Effect of Drought on Growth, Carbohydrates, and Soil Water Use by Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue, and White Clover

Crop Science ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.D. Karsten ◽  
J.W. MacAdam
2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 327 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. N. Mundy ◽  
K. L. Greenwood ◽  
K. B. Kelly ◽  
S. M. Austin ◽  
K. E. Dellow

A field experiment was conducted from January 2000 for 2.5 years, at the Department of Primary Industries, Kyabram, in northern Victoria. The experiment determined the effect of soil modification, with and without subsurface drainage, on the yield and water use of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), lucerne (Medicago sativa), phalaris (Phalaris aquatica) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) under 2 irrigation frequencies. The soil was a red-brown earth. The forages were spray irrigated from August to May when evaporation minus rainfall (E – R) reached 45–50 mm (frequent) or 90–100 mm (infrequent). The depth of irrigation water applied was equal to the soil water deficit (SWD) of each treatment, measured before each irrigation. Soil modification did not change the plant available water content of the soil (about 115 mm). The apparent depth of water extraction was initially different between soil management treatments but, over time, these differences disappeared. There were consistent differences between the forage species in the apparent depth of soil water extraction. Lucerne extracted water from deeper in the soil than phalaris followed by tall fescue and then perennial ryegrass. In general, the infrequently irrigated forages extracted water from deeper in the soil than did the frequently irrigated forages. The frequently irrigated treatments received slightly more water than did the infrequent treatments. The depth of water applied to the control and modified soil was similar, whereas the drained soils received more water than did the undrained treatments. There were differences between the forages in the depth of water applied, with lucerne receiving up to about 1500 mm/year and the grasses about 1100 to 1300 mm/year. Water use efficiency [kg dry matter (DM)/ha.mm] of the forages ranged from 14 to 18 kg DM/ha.mm in 2000–01 and up to 24 kg DM/ha.mm in 2001–02. The relatively high water use efficiencies were largely due to the high yields achieved, as water use was similar to that of district farms.


2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 440-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T. Earlywine ◽  
Reid J. Smeda ◽  
Travis C. Teuton ◽  
Carl E. Sams ◽  
Xi Xiong

Oriental mustard seed meal (MSM), a byproduct generated by pressing the seed for oil, exhibits herbicidal properties. In turfgrass, soil fumigants such as methyl bromide are used to control weeds prior to renovation of turf. Environmental concerns have resulted in deregistration of methyl bromide, prompting the need for alternatives. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of MSM on the establishment of selected turfgrass weeds as well as inhibitory effects on establishment of desirable turfgrasses. Greenhouse experiments were conducted in 2006 and 2007 at the University of Missouri. MSM was amended in soil at 0, 1,350 (low), 2,350 (medium), and 3,360 kg ha−1(high) concentrations. Weed species included annual bluegrass, large crabgrass, buckhorn plantain, white clover, and common chickweed. Turfgrass species included: Rembrandt tall fescue, Evening Shade perennial rye, and Riviera bermudagrass. All species were seeded into soil amended with MSM and either tarped or left untarped. All treatments were compared to dazomet (392 kg ha−1), a synthetic standard. Plant counts and biomass of all species were recorded 4 wk after seeding. Overall, tarped treatments suppressed weed emergence 27 to 50% more compared to untarped treatments, except for large crabgrass. High rates of MSM suppressed emergence of all weeds ≥ 63%. Compared to the untreated control, the density of buckhorn plantain, white clover, and common chickweed was reduced by ≥ 42% at low rates of MSM. Biomass of buckhorn plantain, annual bluegrass, common chickweed, white clover, and large crabgrass was reduced from 37 to 99% at high rates of MSM. MSM at high rates reduced stand counts of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass up to 81% and 77% respectively, compared to the untreated control. Regardless of MSM rates or tarping, suppression of common bermudagrass emergence did not exceed 30%; tarped treatments actually increased bermudagrass emergence by 22%. The biomass for tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, and bermudagrass was reduced by 85, 68, and 10%, respectively, at high rates of MSM. For tall fescue, MSM at all rates strongly suppressed seed germination by 7 d after planting (DAP) (up to 100%), with additional germination observed through 14 DAP, but not thereafter. In both trials, dazomet completely suppressed emergence of all weeds. MSM appears to suppress emergence and growth of a number of weeds common in turf, with potential selectivity for bermudagrass.


1967 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Grimes ◽  
B. R. Watkin ◽  
J. R. Gallagher

1. An experiment was conducted in which lambs grazed on pastures of cocksfoot, ryegrass and tall fescue grown with and without white clover, as well as on pastures of pure white clover.


2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Lewis ◽  
C. K. M. Ho ◽  
B. R. Cullen ◽  
B. Malcolm

Diversifying farm activities can reduce the business risk of agricultural production. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of diversifying the types of dairy pastures sown on (1) the average seasonal growth rate (kg DM/ha/day) of pasture and (2) the variability of seasonal growth rate of pasture over time by diversifying the types of pastures grown on a dairy farm. This approach is similar to the approach used to assess the diversification of annual cropping activities, although repeated harvest of pasture by grazing animals and the seasonality of pasture DM production complicates the question. The question investigated was ‘How does substituting chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) or tall fescue (Festuca arundinaceae Schreb.) monocultures for a perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)–white clover (Trifolium repens L.) pasture in increasing proportions affect (1) the average growth rate (kg DM/ha.day) of pasture and (2) the variability of growth rate of pasture in each season?’. The biophysical model DairyMod was used to simulate 30 years growth of a mixed sward of perennial ryegrass and white clover and monocultures of chicory and tall fescue for two rain-fed locations in the high-rainfall zone of southern Australia. Including chicory in the pasture base had the potential to increase pasture growth rate during the summer–early autumn period compared with growing perennial ryegrass–white clover alone. This increase in pasture growth rate increased variability, and reduced growth rates in late autumn–winter and spring. The simulated growth rates of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass were strongly correlated in all seasons; hence, tall fescue did not reduce the variability of total DM. Further analysis would include price correlations and variability and consider the whole-farm implications. The analysis presented here for the high-rainfall zone showed that introducing alternative forages may have benefits in terms of increasing pasture growth rates at critical times of the production year, but the variability of the growth rate was not reduced.


2012 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
pp. 1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. N. Tozer ◽  
E. Minneé ◽  
C. A. Cameron

Yellow bristle grass (Setaria pumila) and summer grass (Digitaria sanguinalis) are summer-active annual grass weeds which infest temperate dairy pastures. A study was undertaken over 2 years to compare hand-sown yellow bristle and summer grass establishment, survival, and seed production in pastures grazed by dairy cows and based on (i) tetraploid perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), (ii) tetraploid perennial ryegrass and white clover (Trifolium repens), and (iii) tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and white clover, to determine which pasture type offered the greatest resistance to these grass weeds. Ingress of grass weeds was similar in all three pasture types. Total dry matter production was similar for all pasture types for the first year and lower in tall fescue + clover than perennial ryegrass pasture in the second year. All pasture types had a similar distribution of microsite types (bare ground ± canopy, basal cover ± canopy) in both years. The annual grass weeds were most prevalent in bare ground + canopy microsites, which were also the most frequent of the four microsite types. In the first year, <5% of microsites were occupied within 2 months of sowing, whereas in the second year, microsite occupation remained >13% for all assessments. In the first year, panicle production of yellow bristle and summer grass was similar (averaging 4.1 panicles plant–1); in the second year, panicle production was greater for summer grass (0.80 v. 0.16 panicles plant–1, respectively). Where present, these annual grass weeds are likely to spread in dryland dairy pastures sown with either perennial ryegrass or tall fescue. Variability in their panicle production between years shows how their impact on pasture performance and consequent need for control measures will also vary from year to year.


1985 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 453-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Wilman ◽  
P. A. Hollington

SummaryEffects of seven levels of N application and three seeds mixtures were studied on two sites for 4 years. One seeds mixture comprised perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and two comprised perennial ryegrass with white clover (Trifolium repens L.). One site (Trefloyne) was 24 m above sea level on deep soil and the other (Pwllpeiran) was 328 m above sea level on relatively shallow soil. The plots were cut seven times per year.White clover grew very strongly at Trefloyne in the first 2 years, fixing 350 kg N/ha/year where no N was applied; the clover declined very markedly during the 3rd year and there was very little in the sward in the 4th year; quite large quantities of clover were harvested in the 1st year even where 600 kg N/ha were applied. At Pwllpeiran the yields of clover were never high, but the clover persisted well where no N was applied. At Trefloyne the indirect contribution of the clover (in increasing the yield of grass) was greater in the first than in the second half of the year; clover was later than grass to grow strongly in the spring, but the extra grass growth compensated for this, so that the seasonal distribution of total herbage yield was similar on a grass-clover sward receiving no fertilizer N to that on a grass sward receiving six applications of N per year. At Pwllpeiran, on the other hand, the indirect contribution of the clover tended to be greater in the second than in the first half of the year where no N was applied.The olover was similar to grass in phosphorus and potassium content and higher than grass in calcium and nitrogen. The clover was higher in nitrate-N content than grass grown without clover, at low levels of applied N, and increased the nitrate-N content of the grass growing with it.Water consumption at Trefloyne was greatest on swards which contained olover and on the swards without clover which received at least 400 kg N/ha/year. The effect of clover on soil water was apparent particularly in the lower horizons of the soil.


2004 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. N. Nie ◽  
D. F. Chapman ◽  
J. Tharmaraj ◽  
R. Clements

An experiment was conducted on 2 contrasting soil types for 4 years (1998–2001) to determine the effects of plant species mixture, management inputs, and environment on sown species herbage accumulation (SSHA) and seasonal growth pattern of pastures for dairy production. Five pasture types, combined with 3 management treatments, were established in south-west Victoria. Three of the pasture types were based on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.). One pasture type included short-term, winter- or summer-active species in the perennial ryegrass–white clover mixture. The final pasture type was based on the perennial grasses cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), and phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.). The 3 management treatments involved different levels of fertiliser input and weed/pest control. Pasture type had a significant impact on SSHA in 3 of 4 years. In the first year, the mixture based on cocksfoot, tall fescue, and phalaris had the lowest SSHA, but this pasture matched other types from 1999 onwards and yielded the highest in 2000, the year with the driest summer during the experiment. Ryegrass–white clover mixture based on old cultivars had generally lower SSHA than the other types except in the first year. Higher fertiliser inputs increased SSHA by 16–28% in 1998, 1999, and 2001. There was a significant site × pasture type interaction on SSHA in 2000. The mixture based on cocksfoot, tall fescue, and phalaris produced up to 1–2 t DM/ha.year more than the other types in summer and autumn in dry–normal years. The inclusion of short-term species, or more stoloniferous white clover cultivars, in the ryegrass–white clover mixture, had little effect on SSHA, or on the seasonal distribution of pasture growth. Pastures based on perennial grasses other than perennial ryegrass appear to have potential for altering the seasonality of pasture growth in south-west Victoria, although the benefits resulting from changing pasture type will depend on environment. Overall, increasing management inputs usually had a greater effect on SSHA than changing pasture type, but management responses were also affected by environment, particularly through the effects of a dry season on a sandy soil type.


Author(s):  
J-P Praat ◽  
W.R. Ritchie ◽  
C.J. Baker ◽  
J. Hodgson

Establishment, botanical composition and production of direct-drilled perennial ryegrass and tall fescue were compared for two seeding rates in an autumn-sown, grazed trial. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. cv. AU Triumph) was sown at either 17 or 3 1 kg/ha and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. cv. Grasslands Supernui) was sown at 12 and 23 kg/ha on 12 April, 1990 all with "Grasslands Pitau" white clover at 3 kg/ha. Measurements of herbage mass and botanical composition during the ensuing 2-year period showed that there was no advantage in terms of suppression of weed species or accumulation of herbage mass of the sown species from sowing more seed than that required to achieve a population of 450-500 plants/m2 of either ryegrass and tall fescue 6 weeks after sowing. A population of 150 white clover plants/m2 appeared to be adequate for development of a balanced sward. Establishment of fescue was slower than that of ryegrass but both species developed to productive swards after infrequent but close defoliation with dairy cattle in the first spring and subsequent rotational grazing by lactating dairy cows. Pasture establishment in Northland is difficult because of shallow topsoils. Direct drilling can preserve this fragile topsoil and successfully establish alternative species such as fescue as long as attention is paid to their establishment requirements. Alternative species may offer a solution to low feed availability of ryegmss in the summer and poor survival of ryegrass in poorly drained areas during the winter. Keywords: direct drilling, Festuca arundinacea, Lolium perenne, pasture establishment, seeding rate


Author(s):  
E.R. Thom ◽  
V.T. Burggraaf ◽  
C.D. Waugh ◽  
D.A. Clark

Milk production by Jersey cows grazing a common allowance of irrigated or non-irrigated pastures over four summers (1997-2000) is described. The pastures were: (1) high-endophyte perennial ryegrass-white clover (2) tall fescue, phalaris, cocksfoot, white clover, red clover (3) same as (2) plus paspalum (4) endophyte-free ryegrass, timothy, white clover, red clover and (5) existing high-endophyte ryegrass-white clover. Irrigation improved milksolids yield by 5% over 4 years, with inconsistent effects on milk composition, no effects on pasture in vitro digestibility and nitrogen content, and usually no effect on pasture botanical composition. In 1997, cows on (1) produced the lowest milksolid (MS) yields. Cows grazing ryegrass-white clover (1 and 5) produced less than those on tall fescue-based pastures (2 and 3) (0.74 vs 0.86 kg MS/cow/day) in 1998, and the yields of cows on ryegrass/timothy-based pastures (4) were best (0.96 kg MS/cow/day). The same trends in milksolids yield occurred in 1999, except for cows on (1) which were similar to (4). Cows on existing pasture often produced the lowest milksolid yields. Trends in milksolids production over the 4 years reflected trends in total clover (red + white) contents. Keywords: cocksfoot, dairy cows, grazing, pasture quality, perennial ryegrass, persistence, phalaris, red clover, tall fescue, timothy, triple mix, volunteer ryegrass, white clover


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