hexaploids. All the T. ambiguum lines remained well nodulated over the 4 years, but the diploids had higher leaf nitrogen contents than the other two groups (3.4% vs. 2.5 and 2.4% N). The number of daughter plants produced was positively correlated (r=0.84) with rhizome length, which varied between lines but was not influenced by ploidy. Two bred lines, 'Alpine' (diploid) and 'Monaro' (hexaploid) exhibited superior vigour and spreading ability and warrant further evaluation as possible pasture legumes.

1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 533 ◽  
Author(s):  
WH Johnston

Productivity, nutritive value and persistence of a range of taxa of Eragrostis curvula complex were evaluated in experiments at Wagga Wagga, Temora, Condobolin and Orange, N.S.W. No relationships were found between previously determined palatability ranks and nitrogen (N) content, acid detergent fibre, digestible dry matter (DDM) or metabolisable energy. The nutritive value of stem was lower than leaf; however, if stem is well grazed this is unlikely to affect animal performance. Mean digestible dry matter and nitrogen contents of the E. curvula accessions were similar in the Wagga Wagga (a total of 8 determinations) and Orange (4 determinations) experiments (overall means, DDM = 57.48% and N = 1.65%), but digestibility was depressed in summer by 3.38 units (54.85 v. 58.23% in autumn) for leaf and 2.3 units (53.98 v. 56. 28%) for stem in the Orange experiment, and 4.68 units (56.43 v, 61.11% in spring) for leaf and 8.35 units (49.96 v. 58.31%) for stem in the Wagga Wagga Naturalised Accessions trial. In practice, this would be offset by increasing availability of palatable forage. Except for 1 occasion with stem, the nitrogen concentrations of the herbage (leaf N 2.02-1.45%, stem N 0.79-1.95%) were sufficient not to limit intake. Differences in persistence and dry matter yield indicated that, of the palatable lines, accession 4663 was better adapted to drier situations than 4650, and that accession 4660 was intermediate between the two. It is concluded that the palatable accessions were potentially useful pasture plants for south-eastern Australia.


2004 ◽  
Vol 44 (9) ◽  
pp. 863 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Zhang ◽  
P. M. Evans ◽  
P. A. Riffkin

The relative performance of 3 alternative pasture legumes, in comparison with subterranean clover, grown in a 1:1 pasture:crop rotation was investigated during 1997–2001, at 2 sites in the high rainfall (>500 mm/year) zone of southern Australia. Seedling densities of the pasture legumes (before and after crop) were examined, along with herbage dry matter production, growth pattern and seed production. After 2 cycles of a 1:1 pasture:crop rotation, average seedling densities of balansa (Trifolium michelianum Savi var. michelianum), Persian (T. resupinatum L. var. resupinatum Gib. and Belli), arrowleaf (T. vesiculosum Savi.) and subterranean (T. subterraneum L.) clovers at the 2 sites were 6810, 2910, 680 and 630 plants/m2, respectively. Average cumulative herbage mass in 2001 was 7.49, 5.21, 8.53 and 7.76 t DM/ha.year, respectively. All clovers produced a large seed pool: balansa, 71.8 g/m2; subterranean, 38.9 g/m2; Persian, 35.5 g/m2; and arrowleaf, 35.4 g/m2. The results suggest that a 1:1 pasture:crop rotation is sustainable, in terms of pasture seed–seedling dynamics for each of the legumes, and that under this system the pasture legumes need to be sown only once.


1996 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Porqueddu ◽  
A. Loi ◽  
P. S. Cocks

SUMMARYThe hardseededness and pattern of hard seed breakdown of 35 accessions of Medicago polymorpha, collected in Sardinia, were compared with Circle Valley, an Australian cultivar, near Sassari, northern Sardinia. The seed was produced in three consecutive years (1991–93), and the hardseededness measured at intervals in trie field during the summer following its production. The results were related to previously measured pod characteristics that separated the varieties polymorpha and vulgarisThe variety polymorpha, which had been collected mainly from coastal regions, was harder seeded than the variety vulgaris, which had been collected mainly from cooler, inland regions. Wherever the origin, hardseededness levels remained > 85% even in the year when seed softening was greatest (1992). In other years means of 94% (1991) and 97% (1993) of seed remained hard in late September. In 1992 and 1993 most hard seed breakdown occurred between early August and early September, while in 1991 hard seed breakdown occurred in September itself. There was little difference between varieties in the pattern of hard seed breakdown. Seedling emergence was related to the amount of seed that became soft during the previous summer. The results also confirmed that hard seeds soften sequentially from the proximal end of the pod (nearest the calyx) to the distal end.The Australian cultivar was one of the hardest seeded accessions, showing very little hard seed breakdown during the experimental period. This result highlights the importance of selecting pasture legumes under the conditions in which they are to be used: in Australia, cultivar Circle Valley usually loses some 20% of its hardseededness in the first year, comparable with the softest Sardinian accessions in Sardinia. Even among the Sardinian accessions, most were probably too hard seeded in 1993. Nevertheless it is likely that material in this experiment will be released as commercial cultivars for Sardinia and other similar environments in the Mediterranean basin.


1973 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 341 ◽  
Author(s):  
CS Andrew ◽  
PJVanden Berg

The effects of aluminium (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 p.p.m.) on dry matter production and subsequent short-term uptake and translocation of phosphorus in whole plants, and on the uptake of phosphorus by excised roots, of six tropical pasture legumes were ascertained. Macroptilium lathyroides, Desrnodiurn uncinaturn, Lotononis bainesii, and Stylosanthes hurnilis were tolerant species in terms of effects on dry matter production. Glycine wightii was a sensitive species and Medicago sativa a very sensitive one. In the whole plant study, plants were grown in Solution culture with a phosphorus concentration of 2 p.p.m., under the above aluminium treatments. Aluminium increased the subsequent uptake of phosphorus (tops+roots) in all species (phosphorus substrate concentration 1 x 10-5M labelled with 32P, 1 and 3 hr uptake periods). Phosphorus uptake in the tops of the four tolerant species was increased by aluminium treatment, and in the two sensitive species it uas reduced. In both the absence and presence of applied aluminium, L. bainesii was the most efficient species per unit weight of root tissue in sorbing total phosphorus, and in addition had the highest efficiency of translocation of phosphorus from roots to tops. S. humilis was also an efficient species. In the excised root study, addition of aluminium to the solution enhanced the sorption of phosphorus by all species. The enhancement was greater in a relatively strong phosphorus solution (2 x 10-4 M) than in a dilute solution (1 x 10-4). The sorption of phosphorus by excised roots of S. humilis from dilute and relatively strong phosphorus substrates was greater than that of other species, both in the absence and presence of added aluminium. L. bainesii was omitted from the excised root experiments.


1991 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 639 ◽  
Author(s):  
PL Milthorpe ◽  
PR Dann

In 1985, experiments were conducted at 4 localities in south-eastern and central New South Wales, to assess the production potential of tagasaste. The results were disappointing: 2 experiments failed to establish because of soil waterlogging, while production from the other 2 sites was only intermittent. Annual dry matter production did not exceed 3 t/ha at Condobolin or 5 t/ha at Yass. Although survival of established plants was good, production was limited by prolonged dry periods at Condobolin and by low temperatures during winter at Yass. Tagasaste is costly to establish (up to $A500/ha) and difficult to manage. In our environments, conventional pastures or fodder crops which require simpler management would probably out-produce tagasaste at most times during the experimental period.


1989 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 833
Author(s):  
JD McFarlane

Seven rates of copper were applied to the soil prior to the sowing of strawberry clover (Trifolium fragiferumL. cv. Palestine) on an alkaline peat deficient in copper. Symptoms of copper deficiency were evident only on the untreated plots where the clover did not set seed nor persist into the second year.Over five years� production, 1.0 kg Cu/ha continued to provide adequate copper, with regular dressings of superphosphate, for maximum dry matter production and seed yield. It was found that seed yield was more sensitive than vegetative dry matter yield to sub-optimal copper supply. At the lowest rate of applied copper (0.125 kg/ha), the vegetative yield ranged from 53% to 80% of the maximum harvest yield, whereas the seed yield ranged from 15% to 50% of maximum yield.For tissue sampled in the spring, the proposed critical range for copper concentration in the youngest open leaf (YOL) for vegetative dry matter production is 3-35 mg Cu/kg whereas that for seed production is 4.5-5.5 mg Cu/kg. At other times of the year the critical concentrations were higher. It was not clear if this was due to environmental conditions or changing internal requirements for copper.The critical copper concentration range in whole top (WT) tissue of 3.0-4.0 mg/kg for vegetative dry matter production could be applied to all samplings. For seed yield the critical range for copper concentration in WT was 4.0-5.0 mg/kg for the spring harvests. The critical copper concentration in seed for seed production was 5.0-6.0 mg/kg. In the pasture situation a critical concentration of 5.0-6.0 mg Cu/kg in the WT should be adopted when the animal requirement is considered.


1996 ◽  
Vol 47 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 107-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshihiro Hasegawa ◽  
Takeshi Horie

Author(s):  
R.E. Fitzgerald

Recent increases in the value of gold have led to renewed interest in gold mining - particularly by the dredging of the river flats bordering West Coast rivers. In any future licensing of such dredging, the rehabilitation of the "destroyed" land will be a major consideration. Nitrogen is the main nutrient limiting the growth of radiata pine on the gold dredge tailings; this paper outlines initial results of an exploratory legume-fertilizer trial on levelled tailings in the Taramakau River valley. Twelve legume species were grown with and without superphosphate (+ MO, Mg and K). Tree lucerne (Cytisus proliferus) , Russell lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) and yellow tree lupin (L. arboreus) grew well without the application of fertilizer but the pasture legumes had substantially increased dry matter production where P was added - in white clover (Trifolium repens) dry matter production was increased from 5.4 to 8.9 t/ha; and total N was 180 and 310 kg N/ha. Tree nutrition and growth were greatly improved by association with a vigorous legume species, In addition, the presence of legumes improved the appearance of the tailings and with a pasture species grazing potential was created


1969 ◽  
Vol 86 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 15-26
Author(s):  
Héber Irizarry ◽  
Ricardo Goenaga ◽  
Ulises Chardón

A 40-month experiment was conducted to re-evaluate the nitrogen fertilization recommendation for banana grown on a clayey, mixed isohyperthermic Aquic Haplohumults under rainfed conditions. Five nitrogen rates (0, 85,170, 255 and 340 kg/ha/crop) were arranged in a randomized compíete block design with three replications. The nitrogen treatments were applied with 24.4 kg/ha of phosphorus, 651,7 kg/ha of potassium, and a minor element mixture containing 22.7 kg/t of fertilizer. Treatments were applied every three months. Applications of magnesium alone were also applied between treatments at the rate of 55 kg/ha in the plant crop (PC) and 110 kg/ha in each of two ratoon crops (R1, R2). During growth and development of three crops we collected data of plant and bunch traits, green and oven-dry biomass weight, nitrogen concentration in various plant organs, and bunch marketable weight at harvest. Results showed that the rate x crop interaction was highly significant (P < 0,01) for total nitrogen uptake, and for nitrogen concentration in the leaf-lamina four months before bunch harvest, and significant (P < 0.05) for total dry matter production. Total nitrogen uptake, leaf nitrogen concentration, and total dry matter production linearly increased with increments in the nitrogen rates. Overall total nitrogen uptake and total dry matter production were always significantly higher in the R2 than in the PC, Regardless of the nitrogen rate, a significantly higher nutrient concentration was always found in the leaf-lamina of the R1 plants than in either the PC or the R2 plants. Crop had no significant effect on yield, but nitrogen rate significantly influenced yield. A maximum yield of 57,060 kg/ ha/crop was obtained with an estimated nitrogen application of 240 kg/ha. This amount corresponded to a leaf nitrogen concentration of between 2.75 and 2.85 g/kg. Since the maximum yield for all crops was obtained with a nitrogen application of only 240 kg/ha, we concluded that the linear response to fertilization in excess of this amount for total nitrogen uptake, nutrient concentration, and total dry matter production may be attributed to luxury consumption of nitrogen.


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