Comparison of Maku lotus (Lotus pedunculatus)-based and clover (Trifoliumspp.)-based swards with and without regular phosphorus fertiliser

Abstract

Grazedclover(Trifolium spp.)-based and lotus (Lotus pedunculatus)-based pastures were compared over 6 years under differentmaintenance phosphorus (P) regimes. With biennial applications of P, herbage yields were higher from lotus-based than from clover-based swards irrespective of the rate of P applied (ID-40 kg P/ha). Herbage yields declined in the absence of maintenance fertiliser, with the declinebeinggreaterin clover-based than in lotus-based swards. Six years after maintenance P application ceased, clover and lotus sward yields were57 and 75% respectively of yieldsfrombiennial P applications. Declines were more rapid and differences more marked in the legume component of the swards with clover declining to 35% by the third year compared to 66% with lotus, with little further change. The results support the use of Maku lotus under low maintenanceP regimes.

Evaluation of aluminium‐tolerant white clover(Trifolium repens)selections on East Otago upland soils

“…Floate et al (1985). The results confirmed earlier research (e.g., Lowther 1991;Floate et al 1985) showing that Lotus species are well adapted to these acid soils. Lotus corniculatus is very tolerant of low pH, but is more susceptible to soluble Al than white clover (Edmeades et al 1991), while Lotus pedunculatus is very tolerant of both low pH and soluble Al.…”

“…Lotus pedunculatus-based pastures on an acid yellow-brown earth (Waipori soil, pH 4.8, extractable aluminium 49 |ig g^1) produced greater herbage yields than white clover-based pasture receiving biennial inputs of phosphorous (Lowther 1991). After cessation of the fertiliser applications, herbage yields and legume content were maintained at higher levels in the Lotus plots than in clover plots.…”

“…The selections were i ncr eas i ngs oi l -ext r act abl eAl i nt heOt agoupl ands ( Tab l e 2) . The soils at all si t es were s a mpl ed (0-e^^ ™ *e east Otago uplands, where Lowther 75 mm) for determination of soil chemical ( ,1991( ) andMclntosh et al (1984 Table 1 Legumes evaluated on three sites with different extractable soil Al levels. Origins of the Al-tolerant and Al-susceptible white clovers are described in Caradus et al (1987Caradus et al ( ,1991, and Mackay et al (1990).…”

Phosphorus absorption and use efficiency by Lotus spp. under water stress conditions in two soils: A pot experiment

“…Neither DM response to P in Lc and Lt nor its absence in Lu ( Figure 1b) could be explained by root development because P absorption of Lt was similar to Lu in the low and high P levels and both were higher than in Lc ( Figure 3c); this does not support the relationship between species of deep or shallow rooting. These effects are related to the higher capacity of Lu to solubilize P, which is acknowledged by many authors (Lowther, 1991;Trolove et al, 1996); one mechanism to solubilize P is exudation of carboxylic acids such as citrate (Bolan et al, 1997;Kirk et al, 1999), which can make possible the availability of P immobilized in soil organic forms. This explains why Lu did not respond to P, but not why Lt responded to P, which had significantly increased absorption the same as Lu ( Figure 3c).…”

The phosphorus dilemma in organically farmed grasslands – are legume presence and phytodiversity incompatible?

“…With greater biomass production of L. pedunculatus under low soil P conditions in both pot and pasture field experiments in New Zealand, its potential as an alternative to Trifolium spp. has been shown, especially for acidic soils (Lowther 1991;Moir et al 2012). This has been explained by a different root morphology and a better P absorption efficiency (PAE) of this species (Haynes and Ludecke 1981;Hart and Jessop 1984).…”