Publication Date
1997
Description
Three tree legumes Albizia chinensis, Leucaena leucocephala K 636 and Tipuana tipu were grown in conjunction with the grass Brachiaria decumbens and grazed by weaner cattle at a stocking rate of 2.5 animals per hectare for a total of 447 days. Albizia was best adapted to this acidic, poorly drained site in south east Queensland giving the highest yields of edible dry matter, high survival rate and moderate liveweight gains of 0.45 kg/head/day. The productivity of L. leucocephala K 636 was always poor but it gave the highest liveweight gains of all treatments in the first 280 days of grazing, reflecting the high quality of its forage. Tipuana tipu was the least acceptable of the three tree legumes and as a consequence it gave the lowest liveweight gains. Seedling survival of Tipuana was also poor.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Productivity of Three Tree Legumes Grazed by Cattle
Three tree legumes Albizia chinensis, Leucaena leucocephala K 636 and Tipuana tipu were grown in conjunction with the grass Brachiaria decumbens and grazed by weaner cattle at a stocking rate of 2.5 animals per hectare for a total of 447 days. Albizia was best adapted to this acidic, poorly drained site in south east Queensland giving the highest yields of edible dry matter, high survival rate and moderate liveweight gains of 0.45 kg/head/day. The productivity of L. leucocephala K 636 was always poor but it gave the highest liveweight gains of all treatments in the first 280 days of grazing, reflecting the high quality of its forage. Tipuana tipu was the least acceptable of the three tree legumes and as a consequence it gave the lowest liveweight gains. Seedling survival of Tipuana was also poor.
