Offered Papers Theme B: Grassland and the Environment

Description

Low summer rainfall in southwest Victoria, Australia, restricts pasture growth and reduces pasture nutritive value thereby limiting potential milk production. One fifth of dairy farmers in the region have some capacity to irrigate during summer and nitrogen (N) fertiliser is used to enhance pasture dry matter (DM) yield. Data on the effects of N fertiliser on irrigated pasture nutritive characteristics during summer in southwest Victoria are lacking. Two experiments determined the potential of N fertiliser to improve pasture nutritive (crude protein, CP and metabolisable energy, ME) value during summer.

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Responses of Irrigated Pasture Nutritive Characteristics to Summer Nitrogen Fertiliser

Low summer rainfall in southwest Victoria, Australia, restricts pasture growth and reduces pasture nutritive value thereby limiting potential milk production. One fifth of dairy farmers in the region have some capacity to irrigate during summer and nitrogen (N) fertiliser is used to enhance pasture dry matter (DM) yield. Data on the effects of N fertiliser on irrigated pasture nutritive characteristics during summer in southwest Victoria are lacking. Two experiments determined the potential of N fertiliser to improve pasture nutritive (crude protein, CP and metabolisable energy, ME) value during summer.