Publication Date
1993
Description
Commercial leucnena-grass pastures in central Queensland increased from 24 ha in 1979 to about 20 000 ha in 1992. Since 1986 the exotic leucaena psyllid devastated leucaena (Leucaena leucocepliala) production along the humid coastal areas but not in the subcoastal plantings where the hot dry atmosphere controls the psyllid populations. The introduced rumen bacteria to detoxify DHP has enhanced the performance of cattle grazing leucaena. Unfertilised rain-fed leucaena-grass pastutes with leucaena rows 5-10 m apart have given annual steer live-weight gains of more than 250 kg consistently at stocking rates around 1-1.5 ha/steer. One cattleman with about 500 ha of leucaena-grass pastures has recorded 317 kg live-weight gain/ha in a year. Producing prime cattle at 100-120 cents/kg live weight on rainfed leucaena-grass pastures is more lucrative than grain growing. The profitability of producing young top quality beef will encourage more rapid adoption of leucaena pastures as permanent alley grazing or alley cropping. An area of 120 000 ha of leucaena in central Queensland can be expected in the next decade.
Citation
Wildin, J H., "Major Beef Production Gains from Commercial Rain-Fed Leucaena-grass Pastures in Central Queensland, Australia" (2025). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 16.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1993/session56/16
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Major Beef Production Gains from Commercial Rain-Fed Leucaena-grass Pastures in Central Queensland, Australia
Commercial leucnena-grass pastures in central Queensland increased from 24 ha in 1979 to about 20 000 ha in 1992. Since 1986 the exotic leucaena psyllid devastated leucaena (Leucaena leucocepliala) production along the humid coastal areas but not in the subcoastal plantings where the hot dry atmosphere controls the psyllid populations. The introduced rumen bacteria to detoxify DHP has enhanced the performance of cattle grazing leucaena. Unfertilised rain-fed leucaena-grass pastutes with leucaena rows 5-10 m apart have given annual steer live-weight gains of more than 250 kg consistently at stocking rates around 1-1.5 ha/steer. One cattleman with about 500 ha of leucaena-grass pastures has recorded 317 kg live-weight gain/ha in a year. Producing prime cattle at 100-120 cents/kg live weight on rainfed leucaena-grass pastures is more lucrative than grain growing. The profitability of producing young top quality beef will encourage more rapid adoption of leucaena pastures as permanent alley grazing or alley cropping. An area of 120 000 ha of leucaena in central Queensland can be expected in the next decade.
