Survey of use and management of Lotus pedunculatus cv. Grasslands Maku in eastern Australia

Abstract

A telephone survey of district agronomists and a postal survey of farmers known to have had experience with Lotus pedunculatus cv. Grasslands Maku were conducted in eastern Australia in 1990 with the objectives of determining the present use of Maku in eastern Australia, and documenting management practices and problems of Maku pastures. The data from the survey were used as an aid in identifying research needs relating to Maku, the results of which may overcome problems associated with Maku's wider adoption and use. Fourteen district agronomists were interviewed, and of the 100 questionnaires sent to farmers, 70 valid returns were received. The area sown to Maku along the coastal regions of eastern Australia increased from 100 ha in 1984 to 5500 ha in 1990. The main use of Maku was in beef enterprises; there was a lesser, but still substantial, use in the dairy sector. Maku was sown over a wide range of soil conditions. In the dairy sector it was most commonly reported to be sown on poorly drained, waterlogged soils (57% of respondents), followed by infertile and acidic soils. In beef systems it was sown into a combination of low pH and infertile soils (42%). The district agronomists were unsure of the feed value of Maku. However, there was a high level of satisfaction among the farmers, with 87% of beef farmers and 75% of dairy farmers reporting its feed value to be equal to, or better than, white clover. All beef farmers intended to establish larger areas over their properties, whereas 21% of dairy farmers surveyed did not intend to expand their sowing of Maku pastures. From the results of both surveys a number of areas requiring research have been identified. These include aspects of establishment, dry matter production, quality, persistence, and seed production.