scholarly journals A review of the role of grazing management on the growth and performance of white clover cultivars in lowland New Zealand pastures

1996 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 65-70
Author(s):  
J.L. Brock ◽  
M.J.M. Hay
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Clonal Growth ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Point Density ◽  
Defoliation Frequency ◽  
And Performance

The current state of knowledge of white clover clonal growth processes and defoliation management is reviewed, and general recommendations on grazing principals made. Defoliation frequency determines herbage productivity through the manipulation of size/ density compensation between plant organ size (leaves) and numbers of growth units (growing point density). Hence large-leaved cultivars (Pitau, Kopu, Aran) are generally more productive under rotational grazing, whereas small-leaved cultivars are better suited to frequently grazed or set stocked conditions (Tahora, Prestige). The key to persistence is high growing point density, and the development of large-leaved densely branched cultivars should have superior performance over a wider range of grazing managements (Demand, Sustain). Grasses (perennial ryegrass, cocksfoot and tall fescue) grow by similar clonal processes to white clover and react in a similar manner to grazing management. Maintenance of pasture density (growing points/tillers) is crucial to persistence and is best achieved by rapid rotations or set stocking during spring/early summer. This provides protection against drought, and allows better exploitation of the genetic potential of species and cultivars through alternative grazing strategies over the remainder of the year. Keywords: clonal growth, cultivars, grazing management, morphology, populations, rotational grazing, seasonal growth patterns, set stocking, Trifolium repens L., white clover

scholarly journals Influence of grazing management and drought on white clover population performance and genotypic frequency

1996 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 79-82
Author(s):  
J.L. Brock ◽  
J.R. Caradus
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Genotypic Frequency ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
General Decline ◽  
Preferential Loss

Between 1984 and 1990, the performance of 'Tahora', 'Huia', 'Pitau' and 'Kopu' white clover cultivars were evaluated in self-contained farmlets under rotational grazing and set stocking with sheep. A severe late spring-early summer drought in the third year from sowing (1986-87), caused a marked interaction between grazing management and cultivar performance. The drought caused no losses under set stocking, but large losses of stolon (75-90%) and a reduction in white clover content from 15% to 2% under rotational grazing. All cultivars were equally affected and recovery over the next 3 years was slow, although the small-leaved Tahora recovered faster than the large-leaved Pitau and Kopu. It was hypothesised that this would have caused differences in the preferential loss of genotypes with specific characteristics between grazing managements. Populations of white clover sampled from the field in 1989 and established from the original seedlines, were grown in common conditions for a year and compared for leaf size and cyanogenesis content. There had been a significant loss in mean leaf size in all cultivars with time, irrespective of drought or grazing management. It was shown that a general decline in stolon biomass commenced in all treatments 18 months after sowing, suggesting either, (1) a preferential loss of large-leaved genotypes with time irrespective of grazing management, or (2), a general change in per-formance of all genotypes, which may coincide with the change from dependence on seminal taproot of the seedling, to nodal rooting on free growing stolons. Keywords: cultivars, drought, genotypic change, grazing management, populations, Trifolium repens, white clover

scholarly journals WINTER-SPRING NUTRITION AND MANAGEMENT EFFECTS ON EWE AND LAMB PERFORMANCE

1984 ◽  
pp. 190-198
Author(s):  
D.C. Smeaton ◽  
P.V. Rattray
Keyword(s):  
Live Weight ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Lactation Period ◽  
Restricted Feeding ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Short Rotation ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
Management Effects

Aspects of the above theme were investigated in 5 trials. Trial 1 compared the effects of high and low nutrition during pregnancy and lactation on ewe and iamb production. Ewe live weight was substantially affected by nutrition treatment during pregnancy but carry-over effects on live weight at weaning were small. Nutrition during lactation strongly affected both lamb and ewe weaning weights. Ewe and lamb losses were not affected by nutrition at any stage. The results implied that ewes can be quite severely restricted on pasture during pregnancy in order to save feed for the much more important lactation period. Trials 2 and 3 investigated the management of ewes fed at maintenance levels in mid-pregnancy. The treatments consisted of various grazing durations where the ewes were shifted from one pasture break to another after a specific grazing duration, as defined by their treatment. These treatments consisted of grazing durations ranging from 3 to 56 days. Liveweight differences occurred during the 56-dav trial period but at the end there was only 2.5kg difference between extreme treatments. This suggests that where ewes are on restricted feeding during pregnancy to conserve pasture reserves, grazing duration has little consistent impact on final ewe live weight and performance. However, for several reasons, a shorter duration (3-7 days) is preferred. Trials 4 and 5 compared several winter-spring management treatments. Ewes on a 35day (short) rotation during pregnancy versus those on a 70day (long) rotation had less pasture on their farmlet at lambing (930 V. 1030 kg/ha). As a consequence the short rotation ewes were 1.5 kg lighter at weaning. Their lambs ware 2.3 kg lighter. In another comparison, set-stocking ewes 4 weeks before lambing compared with at lambing disadvantaged the ewes and lambs by 2-3 kg at weaning. The ewes set-stocked 4 weeks before lambing had consumed most of their winter reserves by lambing. In Trial 5, rotational grazing after lambing until weaning versus set-stocking, disadvantaged the ewes and iambs by 4 and 3 kg respectively at weaning. This was probably because the rotation length of 21 days in the rotational group was too long. Management implications from these results are discussed. Keywords: winter, spring, nutrition, grazing management, ewes, lambs, pregnancy, lactation, grazing duration, rotational grazing, set stocking.

Density of Trifolium repens plants in mixed swards under intensive grazing by sheep

1989 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. M. Hay ◽  
J. L. Brock ◽  
V. J. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Trifolium Repens ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Grazed Pastures ◽  
Point Density

SUMMARYDensities of physiologically independent plants of white clover were studied in New Zealand in pastures stocked at 22·5 ewes plus lambs/ha by set stocking, rotational grazing or a combination of both systems. Plants were sampled once a month for 1 year (1984/85) by taking turves and washing out the plants. Numbers of growing points and stolon dry weight per plant were obtained. At each sampling fifty, 50 mm diameter pasture plugs were taken from each sward and growing point density and stolon mass/m2 of white clover were measured. The density of white clover plants in the swards was estimated on the basis of both stolon dry weight and number of growing points.The two estimates gave similar results. There was a trend of lowest densities in set-stocked pastures (334/m2), intermediate densities in combination management pastures (431/m2) and highest densities in the rotationally grazed pastures (553/m2). The overall mean density of white clover plants was 439/m2 and the range was 193–811/m2.The structure of swards under the three systems of grazing differed and this was considered to contribute towards the variation in density of white clover plants in the various swards.

Tedera proves its value as a summer and autumn feed for sheep in Mediterranean-like climates

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 2269 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Real ◽  
C. M. Oldham ◽  
A. van Burgel ◽  
E. Dobbe ◽  
J. Hardy
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
The Third ◽  
Continuous Grazing ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
Sheep Production

Tedera (Bituminaria bituminosa C.H Stirt. vars. albomarginata and crassiuscula) is a traditional forage species for goats in the Canary Islands, Spain. It has agronomic characteristics ideally suited to Mediterranean-like climates that allows it to provide high quality green forage for grazing animals during summer and autumn. It can be used to extend the growing season into late spring and early summer and/or to reduce or eliminate the need for expensive hand feeding of grain and hay to sheep to fill the ‘feed gap’ during the dry season in southern Australian farming systems. Three sheep grazing experiments were carried out with the objective to evaluate sheep production during summer and autumn with tedera as the sole diet. A 3-ha site at Dandaragan, Western Australia was grazed during the summer and autumn of 2014–2015 and 2016 and a 2.4-ha site was grazed at Kojonup, Western Australia during the same period in 2016. At each site, two grazing treatments were evaluated, continuous grazing and rotational grazing with six plots (14 days of grazing and 70 days of recovery). The first hypothesis tested was that tedera plants would not survive continuous grazing during summer and autumn. The second hypothesis tested was that without hand feeding, 10 dry sheep equivalents/ha would be able to at least maintain weight and condition score during summer and autumn. The third hypothesis tested was that rotational grazing would improve the production of the sheep (liveweight and condition score) compared with continuous grazing. The first hypothesis was rejected, the population of tedera plants did not significantly decline due to being continuously grazed during summer and autumn. The second hypothesis was confirmed, at the three experimental sites, 10 dry sheep equivalents/ha were able to at least maintain weight and condition score without any hand feeding. The third hypothesis was partially rejected; continuous grazing had a better performance of the sheep than rotational grazing. However, the rotational grazing plots had more tedera on offer in the remaining grazing plots in the rotation with the potential for a longer grazing time. These three experiments clearly demonstrate that tedera can be used to reduce or eliminate expensive hand feeding during summer and autumn using the simplest and least expensive grazing management; continuous grazing.

scholarly journals Sward Structural Characteristics and Performance of Beef Heifers Reared under Rotational Grazing Management on Campos Grassland

2014 ◽  
Vol 05 (07) ◽  
pp. 1020-1029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cezar Wancura Barbieri ◽  
Fernando Luiz F. de Quadros ◽  
Felipe Jochims ◽  
Émerson Mendes Soares ◽  
Leandro Bittencourt de Oliveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Beef Heifers ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
And Performance

scholarly journals Grazing management influences on seasonality and performance of ryegrass and red clover in a mixture

1985 ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.P. Cosgrove ◽  
R.W. Brougham
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Total Production ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Clover Pasture ◽  
Summer Grazing ◽  
Clover Plant

Grazing management influences on the production and species composition of a ryegrass, red and white clover pasture were evaluated over 3 years. Pastures were grazed by cattle frequently in either winter or summer and infrequently for the remainder of the year or grazed infrequently all year. Frequency was determined by the height of herbage pre-grazing and was lo-12 cm for frequent grazing and 15-20 cm for infrequent grazing. Annual herbage production of 15.1 t DM/ha was not influenced by grazing management but seasonal production was. Management caused both instantaneous and longer term effects on production of component species. Lower summer production because of frequent grazing in that season resulted from a reduction in red clover production from 2.75 to 1.3 t DM/ha. However, ryegrass production in spring was increased by 60% and in summer it was more than doubled by this grazing treatment. Frequent grazing in winter also increased ryegrass and reduced red clover production in summer compared with infrequent grazing all year but had no effect on ryegrass production in spring. Red clover plant density was unaffected by the different grazing managements imposed for two and a half years but subsequently was lower under frequent summer grazing. Red clover dominance in summer and its effect on ryegrass production in spring can be controlled by more frequent grazing in summer and a more even species balance results. Emphasis on spring or summer production can be achieved through grazing management without affecting total production. Keywords: Red clover, ryegrass, grazing frequency, cattle grazing, herbage production, seasonal production

WHITE CLOVER OPTIONS FOR SHEEPFARMING IN SOUTHERN REGIONS OF NEW ZEALAND

1989 ◽  
pp. 175-179
Author(s):  
D.L. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Trifolium Repens ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Rotational Grazing

Four white clover cultivars 'Grasslands tluia', 'Grasslands Tahora', 'Grasslands Kopu' and 'Grasslands Pit& were evaluated at Grasslands Division, Gore, for 4 years, under 2 grazing managements. Year round rotational grazing was compared with rotational grazing incorporating a 1 P-week period of set stocking during spring. Huia was the best cultivar under both grazing managements. Tahora yields were comparable with those of Huia in spring and summer, and ryegrass yields were best in Tahora wards. The larger leaved and less stoloniferous Kopu and Pitau were not suited to the climatic conditions or the mtensive sheep grazing practices of the region. Keywords: Trifolium repens, Huia, Tahora, Pitau. KOPU, grazing management, stolon morphology, persistence, sheepfarming

scholarly journals Deferred grazing to enhance white clover content in pastures

1996 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 154-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.N. Watson ◽  
S.L. Harris ◽  
N.L. Bell ◽  
F.J. Neville
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
N Fixation ◽  
Point Density ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Meloidogyne Spp ◽  
Marked Decline ◽  
Coastal Bay ◽  
Clover Content

During the early 1990s declining milk yields on coastal Bay of Plenty farms, against wider district trends, was attributed to pasture clover deficiency. To investigate possible causes pasture herbage yield, species composition, white clover growing point density and N-fixation activity were measured on two coastal Bay of Plenty dairy pastures over two years following nematicide treatment (Watson et al. 1994). Soil temperature was also monitored over most of this period. There was a marked decline in white clover growing point density of up to 90% from mid-December to mid- February in each year. This coincided with periods when surface (1 cm depth) daily maximum soil temperatures exceeded 30°C and soil moisture levels were below 30% Mw. Loss of clover was enhanced by clover cyst (Heterodera trifolii) and root knot (Meloidogyne spp.) nematodes which also delayed autumn recovery. Poor clover levels taken into the winter extended clover deficiency into a second season. Keywords: drought, grazing management, stolon density

Morphology of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) plants in pastures under intensive sheep grazing

1993 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Brock ◽  
R. H. Fletcher
Keyword(s):  
Lolium Perenne ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Stem Length ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Plant Structure ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Tiller Density

SUMMARYThe morphology of independent plants of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) in mixed swards under intensive sheep grazing was studied at Palmerston North, New Zealand in 1988/89. Intact plants of two cultivars, ‘Grasslands Nui’ and ‘Grasslands Ariki’, were sampled from pastures under rotational grazing, set stocking, and a combination of both systems, every 2 months for 16 months, by taking turves (250 × 250 mm) and washing out the plants. Characters measured for each plant were: number of flower heads, leaves and tillers; basal stem and internode stolon length; flower head, leaf blade, leaf sheath and stolon dry weight (DW). Additional pasture data on tiller density and dispersion and herbage DW to ground level were also collected.Perennial rye grass exhibited a strong clonal growth pattern similar to that of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) but with a better balance between growth at the apex and death of old basal stem. Release of branch stolons to form new plants was regular, which maintained population stability. Formation of internode (I) stolon appeared to be a response of heavily shaded tillers for survival by elevation of the growing point to a more favourable position. The total DW of ryegrass stolon in pastures was greater than that of the companion white clover.There was little seasonal variation in number of tillers or basal (B) stem length per plant. During the reproductive period (late spring/early summer) plants were heavier and had more leaves and internode stolon than at other times of the year. Grazing management had little effect on plant structure, but plants under rotational grazing had 75% greater DW, less basal stem and reduced probability of internode stolon formation than plants under set stocking. Nui plants had heavier but fewer tillers than Ariki did, resulting in little difference in plant DW. Ariki had fewer single-tiller plants and a higher proportion of multiple-tiller (> 7) plants than Nui had. The structure of the populations was not affected by season, management or cultivar and remained stable throughout the year, with a log-normal distribution of plant size. Because of the uniformity of plant structure, plant density in pastures paralleled tiller density, averaging 1900, 3360 and 2330 plants/m2 for rotationally grazed, set stocked and combined grazing treatments respectively.In view of the strong influence that grazing management can have on ryegrass performance and persistence in pastures, the lack of response at the level of plant and population structure to grazing management suggests that some other level of organization within the ecology of the pasture is of greater importance.

EVALUATION OF NEW ZEALAND BRED WHITE CLOVER CULTIVARS UNDER ROTATIONAL GRAZING AND SET STOCKING WITH SHEEP

1988 ◽  
pp. 203-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.L. Brock
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Moisture Stress ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rotational Grazing ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Clover Content

The four New Zealand bred white clover cultivars. Tahora, Hula, Pltau and Kopu were evaluated for two years under a high stocking rate in self contained sheep grazed farmlets comparing year round rotational grazing with set stocking. Tahora was clearly superior under set stocking, yielding 50% more than Huia and 140% more than Pitau and Kopu. Under rotational grazing all performed well with only Kopu showing a 20% advantage. An unseasonal early summer drought in the second year showed all cultivars to be highly susceptible to moisture stress at this time under rotational grazing. Large scale death of clover occurred reducing clover content to 2-3% in autumn with no recovery by mid winter. Under set stocking, although severely wilted, all clovers quickly recovered to their former level following rain The management implications are discussed. Keywords: Tahora. Huia, Pitau, Kopu, grazing management, drought, cultivar choice

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