Time of seed harvest and sowing determines successful establishment of kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra) on Dja Dja Wurrung Country

Dylan Male; James Hunt; Corinne Celestina; Dorin Gupta; Gary Clark; Rodney Carter; Dan Duggan

doi:10.1071/CP24226

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Previous Contents Vol 76(3)

Time of seed harvest and sowing determines successful establishment of kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra) on Dja Dja Wurrung Country

Dylan Male

^A ^* , James Hunt

^A , Corinne Celestina

^A , Dorin Gupta

^B , Gary Clark

^C , Rodney Carter ^D and Dan Duggan ^D

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic 3010, Australia.

^B School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, Dookie Campus, Melbourne, Vic 3647, Australia.

^C Department of Animal, Plant and Soil Sciences, Centre for AgriBioscience, La Trobe University, 5 Ring Road, Bundoora, Vic 3086, Australia.

^D DJAARA, the Traditional Owner group representing Dja Dja Wurrung People, Bendigo, Vic, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: dylanmale97@gmail.com

Handling Editor: Brendan Cullen

Crop & Pasture Science 76, CP24226 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP24226

Submitted: 23 July 2024 Accepted: 14 February 2025 Published: 7 March 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

Kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra Forssk.) is a native perennial C₄ species significant to Dja Dja Wurrung people who seek to restore its presence across Country (Djandak) through broadacre seed crop production. To achieve this, agronomic challenges to establishment must be overcome.

Aims

To understand the effects of harvest time on seed viability and sowing time on crop establishment.

Methods

In Experiment 1, seed viability was assessed in a remnant Djandak stand in three seasons and seed colour assessed and cumulative seed shed measured in two of these seasons. In Experiment 2, seed from two Djandak ecotypes was sown at two sites at eight sowing dates over two seasons and plant emergence, culm number and canopy cover were recorded.

Key results

In Experiment 1, seed was shed from mid-December to late-January and seed viability varied intra- and inter-seasonally. Viability of early shed seed was low (0–24%) but increased with time to a peak of 68–69% in the first two seasons and 28–37% in the final season. Most seed had shed when peak viability was reached. Dark-coloured seeds with a caryopsis exhibited both high viability and high dormancy. In Experiment 2, sowing in September–October resulted in the optimal combination of highest mean establishment, lowest variability and no establishment failures.

Conclusions

To maximise crop establishment, seed should be sown in September–October on Djandak and be harvested when 30–50% of seed has shed.

Implications

These guidelines inform T. triandra establishment supportive of its development as a broadacre seed crop.

Keywords: crop agronomy, crop domestication, crop establishment, crop management, Indigenous plants, native grains, native grasses, perennial grains, seed production.

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