Forage production from hedges of tagasaste in a high rainfall temperate environment, and the effects of plant spacing and frequency of harvesting

Abstract

The effect of spacing between plants (1,2 and 4 plants/m) and frequency of harvesting (2,3 and 4 times/year) on the production of tagasaste grown in hedges, was measured for 4 years following establishment. In the first 2 years, yield per metre of hedge increased with reduced spacing between plants; in the third and fourth years, however, there was little difference in the yields of the 2 closest plantings which still out-yielded the sparsest planting (1 plant/m). Total annual yields of both dry matter and 'edible' dry matter were greatest with only 2 harvests per year, but there was very little difference between yields from 3 or 4 harvests per year. With a spacing of 4 plants/m and 2 harvests per year, total annual dry matter yields of over 4.5 kg/m of hedge were achieved in the third and fourth years after establishment. Approximately 66% of the forage harvested was considered edible with this level of production. Pasture production adjacent to the hedges was generally unaffected by the tagasaste hedges. The protein content, digestibility and production of the tagasaste warrants further testing of its performance in larger scale plantations, rather than in isolated hedges.