Publication Date
1989
Description
Shortage oflivestock feed is common in the summer-autumn period in the Mediterranean-type environment of southern Australia. There is a gradual decline of both quality and quantity of dry pasture residues and heavy grazing may severely deplete seed reserves. Carter (1981) showed how sheep progressively eliminated medic pods and seeds from hard-setting soil. Pastures based on subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.), hereafter referred to as sub clover, can also be severely depleted of seed reserves even though some seed is buried in the soil. While the survival of ingested seed has long been recognized as a means of spreading legumes on non-arable land (e.g. Suckling, 1950), only recently have the dramatic effects of grazing pressure on botanical composition and seed survival of annual pastures and the ecological implications been recognized (Carter, 1968 ; Carter and Lake, 1985 and Simao Neto et al., 1987). Furthermore, there is very little detailed understanding of the passage and survival of sub clover seed ingested by sheep. The aim of this paper is to identify and quantify the main effects on the seed-seedling dynamics of sub clover-based pastures when sheep grazed the dry residue of mixed sub clover cultivars over the summer-autumn period. A mixture of sub clover cultivars was used as it is more representative of the strategy of having a broad-based mixture for long-term stability of the pasture (Carter, 1987).
Citation
de Koning, C T. and Carter, E D., "The Survival of Seed of Subterranean Clover Following Ingestion by Sheep" (2025). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 10.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1989/session9/10
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
The Survival of Seed of Subterranean Clover Following Ingestion by Sheep
Shortage oflivestock feed is common in the summer-autumn period in the Mediterranean-type environment of southern Australia. There is a gradual decline of both quality and quantity of dry pasture residues and heavy grazing may severely deplete seed reserves. Carter (1981) showed how sheep progressively eliminated medic pods and seeds from hard-setting soil. Pastures based on subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.), hereafter referred to as sub clover, can also be severely depleted of seed reserves even though some seed is buried in the soil. While the survival of ingested seed has long been recognized as a means of spreading legumes on non-arable land (e.g. Suckling, 1950), only recently have the dramatic effects of grazing pressure on botanical composition and seed survival of annual pastures and the ecological implications been recognized (Carter, 1968 ; Carter and Lake, 1985 and Simao Neto et al., 1987). Furthermore, there is very little detailed understanding of the passage and survival of sub clover seed ingested by sheep. The aim of this paper is to identify and quantify the main effects on the seed-seedling dynamics of sub clover-based pastures when sheep grazed the dry residue of mixed sub clover cultivars over the summer-autumn period. A mixture of sub clover cultivars was used as it is more representative of the strategy of having a broad-based mixture for long-term stability of the pasture (Carter, 1987).
