Publication Date

1993

Location

New Zealand

Description

The self-regenerating annual pasture legumes, mainly Medicago spp. (medics) and Trifolium spp, (clovers), are important components of annual pastures on millions of ha in the mediterranean climatic zones of the world. We have shown that tillage practices for cereals and other crops have a severe effect by reducing legume density and productivity after a cropping sequence. Deep-burial of pasture legume seed by disc ploughing and mouldboard ploughing is most detrimental, as a high percentage of seed is buried too deeply to allow emergence, while normal scarifying at 6-8 cm causes little loss of potential legume seed germination and seedling emergence. Data from Algeria, South Africa and South Australia are presented.

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Effect of Tillage on Regeneration of Annual Pasture Legumes in Cereal-Livestock Farming Systems

New Zealand

The self-regenerating annual pasture legumes, mainly Medicago spp. (medics) and Trifolium spp, (clovers), are important components of annual pastures on millions of ha in the mediterranean climatic zones of the world. We have shown that tillage practices for cereals and other crops have a severe effect by reducing legume density and productivity after a cropping sequence. Deep-burial of pasture legume seed by disc ploughing and mouldboard ploughing is most detrimental, as a high percentage of seed is buried too deeply to allow emergence, while normal scarifying at 6-8 cm causes little loss of potential legume seed germination and seedling emergence. Data from Algeria, South Africa and South Australia are presented.