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Publication Date
1981
Description
Live-weight gain of cattle on tropical legume-grass pastures is highly correlated with legume content. Legume-yield decline is a major problem in 200,000 ha of siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum [DC] Urb.)-based pastures in northern Australia. This decline is largely associated with overgrazing. Resting for at least one year has been required to improve siratro yield substantially. A more rapid method of restoring the yield of siratro was required. The effect of various forms of mechanical soil disturbance on siratro population and yields was compared with resting pasture (control) in 4 replicated experiments and on 3 commercial pastures near Mackay in coastal northeastern Australia. The renovation treatments were cultivation with tines, deep ripper, disk harrow, disk plough, and rotary hoe, with a control treatment of no cultivation at all sites. Three of the experiments contained an oversowing treatment of 2 kg/ha siratro seed. Associated grass was Kazungula setaria (Setaria sphacelata var. sericea [Schum.] Stapf & C.E. Hubb) at 6 sites and Rodd's Bay plicatulum (Paspalum plicatulum) at 1 site.
The main effect over all sites was for cultivation to increase the number of siratro seedlings over the controls from 3 to 10/m2 and siratro yield from 263 to 1,289 kg/ha. Disk ploughing resulted in more seedlings (17 _2/m2) and higher siratro yields (1,439 kg/ha) than tine ripping (9/m2 and 501 kg/ha, respectively), the latter disturbing approximately 50 % of the pasture surface. One advantage of disk ploughing was to reduce substantially the asssociated grass yield. Oversowing with 2 kg/ha siratro seed failed to increase populations or yield. An adequate reserve of siratro seed in the soil was found to be essential, and management of pastures should aim to achieve these reserves. This study showed that cultivation was a rapid method of restoring the legume content of siratro-based pastures.
Citation
Bishop, H G. and Walker, B, "Renovation of Tropical Legume-Grass Pastures in Northern Australia" (1981). IGC Proceedings (1977-2023). 8.
(URL: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1981/section9/8)
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Renovation of Tropical Legume-Grass Pastures in Northern Australia
Live-weight gain of cattle on tropical legume-grass pastures is highly correlated with legume content. Legume-yield decline is a major problem in 200,000 ha of siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum [DC] Urb.)-based pastures in northern Australia. This decline is largely associated with overgrazing. Resting for at least one year has been required to improve siratro yield substantially. A more rapid method of restoring the yield of siratro was required. The effect of various forms of mechanical soil disturbance on siratro population and yields was compared with resting pasture (control) in 4 replicated experiments and on 3 commercial pastures near Mackay in coastal northeastern Australia. The renovation treatments were cultivation with tines, deep ripper, disk harrow, disk plough, and rotary hoe, with a control treatment of no cultivation at all sites. Three of the experiments contained an oversowing treatment of 2 kg/ha siratro seed. Associated grass was Kazungula setaria (Setaria sphacelata var. sericea [Schum.] Stapf & C.E. Hubb) at 6 sites and Rodd's Bay plicatulum (Paspalum plicatulum) at 1 site.
The main effect over all sites was for cultivation to increase the number of siratro seedlings over the controls from 3 to 10/m2 and siratro yield from 263 to 1,289 kg/ha. Disk ploughing resulted in more seedlings (17 _2/m2) and higher siratro yields (1,439 kg/ha) than tine ripping (9/m2 and 501 kg/ha, respectively), the latter disturbing approximately 50 % of the pasture surface. One advantage of disk ploughing was to reduce substantially the asssociated grass yield. Oversowing with 2 kg/ha siratro seed failed to increase populations or yield. An adequate reserve of siratro seed in the soil was found to be essential, and management of pastures should aim to achieve these reserves. This study showed that cultivation was a rapid method of restoring the legume content of siratro-based pastures.
