Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Animal Production Science Animal Production Science Society
Food, fibre and pharmaceuticals from animals
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > AN > EA06142
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 49(8)

Pasture systems to improve productivity of sheep in south-western Victoria. 1. Growth, composition, nutritive value and persistence of resown pastures

Geoffrey Saul A B D , Gavin Kearney A C and Dion Borg A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Primary Industries, Hamilton, Vic. 3300, Australia.

B Present address: PSA Services, 98 Leura Lane, Hamilton, Vic. 3300, Australia.

C Present address: 36 Paynes Road, Hamilton, Vic. 3300, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: geoff.saul@bigpond.com

Animal Production Science 49(8) 654-667 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA06142
Submitted: 21 April 2006  Accepted: 25 April 2009   Published: 27 July 2009

Abstract

Two pasture systems were compared at five on-farm sites across south-western Victoria between 1990 and 1996. The ‘typical’ pasture treatment mimicked the pasture and grazing management common in the region, with volunteer annual-based pastures fertilised with around 5 kg/ha phosphorus (P) each year. The ‘upgraded’ pasture treatments were resown to phalaris, perennial ryegrass and subterranean clover, and higher rates of fertiliser (13–25 kg P/ha.year) plus other nutrients were applied. Both pastures were set stocked with the participating farmers breeding ewes. Stocking rate was an emergent variable on each plot. The stocking rate on the typical treatments was based on normal farm practise. Initially, the stocking rate of the upgraded pastures was 15% higher than for the typical pastures and increased over time depending if the ewes in the upgraded pastures were heavier than those in the typical pastures. Measurements included soil fertility, pasture production, nutritive value and composition, and animal production.

Net annual pasture production of the upgraded pastures was 10 500 kg/ha compared with 8700 kg/ha for the typical pastures. This average difference (18%) between the treatments was greatly influenced by the large advantage (40%) of the upgraded pasture in the wet year of 1992. Upgraded pastures had higher pasture production than typical pastures in spring but the reverse occurred in autumn. In a separate small plot experiment, the response of each pasture to higher P fertiliser applications was tested. In autumn and winter, there was a significant interaction between pasture type and P rate, with higher responses on the upgraded pastures. In spring, both pastures responded to increased P applications but the upgraded pastures were more responsive at all P rates. The upgraded pastures contained significantly higher legume content (30–50%) than the typical pastures (10–20%). The proportion of sown perennial grasses in the upgraded pasture declined from around 30 to 10% after 6 years displaced by annual grasses and broad-leaf weeds. Herbage from upgraded pastures had significantly higher crude protein content (2–7 units) and digestibility (1–10 units) than the typical pastures with the difference between the treatments increasing over time.

The set stocking policy used in this experiment is likely to have exacerbated the decline in sown perennial grasses and implementation of some form of strategic or rotational grazing may have improved persistence. The experiment also highlights the importance of selecting perennial grasses able to cope with the local environment and grazing conditions. Despite the decline in perennials, these results show significant potential to improve pasture productivity and quality in south-western Victoria.


Acknowledgements

Pivot fertilisers (now Incitec-Pivot) and the Department of Primary Industries funded this project. We would especially like to acknowledge the support provided by the late Don Rooney from Pivot fertiliser who was instrumental in getting the experiment underway. We also thank the farmers who allowed access to land, livestock and facilities on their farms. The farmers were the late Mr Alister McKenzie, ‘Hillside’, Ararat; Mr Barry Reader, ‘Ardwick’, Edenhope; Mr Sandy MacMillan, ‘Rockbank’, Lismore; and Mr and Mrs Robert Lyons, ‘Dundas Park’, Vasey. The Hamilton site was on the Department of Primary Industries research farm, managed by Brian Clark. We appreciate the assistance, goodwill and input the farmers provided during the project. We thank the many staff including Don Jowett, Lisa McIntyre, Tom Morgan, John Cayley, Phillip Forsyth, Paul Quigley, John Graham, Phillipa Noble and Martin Dunstan who provided field support and advice. Steve Clark provided assistance with the figures and Richard Stockdale provided helpful editorial input.


References


Bishop AH (1964) Wool production in the high rainfall zone – a review of the industries response to the pasture revolution. Journal of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science 30, 219–231. [Verified 11 June 2009]

Chapman DF, McCaskill MR, Quigley PE, Thompson AL, Graham JF, Borg B, Lamb J, Kearney G, Saul GR, Clark SG (2003) Effects of grazing method and fertiliser inputs on the productivity and sustainability of phalaris-based pastures in western Victoria. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 43, 785–798.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Cullen BR (2002) Population biology and ecophysiology of Phalaris aquatica L. in grazed pastures. PhD Thesis, University of Melbourne.

Graham JF, Cullen BR, Lodge GM, Andrew MH, Christy BP, Holst PJ, Wang X, Murphy SR, Thompson AN (2003) SGS Animal Production Theme: effect of grazing system on animal productivity and sustainability across southern Australia. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 43, 977–992.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Jones RL, Betteridge K (1994) Effects of superphosphate or its elements (phosphorus, sulphur and calcium) on the grazing preference of steers on a tropical grass-legume pasture grown on a low phosphorus soil. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 34, 349–353.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Kemp DR, Dowling PM (2000) Towards sustainable temperate perennial pastures. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 40, 125–132.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Ozanne PG, Howes KMW (1971) Preference for grazing sheep for pastures of high phosphorus content. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 22, 941–950.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Peoples MB, Gault RR, Scammell GJ, Dear BS, Virgona J, Sandral GA, Paul J, Wolfe EC, Angus JF (1998) The effect of pasture management on the contributions of fixed N to the N-economy of ley-farming systems. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 49, 459–474.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Peverill KI , Briner GP (1974) The sulphur status of Victorian grasslands. In ‘Proceedings of the XII International Grassland Congress, Moscow. Vol. II’. (Eds VG Iglovikov, AP Movsisyants) pp. 411–420. (Mir: Moscow)

Quigley PE , Ward GN , Morgan T (1992) Botanical composition of pastures in southwest Victoria. In ‘Proceedings of the 6th Australian Society of Agronomy conference’. (Eds KJ Hutchison, PJ Vickery) p. 533.

Quinn H , Fitzpatrick L (2005) ‘Farm Monitor Project. Summary of results 2003–04.’ (Department of Primary Industries, Victoria: Melbourne)

Saul GR, Chapman DC (2002) Grazing methods, productivity and sustainability for sheep and beef pastures in temperate Australia. Wool Technology and Sheep Breeding 50(3), 449–464. open url image1

Saul GR , Jowett D , Morgan T , Noble P , Borg D (1993) Improved pasture species, fertiliser and pasture use to increase the productivity of wool sheep in south-western Victoria. In ‘Proceedings of the XVII international grassland congress’. pp. 1289–1290. (Dunmore Press: Palmerston North, NZ)

Saul GR, Kearney GA, Flinn PC, Lescun CL (1999) Effects of superphosphate fertiliser and stocking rate on the nutritive value of perennial ryegrass and subterranean clover herbage. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 50, 537–545.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Schroder PM (2006) Sowing pastures. In ‘Greener pastures for south-west Victoria’. (Eds Z Nie, G Saul) pp. 34–41. (Victorian Department of Primary Industries: Hamilton, Vic.)

Schroder PM , Cayley JWD , Patterson AP , Quigley PE , Saul GR (1992) Achieving the potential of the pasture resource in south-west Victoria. In ‘Proceedings of the 6th Australian Society of Agronomy conference’. (Eds KJ Hutchison, PJ Vickery) pp. 154–156.

Verbyla AP, Cullis BR, Kenward MG, Welham SJ (1999) The analysis of designed experiments and longitudinal data by using smoothing splines. Applied Statistics 48, 269–311.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Waller RA, Sale PWG, Saul GR, Quigley PE, Kearney GA (1999) Tactical versus continuous stocking in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) in pastures grazed by sheep in south-western Victoria. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 39, 265–274.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Waller RA, Sale PWG, Saul GR, Kearney GA (2001) Tactical versus continuous stocking in perennial ryegrass-subterranean clover pastures grazed by sheep in south-western Victoria. 2. Ryegrass persistence and botanical composition. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 41, 1109–1120.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1