Palatability to sheep of the Eragrostis curvula complex. 2. Selection of palatable taxa

1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
WH Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Rating Scale ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Wagga Wagga ◽  
Visual Rating ◽  
Eragrostis Curvula ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Visual Rating Scale ◽  
Relative Palatability ◽  
Selection Of

Relative palatability of 12 previously selected taxa of Eragrostis curvula complex was assessed using a visual rating scale of 0 (not grazed) to 10 (completely grazed). Visual ratings were converted to ranks and the most and least palatable lines were compared over 19 grazing assessments in trials at Wagga Wagga, Temora and Orange, New South Wales. Three highly palatable and 2 acceptably palatable accessions were identified. The importance of palatability in the E. curvula complex is discussed.

Palatability to sheep of the Eragrostis curvula complex. 3. A comparison of naturalised and selected taxa

1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
WH Johnston
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Wagga Wagga ◽  
Eragrostis Curvula ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Relative Palatability

The palatability of 20 accessions of E. curvula collected from naturalised populations in New South Wales was compared on 7 occasions with 2 selected accessions previously found to be highly palatable. The experiment was conducted at Wagga Wagga, N.S.W., between January 198 1 and July 1983. The relative palatability of most accessions was substantially similar from rating to rating, despite differences in the extent to which the trial was grazed. Palatability was related to the agronomic group to which the accessions belonged. For the naturalised taxa, Curvula was ranked equal to Tall Chloromelas. but both were more palatable than Short Chloromelas. The naturalised accessions were all less palatable than the selected accessions. It was concluded that the selected accessions were sufficiently palatable to be well utilised in pastures by stock grazing at commercial stocking rates.

Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees. complex pastures in southern New South Wales, Australia: a comparison with Medicago sativa L. and Phalaris aquatica L. pastures under rotational grazing

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 401 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Johnston ◽  
P. S. Cornish ◽  
V. F. Shoemark
Keyword(s):  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
The Other ◽  
Wagga Wagga ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Phalaris Aquatica ◽  
Eragrostis Curvula ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Wide Range

A grazing experiment conducted in Wagga Wagga (New South Wales) from September 1993 to September 1998 compared the productivity of pastures containing 3 palatable types of summer-active Eragrostis curvula complex, with pastures containing either Medicago sativa or Phalaris aquatica. Issues relating to the management of E. curvula pastures were also investigated. Herbage growth rates of the P. aquatica and M. sativa pastures were highest in winter and spring; E. curvula pastures were most productive in summer and autumn. Stocking rates equivalent to 30–40 dry sheep were carried by the pastures during their growing seasons. Throughout the study, the pastures were dominated by their respective sown perennial species, however, a suite of desirable and undesirable annual grasses and annual legumes usually contributed >20% of total herbage mass in spring. The P. aquatica pasture contained a higher proportion of weedy species than the other pastures, especially C4 grasses and broadleafed species, and towards the end of the experiment it was also invaded by several native perennial grasses. Overall, the wool yield from the M. sativa pasture was 0.5–1.0 kg/animal.year higher than the other pastures. Management to minimise herbage accumulation on the E. curvula pastures was a key issue, and provided that pastures were grazed heavily, this was achieved by the rotational grazing strategy used in the experiment. It was concluded that palatable varieties of E. curvula have a useful and complementary role as perennial pastures in southern Australia. By increasing herbage availability in summer and autumn, E. curvula may improve management flexibility for a wide range of pastures that are commonly grown on farms.

Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees. complex pastures in southern New South Wales, Australia: a comparison of Eragrostis curvula cv. Consol and Medicago sativa L. cv. Nova under intensive rotational management

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Johnston ◽  
P. S. Cornish ◽  
T. B. Koen ◽  
V. F. Shoemark
Keyword(s):  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Wagga Wagga ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Eragrostis Curvula ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Average Plant

The productivity, carrying capacity and liveweight performance of wether sheep grazing pastures of Eragrostis curvula cv. Consol and Medicago sativa cv. Nova, which were also sown with annual grasses and Trifolium subterraneum, were compared under an intensive 4-paddock rotational grazing regime in a ‘put-and-take’ grazing experiment at Wagga Wagga, New South Wales from November 1993 to August 1996. The productivity of the pastures was broadly similar, with production peaks of >1000 kg/ha in winter and >3000 kg/ha in spring and summer in paddocks that had been spelled for 6 weeks. Although annual species contributed a high proportion of the total herbage mass in spring, over the remainder of the year, both pastures were dominated by their respective perennials. E. curvula maintained an average plant density of approximately 20 plants/m2. The density of M. sativa declined noticeably during the 3 years, and at the end of the experiment M. sativa plants in 1 replicate of the experiment were killed by rising groundwater and dryland salinity. The long-term average stocking rate of E. curvula and M. sativa pastures were similar (12.1 v. 12.5 sheep/ha) and both pastures were capable of sustaining high stocking rates for lengthy periods in spring and summer. Sheep grazing M. sativa tended to be heavier than animals grazing E. curvula, and they produced, on average, 1.1 kg (or 21%) more wool. However, M. sativa was more difficult to establish and its costs for weed and insect control were higher. Therefore, although it was more productive, it might not have been the most economically viable of the 2 pastures. The implications of the findings were discussed within a whole-farm context and it was concluded that E. curvula has a complimentary role to M. sativa for sowing on landscapes and in situations to which M. sativa is poorly adapted.

The availability of mineral nitrogen in a wheat soil from southern New South Wales

1962 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 185 ◽  
Author(s):  
RR Storrier
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Uptake ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Nitrogen Deficiency ◽  
Ammonia Nitrogen ◽  
Mineral Nitrogen ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Wagga Wagga ◽  
Emergence Period ◽  
South Wales

In a red-brown earth soil from Wagga Wagga the fluctuations in the level of mineral nitrogen (ammonia plus nitrate-nitrogen) and its availability to wheat under growing period rainfalls of 6 inches and 16 inches were studied. Ammonia-nitrogen did not exceed 8 lb nitrogen per acre 6 inches but showed statistically significant short term fluctuations. Mineral nitrogen decreased steadily from the 4-5 leaf stage of plant growth, reaching minimum values in the ear-emergence period when a temporary nitrogen deficiency occurred. Following rainfalls of about one inch or more, conditions favoured biological activity and nitrogen was mineralized, absorbed by the crop and/or leached down the profile. In one season a release of mineral nitrogen about two weeks before flowering contributed an estimated 20-30 per cent of the total nitrogen uptake of the crop. Nitrogen uptake by the wheat crop ceased after flowering and subsequent changes in mineral nitrogen level reflect the net result of mineralization and demineralization processes, and nitrogen uptake by weeds, particularly skeleton weed. Absorption of nitrogen from the profile depended upon seasonal conditions, with the surface 18 inches suppling the greater part of the nitrogen absorbed by the crop. This indicates the need to sample regularly to at least a depth of 18 inches, particularly during the period from 4-5 leaf to flowering, when studying the relation between mineral nitrogen and crop growth. The data suggest that the response of wheat, as measured by grain yield and protein content, to the higher levels of mineral nitrogen in the improved soils of southern New South Wales is determined by soil moisture levels, particularly in the post-flowering period.

The butterfly fauna of the Griffith district, a fragmented semi-arid landscape in inland southern New South Wales

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael F. Braby ◽  
Ted D. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Wagga Wagga ◽  
Fragmented Landscape ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Butterfly Fauna ◽  
Semi Arid

Thirty-three species of butterflies are recorded from the Griffith district in the semi-arid zone of inland southern New South Wales. The butterfly community comprises the following structure: 19 species (58%) are resident; 7 (21 %) are regular immigrants; 2 (6%) are irregular immigrants; 5 (15%) are vagrants. Except for a few migratory species, most occur in relatively low abundance. Lack of similar studies elsewhere in western New South Wales precludes generalizations regarding the species richness, composition and structure of semi-arid butterfly communities. Comparison of the butterfly fauna with that from five other inland regions on the slopes and foothills of the Great Diving Range, revealed that the Griffith district is most similar in species richness and composition to that of Deniliquin and to a lesser extent Wagga Wagga and Cowra in the south, than with two regions in the higher summer rainfall area of the north of the State (Coonabarabran-Mendooran, Narrabri-Bellata). Overall, the butterfly fauna of inland New South Wales (total of 73 species, of which 49 occur in the southern regions) is depauperate compared with that recorded from the coastal/subcoastal areas east of the Great Dividing Range. Attention is drawn to the conservation significance of several vegetation types and habitat remnants in the Griffith district. Much of the native vegetation in the district has been extensively modified since European settlement due to excessive clearing for agriculture, resulting in a highly fragmented landscape for the conservation of native flora and fauna. With the exception of the lycaenid Candalides hyacinthinus Simplex, which is considered threatened locally, there is a general absence of narrow range endemic butterflies associated with mallee-heathland or mallee-woodland, possibly as a result of widespread land clearing practices of mallee vegetation in the past.

Nature Conservation in Rangelands: Lessons From Research on Reserve Selection in New South Wales.

1992 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 214 ◽  
Author(s):  
RL Pressey
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Planning ◽  
New South ◽  
Full Range ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Reserve Selection ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Land Systems ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Selection Of

Information on the features to be protected in a system of conservation reserves is an obvious requirement. The quality of the data base will primarily determine the effectiveness of conservation planning in protecting the full range of natural features in a region. However, the way in which data are used to make decisions on the locations of protected areas is also critical. Rigorous procedures for reserve selection can make the difference between achieving reservation goals or not. Research on reserve selection in New South Wales over recent years has concerned both data bases and procedures for guiding decisions. Reserve planning in many regions is based largely on some form of land classification like vegetation types or land systems. There are good reasons for using such land classes to guide the selection of reserves and to judge their representativeness. Nevertheless, they can have considerable limitations as a basis for protecting all the species in a region. These limitations are reviewed with references to more detailed discussions of particular issues. The paper also reviews a variety of procedures for selecting reserves which have been tested and applied in New South Wales. Some of the recent procedures are conceptually simple but very useful in identifying the requirements of reservation goals and demonstrating the options available to planners for representing particular features. Three principles are proposed which should underpin any attempt at systematic conservation planning.

Spatial variation in soil organic carbon and nitrogen at two field sites under crop and pasture rotations in southern New South Wales, Australia

Soil Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (8) ◽  
pp. 780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Conyers ◽  
Beverley Orchard ◽  
Susan Orgill ◽  
Albert Oates ◽  
Graeme Poile ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Wagga Wagga ◽  
Soil Cores ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Sampling Protocols ◽  
The Mean

Estimating the likely variance in soil organic carbon (OC) at the scale of farm fields or smaller monitoring areas is necessary for developing sampling protocols that allow temporal change to be detected. Given the relatively low anticipated soil OC sequestration rates (<0.5 Mg/ha.0.30 m/year) for dryland agriculture it is important that sampling strategies are designed to reduce any cumulative errors associated with measuring soil OC. The first purpose of this study was to evaluate the spatial variation in soil OC and nitrogen (N), in soil layers to 1.50 m depth at two monitoring sites (Wagga Wagga and Yerong Creek, 0.5 ha each) in southern New South Wales, Australia, where crop and pasture rotations are practiced. Four variogram models were tested (linear, spherical, Gaussian and exponential); however, no single model dominated across sites or depths for OC or N. At both sites, the range was smallest in surface soil, and on a scale suggesting that sowing rows (stubble) may dominate the pattern of spatial dependence, whereas the longer ranges appeared to be associated with horizon boundaries. The second purpose of the study was to obtain an estimate of the population mean with 1%, 5% and 10% levels of precision using the calculated variance. The number of soil cores required for a 1% precision in estimation of the mean soil OC or N was impractical at most depths (>500 per ha). About 30 soil cores per composite sample to 1.50 m depth, each core being at least 10 m apart, would ensure at least an average of 10% precision in the estimation of the mean soil OC at these two sites, which represent the agriculture of the region.

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