Publication Date
1997
Description
Farm scale economic analysis of a recently developed alley cropping system based on the fodder shrub tagasaste (Chamaecytisus proliferus) was carried out using the optimising model MIDAS. The model was used to assess the potential application of this new farming system to infertile sandplain soils in southern Australia by comparing the profitability of improved serradella based annual pasture (Ornithopus compressus and O. sativa), tagasaste in plantations and tagasaste alley cropping. The third option was the most profitable, increasing sheep carrying capacity by 76% and resulting in 45% of the model farm being planted to tagasaste alley cropping at 150 trees/ ha and 6% to tagasaste plantations (2000 trees/ha). The results suggest the feed value of tagasaste could economically drive improvements in the ecological sustainability of sandplain farming systems through large scale revegetation, providing the assumed tree/crop interactions are supported by empirical studies.
Citation
Lefroy, E C.; Abadi Ghadim, A K.; Edwards, N J.; and Ewing, M A., "The Role of Tagasaste (Chamaecytisus proliferus) in Farming Systems of Southern Australia" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1997-2023). 11.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1997/session23/11
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
The Role of Tagasaste (Chamaecytisus proliferus) in Farming Systems of Southern Australia
Farm scale economic analysis of a recently developed alley cropping system based on the fodder shrub tagasaste (Chamaecytisus proliferus) was carried out using the optimising model MIDAS. The model was used to assess the potential application of this new farming system to infertile sandplain soils in southern Australia by comparing the profitability of improved serradella based annual pasture (Ornithopus compressus and O. sativa), tagasaste in plantations and tagasaste alley cropping. The third option was the most profitable, increasing sheep carrying capacity by 76% and resulting in 45% of the model farm being planted to tagasaste alley cropping at 150 trees/ ha and 6% to tagasaste plantations (2000 trees/ha). The results suggest the feed value of tagasaste could economically drive improvements in the ecological sustainability of sandplain farming systems through large scale revegetation, providing the assumed tree/crop interactions are supported by empirical studies.
