A study in rate of pasture growth

Abstract

The growth curve of a pasture consisting of short-rotation ryegrass, red clover, and white clover was determined by measuring dry matter yields at intervals over a 9-week period in the spring of 1953. To determine the effects of temporary weather variations on growth, the experiment was replicated in time as well as space. The experimental technique is described. The curves of growth for ryegrass and total herbage were sigmoid. In the second phase of growth of approximately 6 weeks when rate of growth was constant, the daily increment in total herbage approached 150 1b dry matter per acre. Total herbage yields were separated into two parts to give a growth effect for a constant (mean) climate and an irregular weather effect. This latter separation showed agreement with fluctuations in temperature and rainfall. The results are discussed in terms of pasture management practices, and the possibilities of growth rate studies for future pasture experimentation are considered.