Comparison of Conventional and Minimal Tillage for Low-Input Pasture Improvement

Seasonal dry matter production, botanical composition and forage quality of kikuyu over-sown with annual or perennial ryegrass

“…Therefore, careful consideration should be given to the selection of species and how it will affect fodder flow and availability. The maximum benefit from over-sowing is obtained when the sown species complements, rather than replaces, the existing sward (Bartholomew 2005). In a kikuyu pasture the over-sown species should therefore improve winter and early spring production, but should not lower the production of kikuyu during summer and autumn.…”

Impacts of Sward Renewal Method with Perennial Ryegrass (<i>Lolium perenne</i>) on Dry Matter Yield, Tiller Density and Nitrate Leaching

“…The DIQ rejuvenation method evaluated in the spring trial demonstrated encouraging results in terms of DM yield and sward PRG tiller density. Where DD is used to complement rather than replace an existing crop, there is usually a gain in annual forage output and an improvement in seasonal distribution of production [12]. The perennial ryegrass content of the sward increased from 0.23 in 2009 to 0.57 in 2010 compared to the control which is similar to a study by Stafford et al, [39], where over-sowing old permanent pasture with perennial ryegrass following the application of the herbicide paraquat (N,N′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride, Syngenta) to suppress the existing sward increased the sward perennial ryegrass content to 0.55 from 0.33.…”

“…For these reasons alternative methods of sward renewal must be used under such conditions. Alternative methods may include the use of herbicides for full or partial destruction of the old sward followed by minimum cultivation or direct drilling techniques to renew or rejuvenate the sward [12].…”

Overseeding Unimproved Warm-Season Pasture with Cool- and Warm-Season Legumes to Enhance Forage Productivity

“…Some yield limitation may be attributed to the low productivity of the experimental site that is typical of unimproved mixed grass pasture in the SGP (Berg, 1995;Gillen and Berg, 1998), but the use of a no-till management regime in the work reported here is also likely to have reduced legume production. In contrast with other research, for example, that of Cuomo et al, (2003) and Laberge et al, (2005), no chemical suppression of the existing crop was made prior to sowing legumes, even though this has been identified as an important determinant of success for overseeded forages (Bartholomew, 2005). Warmseason grass suppression was not undertaken here because the warm-season pasture was close to the end of its growing season when cool-season legumes were sown and it was assumed that existing pasture would not compete with establishing legumes.…”

“…In these circumstances perennial or self-regenerating annual crops are desirable, to reduce the costs of establishment and minimize the risks of soil erosion. Overseeding to incorporate cool-season forages into existing pasture can increase total annual production and improve seasonal distribution of output, without the level of risk of soil erosion and prolonged production loss associated with crop establishment by clean-tillage (Bartholomew, 2005). Inclusion of cool-season legumes in low-input systems may be of particular interest because of a potential for yield improvement in mixed cropping that may be equivalent to the yield obtained from grass alone with N application of between 100 to 250 kg ha −1 (Evers, 1985;Ocumpaugh, 1990;George et al, 1995).…”