Offered Papers Theme A: Efficient Production from Grassland

Description

Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) is a productive and persistent legume adapted to a range of soils and climates in northern (tropical & sub tropical) Australia. Cultivar Milgarra, a composite line of introduced and naturalised accessions, was released in Queensland in 1991. The area planted in Queensland is a measure of its success, reaching <500ha in 1996; 5Kha by 1998; 30Kha by 2000; 50Kha by 2002; and 100Kha by 2004. Butterfly pea is used by cattleman mostly to grow and finish cattle. It is not grown extensively as a ley legume yet. Farmers who crop and have cattle, plant it but usually on cropping soils with limitations e.g. low plant available water capacity, shallow, low N or duplex soils. Farmers without cattle generally choose to use inorganic nitrogen as an N-source for crops.

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Butterfly Pea in Queensland: A Tropical Forage Legume Success Story

Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) is a productive and persistent legume adapted to a range of soils and climates in northern (tropical & sub tropical) Australia. Cultivar Milgarra, a composite line of introduced and naturalised accessions, was released in Queensland in 1991. The area planted in Queensland is a measure of its success, reaching <500ha in>1996; 5Kha by 1998; 30Kha by 2000; 50Kha by 2002; and 100Kha by 2004. Butterfly pea is used by cattleman mostly to grow and finish cattle. It is not grown extensively as a ley legume yet. Farmers who crop and have cattle, plant it but usually on cropping soils with limitations e.g. low plant available water capacity, shallow, low N or duplex soils. Farmers without cattle generally choose to use inorganic nitrogen as an N-source for crops.