Publication Date
1997
Description
Defoliation events on labelled white clover (Trifolium repens) growing points or ryegrass (Lolium perenne) tillers were measured during grazing tests by sheep with swards consisting of mixed ryegrass-clover (MIX) or alternate strips of clover and ryegrass (STRIP). Sward surface height was maintained at 6.4 cm by lawnmower cuts in order to obtain a similar surface height for both species. On average, during 13 grazing tests in STRIP and 11 in MIX swards, clover was the more defoliated species : 23.3% of the growing points in STRIP and 26.5% in MIX swards were defoliated compared to 16.2% and 12.5% of the tillers. No difference of clover defoliation probability occurred between STRIP and MIX swards, nor between clover growing points in different neighbourhoods in STRIP sward, indicating that the horizontal distribution of clover does not affect its pattern of defoliation by sheep.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Effect of Species Horizontal Distribution on Defoliation of Ryegrass-Clover Swards Grazed by Sheep
Defoliation events on labelled white clover (Trifolium repens) growing points or ryegrass (Lolium perenne) tillers were measured during grazing tests by sheep with swards consisting of mixed ryegrass-clover (MIX) or alternate strips of clover and ryegrass (STRIP). Sward surface height was maintained at 6.4 cm by lawnmower cuts in order to obtain a similar surface height for both species. On average, during 13 grazing tests in STRIP and 11 in MIX swards, clover was the more defoliated species : 23.3% of the growing points in STRIP and 26.5% in MIX swards were defoliated compared to 16.2% and 12.5% of the tillers. No difference of clover defoliation probability occurred between STRIP and MIX swards, nor between clover growing points in different neighbourhoods in STRIP sward, indicating that the horizontal distribution of clover does not affect its pattern of defoliation by sheep.
