Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
The Rangeland Journal The Rangeland Journal Society
Journal of the Australian Rangeland Society
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > RJ > RJ08032
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 31(4)

Increasing the perennial grass component of native pastures through grazing management in the 400–600 mm rainfall zone of central western NSW

A. M. Bowman A , Y. Alemseged B D , G. J. Melville B , W. J. Smith B and F. Syrch C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, Pine Gully Road, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia.

B Trangie Agricultural Research Centre, PMB 19, Trangie, NSW 2821, Australia.

C ‘Flying Fox Station’, Mataranka, NT 0852, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: yohannes.alemseged@industry.nsw.gov.au

The Rangeland Journal 31(4) 369-376 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ08032
Submitted: 25 July 2008  Accepted: 12 May 2009   Published: 27 November 2009

Abstract

Native grass-based pastures in the 400–600 mm rainfall zone of central NSW are an important basis for extensive grazing industries. However, over time they have been invaded by exotic weeds. This study aimed to evaluate several grazing strategies for the maintenance or improvement of native grasslands based on pasture productivity and species diversity. Seven grazing strategies, ranging from set stocking to permanently removing stock, were employed to evaluate the strategy that would best maintain a high proportion of desirable perennial grass species.

Grazing treatments were evaluated based on their effects on pasture composition and on the density of selected key grass species such as Enteropogon acicularis (Lindl.) Lazar. (curly windmill grass). Managing the utilisation of the key desirable species E. acicularis combined with weed control was the most successful strategy in terms of increasing the density of the key species, although no treatment increased the proportion of desirable perennial grasses and desirable broadleaf species. This was followed by a ‘farmer’s choice’ strategy, which involved combining phosphorus fertiliser application, weed control and rest from grazing. In contrast, strategies that involved either a ‘summer lockup’ or ‘weed control’ alone performed poorly. It is concluded that native pastures in this region could be rehabilitated, and their productivity restored, by following strategies that provide rest from grazing, based on the utilisation levels of key, species combined with control of annual weeds.

Additional keywords: Enteropogon acicularis, grazing strategies, pasture utilisation.


Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the Natural Heritage Trust for providing the funds to undertake the project. Dr Remy Van De Ven provided the experimental design for the study and Dr Arthur Gilmore checked and commented on the data analysis method used. Acknowledgment is also made to the research station managers Mr Greg Wall and Ms Anne Mabey and technical and farm staff Mr Tom Sneglar, Mr Mathew Reed, Mr Mathew Amos, Mr James Bradford. Thanks are also given to Mr Ian Toole, Mr Robert Pither, and Ms Jayne Jenkins for their help through the course of the study period. We also thank Dr Ron Hacker for his guidance and for his valuable comment on the manuscript.


References


Alemseged, Y. (2000). The competitiveness, productivity and management of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) for pastures. PhD Thesis, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Beattie, A. S. (1994). High rainfall, perennial pasture zone of Australia. In: ‘Pasture Management: Technology for the 21st Century’. (Eds D. R. Kemp and D. L. Michalk.) pp. 62–70. (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Biddiscombe E. F. (1953) A survey of the natural pastures of the Trangie district, New South Wales, with particular reference to the grazing factor. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 4, 1–28.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Biddiscombe E. F., Cuthbertson E. G., Hutchings R. J. (1954) Autecology of some natural pasture species at Trangie, NSW. Australian Journal of Botany 2, 69–98.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Bowman, A. (1999). ‘Pastures for Hard Setting Red Soils in Central West NSW.’ (NSW Agriculture: Orange, NSW.)

Bowman, A. M. , Brooke, G. , and Van de Ven, R. (1998). Native pasture management in the 400–600 mm rainfall zone of northern NSW. In: ‘Agronomy – Growing a Greener Future. Proceedings of the 9th Australian Agronomy Conference’. (Eds D. L. Michalk and J. E. Pratley.) pp. 45–46. (Charles Sturt University: Wagga Wagga, NSW.)

Brooke, G. , and McGarva, L. (1998). ‘The Glove Box Guide to Plants of the NSW Rangelands.’ (NSW Agriculture: Orange, NSW.)

Earl J. M., Jones C. E. (1996) The need for a new approach to grazing management – is cell grazing the answer? The Rangeland Journal 18, 327–350.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Freudenberger D., Wilson A., Palmer R. (1999) The effects of perennial grasses, stocking rate and rainfall on sheep production in a semi-arid woodland of eastern Australia. The Rangeland Journal 21, 199–219.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Gilmour, A. R. , Cullis, B. R. , Welham, S. J. , and Thompson, R. (1999). ‘ASREML reference manual: ASReml estimates variance components under a general linear mixed model by residual maximum likelihood. Biometric Bulletin, No. 3.’ (NSW Agriculture: Orange, NSW.)

Grice, A. C. (1994). Grazing for pasture management in the rangelands. In: ‘Pasture Management: Technology for the 21st Century’. (Eds D. R. Kemp and D. L. Michalk.) pp. 91–99. (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Groves R. H., Austin M. P., Kaye P. E. (2003) Competition between Australian native and introduced grasses along a nutrient gradient. Austral Ecology 28, 491–498.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Hodgkinson, K. A. (1995). Model for perennial grass mortality under grazing. In: ‘Rangelands in a Sustainable Biosphere. Proceedings of the 5th International Rangeland Congress’. (Ed. N. E. West.) pp. 240–241. (Society for Range Management: Denver, CO.)

Isbell, R. F. (1996). ‘The Australian Soil Classification.’ (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Kemp D. R., Dowling P. M. (1991) Species distribution within improved pastures over central NSW in relation to rainfall and altitude. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 42, 647–659.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Kemp D. R., Dowling P. M. (2000) Towards sustainable temperate perennial pastures. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 40, 125–132.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Kemp D. R., Dowling P. M., Michalk D. L. (1996) Managing the composition of native and naturalised pastures with grazing. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 39, 569–578. open url image1

Kemp D. R., Michalk D. L., Virgona J. M. (2000) Towards more sustainable pastures: lesson learnt. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 40, 343–356.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Liu H., Zheng Y., Shen J. (2008) Goodness-of-fit measures of R 2 for repeated measures mixed effect models. Journal of Applied Statistics 35, 1081–1092.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Lodge G. M., McMillan M. G. (1994) Effects of herbicides on wallaby grass (Austrodanthonia spp.). 2. Established plants. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 34, 759–764.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Lodge G. M., McMillan M. G., Schipp A. J., Cook A. S. (1994) Effects of herbicides on wallaby grass (Austrodanthonia spp.). 1. Establishment. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 34, 753–757.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

McKenzie, N. J. (1992). Soils of the Lower Macquarie Valley, New South Wales. Divisional Report No. 117, CSIRO Division of Soils, Canberra.

Michalk D. L., Herbert P. K. (1976) The effects of grazing and season on the stability of Chloris spp. (windmill grass) in natural pasture at Trangie, New South Wales. Australian Rangeland Journal 1, 106–111.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Michalk, D. L. , and Robards, G. E. (1983). Regeneration of windmill grass pastures following grazing in semiarid southern Australia. In: ‘Proceedings of the XIV International Grassland Congress’. (Eds J. A. Smith and V. W. Hays.) pp. 519–521. (Westview Press: Boulder, CO.)

Northcote, K. H. (1979). ‘A Factual Key for the Recognition of Australian Soils.’ (Rellim Technical Publications: Adelaide.)

Núñez-Antón V., Zimmerman D. L. (2000) Modelling non-stationary longitudinal data. Biometrics 56, 699–705.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | open url image1

Orr D. M. (1980) Effect of sheep grazing Astrebla grassland in central western Queensland. I. Effect of grazing pressure and livestock distribution. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 31, 797–806.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Soil Survey Staff (1975). ‘Soil Taxonomy: A Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys.’ USDA – Soil Conservation Service Agricultural Handbook 436. (US Government Printing Office: Washington, DC.)

Willis T. M., Hall D. J. M., McKenzie D. C., Barchia I. (1997) Soybean yield as affected by crop rotation, deep tillage and irrigation layout on a hardsetting alfisol. Soil & Tillage Research 44, 151–164.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1