Publication Date
1985
Location
Kyoto Japan
Description
A reduction in animal production as sown grass pastures age has been identified as a serious problem on clay soils in south-east Queenland. To determine if this decline in productivity varied between sown grasses or mainly depended on some aspect of soilfertility, such as soil available nitrogen (N), a three year experiment was conducted at Gayndah (730 mm average annual rainfall). In this replicated grazing trial, six morphologically different grass pastures (native grasses (Heteropogon/Bothriochloa); angleton grass (Dichanthium aristatum); creeping bluegrass (Bothriochloainsculpta); purple pigeon grass ( Setaria porphyran tha); green panic (Panicum maximum) and silk sorghum (Sorghum sp. hybrid)) were sown in January 1982 into a cultivated seed-bed. Each October, 58 kg N/ha was applied. Plots were grazed for six months from June each year. Combined winter (June to August) and spring (September to November) liveweight gains differed between years. Differences in animal production between pastures within each year were relatively small and were not consistent over years. Morphological and physiological differences between grasses were measured, but had little influence on animal production except in winter and spring 1984, when ranking of pastures varied in the two seasons because of different temperature responses between the grasses. Quality of feed (particularly N content), rather than quantity of feed, was the main influence on animal production. While certain differences in quality were measured between pastures, these were much less (when the grasses grew under similar conditions of soil N availability) than commonly-accepted differences between such grasses.
Citation
Robbins, B G. and Bushell, J J., "Productivity of Morphologically Different Sown Tropical Grass Pastures Grown Under Similar Conditions" (1985). IGC Proceedings (1985-2023). 25.
(URL: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1985/ses10/25)
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Productivity of Morphologically Different Sown Tropical Grass Pastures Grown Under Similar Conditions
Kyoto Japan
A reduction in animal production as sown grass pastures age has been identified as a serious problem on clay soils in south-east Queenland. To determine if this decline in productivity varied between sown grasses or mainly depended on some aspect of soilfertility, such as soil available nitrogen (N), a three year experiment was conducted at Gayndah (730 mm average annual rainfall). In this replicated grazing trial, six morphologically different grass pastures (native grasses (Heteropogon/Bothriochloa); angleton grass (Dichanthium aristatum); creeping bluegrass (Bothriochloainsculpta); purple pigeon grass ( Setaria porphyran tha); green panic (Panicum maximum) and silk sorghum (Sorghum sp. hybrid)) were sown in January 1982 into a cultivated seed-bed. Each October, 58 kg N/ha was applied. Plots were grazed for six months from June each year. Combined winter (June to August) and spring (September to November) liveweight gains differed between years. Differences in animal production between pastures within each year were relatively small and were not consistent over years. Morphological and physiological differences between grasses were measured, but had little influence on animal production except in winter and spring 1984, when ranking of pastures varied in the two seasons because of different temperature responses between the grasses. Quality of feed (particularly N content), rather than quantity of feed, was the main influence on animal production. While certain differences in quality were measured between pastures, these were much less (when the grasses grew under similar conditions of soil N availability) than commonly-accepted differences between such grasses.
