The productivity of irrigated legumes in northern Victoria. 2. Effect of grazing management
K. B. Kelly A C , C .R. Stockdale A and W. K. Mason A BA Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRVic), Department of Primary Industries, Kyabram Centre, 120 Cooma Road, Kyabram, Vic. 3620, Australia.
B Current address: RPC Solutions, PO Box 2157, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: kevin.kelly@dpi.vic.gov.au
Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45(12) 1577-1585 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA03213
Submitted: 28 October 2003 Accepted: 7 May 2004 Published: 19 January 2006
Abstract
The productivity of irrigated white (Trifolium repens L.) and red (Trifolium pratense L.) clover swards was compared in an experiment of more than 3 years duration. It was hypothesised that white clover would be more productive than red clover when defoliation was frequent and intense, and less productive when defoliation was infrequent and lax. The experiment was a factorial design involving 2 species of clover [white clover (cv. Haifa) and red clover (cv. Redquin)], 2 grazing frequencies and 2 grazing intensities (with the criteria for both being based on quantities of herbage present before/after grazing). There were 4 extra treatments sown: perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. cv. Grasslands Nui) and white clover (cv. Haifa), lucerne (Medicago sativa L. cv. Validor), Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum L. cv. Maral) or subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L. cv. Trikkala), but only 1 defoliation treatment was used for each of these treatemnts. There were 4 replicated blocks of all treatments.
Apparent growth rates [calculated from measurements of dry matter (DM) removed by grazing] of white clover ranged from a low of 10 kg DM/ha.day in winter to a high of 70 kg DM/ha.day in summer. The growth rates of white clover swards were superior to those of ryegrass and white clover swards over summer, but were generally lower from May to October. In 2 of the 4 years, frequent grazing of white clover resulted in greater (P<0.05) production than infrequent grazing (average of 12.8 v. 10.7 t DM/ha) whereas intensity of grazing only affected DM net accumulation in the first year (P<0.05). The data show no evidence of a decline in productivity over time. Sward structure of white clover was influenced by grazing treatment with the numerically highest yielding treatment (frequent and hard) having the highest density of stolon tips (vegetative buds). In relation to days of regrowth, the frequently grazed treatment had higher levels of net photosynthesis in spring and summer compared with the infrequently grazed treatment. The frequently grazed treatment achieved positive carbon balance immediately after grazing and reached maximum levels of photosynthesis at 8–10 days, whereas the infrequent treatment showed negative carbon balance for the first 2–3 days after grazing with maximum photosynthesis being achieved later than in the frequently grazed treatment. When net photosynthesis was related to leaf area, there were fewer differences between the 2 treatments. The exception was in spring when photosynthesis was lowest where the initial leaf area was highest in the infrequent and hard treatment. Maximum photosynthesis was achieved at diminishing leaf area index from spring through to winter.
Red clover was the most productive legume in the first year after establishment, but it did not persist beyond the second year and its DM net accumulation was reduced by more frequent grazing (12.4 v. 15.3 t DM/ha in the first year and 6.1 v. 9.1 t DM/ha in the second year; P<0.05). The DM net accumulation of lucerne was greater than that in any other treatment (an average of 16.7 t DM/ha in the 2 completed years), whereas the annual legumes, subterranean clover and Persian clover, averaged 6.6 and 10.7 t DM/ha.year, respectively. The seasonal growth rate data showed that lucerne had very good summer production whereas the annuals tended to be at least as good as the perennials from May to October.
Additional keywords: grazing frequency, grazing intensity, herbage production, lucerne, Persian clover, red clover, subterranean clover, white clover.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the technical support provided by Geoff Akers, Geoff Wilhelms and Phillip Smith. Financial support from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and Dairy Australia is also acknowledged.
Baur-Hoch B,
Machler F, Nosberger J
(1990) Effect of carbohydrate demand on the remobilisation of starch in stolons and roots of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) after defoliation. Journal of Experimental Botany 41, 573–578.
Bowley SR,
Taylor NL, Dougherty CT
(1984) Physiology and morphology of red clover. Advances in Agronomy 37, 317–347.
Brougham RW
(1959) The effects of frequency and intensity of grazing on the productivity of a pasture of short-rotation ryegrass and red and white clover. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 2, 1232–1248.
Carlson GE
(1966) Growth of clover leaves — developmental morphology and parameters at ten stages. Crop Science 6, 293–294.
Chapman DF, Robson MJ
(1992) The physiological role of old stolon material in white clover (Trifolium repens L.). The New Phytologist 122, 53–62.
Connor DJ,
Palta JA, Jones TR
(1985) Response of sunflower to strategies of irrigation. 3. Crop photosynthesis and transpiration. Field Crops Research 12, 281–293.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Danckwerts JE, Gordon AJ
(1989) Long-term partitioning, storage and remobilisation of 14C assimilated by Trifolium repens (cv. Blanca). Annals of Botany 64, 533–544.
Earle DF, McGowan AA
(1979) Evaluation and calibration of a rising plate meter for estimating pasture dry matter yield. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 19, 337–343.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hay RJM,
Kelly RW, Ryan DL
(1978) Some aspects of the performance of “Grasslands Pawera” red clover in Southland. Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association 38, 246–252.
Hill MJ
(1991) Sward growth of monocultures and binary mixtures of phalaris, lucerne, white clover and subterranean clover under two defoliation regimes. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 31, 51–61.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Johns GG, Lazenby A
(1973) Effect of irrigation and defoliation on the herbage production and water use efficiency of four temperate pasture species. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 24, 797–808.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kelly KB, Mason WK
(1986) Evaluation of some annual Trifolium spp. under irrigation. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 26, 79–86.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kelly KB, Mason WK
(1987) Effect of irrigation timing on seedling establishment and productivity of subterranean clover pastures. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 27, 545–549.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kelly KB,
Stockdale CR, Mason WK
(2005) The productivity of irrigated legumes in northern Victoria. 1. Effect of irrigation interval. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45,
Lawson AR,
Kelly KB, Sale PWG
(1997a) Effect of defoliation frequency on an irrigated perennial pasture in northern Victoria. 1. Seasonal production and sward composition. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 48, 811–817.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lawson AR,
Kelly KB, Sale PWG
(1997b) Effect of defoliation frequency on an irrigated perennial pasture in northern Victoria. 2. Individual plant morphology. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 48, 819–829.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lawson AR,
Kelly KB, Sale PWG
(1998) Defoliation frequency and genotype effects on stolon and root reserves in white clover. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 49, 983–988.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lawson AR,
Kelly KB, Sale PWG
(2000) Defoliation frequency and cultivar effects on the storage and utilisation of stolon and root reserves in white clover. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 51, 1039–1046.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Moate PJ,
Robinson IB,
O’Brien GN,
Rogers GL, Stockdale CR
(1992) The value of legumes for dairy production. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 19, 345–347.
Riffkin PA,
Quigley PE,
Cameron FJ,
Peoples MB, Thies JE
(1999) Annual nitrogen fixation in grazed dairy pastures in south-western Victoria. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 50, 273–281.
| Crossref |
Slarke RH, Mason WK
(1987) Effect of growth stage at cutting on yield and quality of lucerne cultivars from different dormancy groups in northern Victoria. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 27, 55–58.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Stockdale CR
(1984) Evaluation of techniques for estimating the yield of irrigated pastures intensively grazed by dairy cows. 2. The rising plate meter. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 24, 305–311.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Stockdale CR
(1994) Effects of defoliation management on the productivity of an irrigated Persian clover sward. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 34, 205–211.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Stockdale CR
(2005) The productivity of irrigated legumes in northern Victoria. 3. Frequency and intensity of defoliation of subterranean clover. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45, 1587–1594.
Thomson DJ,
Beever DE,
Haines MJ,
Cammel SB,
Evans RT,
Dhanoa MS, Austin AR
(1985) Yield and composition of milk from Friesian cows grazing either perennial ryegrass or white clover in early lactation. The Journal of Dairy Research 52, 17–31.
Widdup KH, Turner JD
(1983) Performance of 4 white clover populations in monoculture and with ryegrass under grazing. New Zealand Journal of Experimental Agriculture 11, 27–31.
