Compositional changes over four years for binary mixtures of grass species grown with white clover

McKenzie, D. B.; Papadopoulos, Y. A.; McRae, K. B.; Butt, E. M.

doi:10.4141/p03-065

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(28 reference statements)

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“…In a study conducted in Québec where white clover was grown in a mixture with either meadow fescue or meadow bromegrass under frequent cutting (Drapeau and Bélanger 2009), the proportion of white clover decreased from the first to the third post-seeding year, reaching values below 10%. In a study of white clover in mixtures with grasses conducted in Newfoundland, the proportion of white clover also decreased from 40% in the first postseeding year to 27% in the third post-seeding year (McKenzie et al 2005). White clover in mixtures with forage grasses is, therefore, not well adapted to frequent cutting or rotational grazing under the conditions of eastern Canada.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield and nutritive value of binary legume-grass mixtures under grazing or frequent cutting

et al. 2017

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Although most forage production in eastern Canada is comprised of species mixtures, little research has identified the best species to include in forage mixtures. Our objective was to identify binary legume-grass mixtures with high forage yield and nutritive value under either simulated grazing with frequent cutting or cattle grazing. The experiment was conducted at three sites in eastern Canada with 18 binary legume-grass mixtures of one of six grass species {Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.), orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), tall fescue [Schedonorus phoenix (Scob.) Holub], timothy (Phleum pratense L.), and meadow bromegrass (Bromus biebersteinii Roem. & Schult.)} seeded in 2010 with a grazing-type alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), or birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.). The six grass species grown in mixture with alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, or white clover persisted well under frequent cutting or rotational grazing at the three sites. White clover grown in a binary mixture with a grass species did not perform well under frequent cutting or rotational grazing. Meadow bromegrass based binary mixtures were overall the best performing in terms of dry matter yield; although their nutritive value was average, meadow bromegrass combined with alfalfa or birdsfoot trefoil were among the best legume-grass mixtures for estimated milk production per hectare. The greatest estimated milk production per hectare was obtained with birdsfoot trefoil mixed with meadow bromegrass followed by the alfalfa-timothy and the alfalfa-meadow bromegrass mixtures.Key words: alfalfa, clover, forage, grass, grazing.Résumé : Bien que la majeure partie des fourrages récoltés dans l'est du Canada viennent d'un mélange d'espèces, on a relativement peu effectué de recherches pour déterminer quelles espèces constitueraient le meilleur mélange. Les auteurs voulaient établir les mélanges binaires légumineuse-graminée dont le rendement fourrager est le plus élevé et qui ont la plus grande valeur nutritive en simulant la paissance avec des coupes fréquentes ou sous pâturage avec des animaux. L'expérience, réalisée à trois endroits dans l'est du Canada, portait sur 18 mélanges binaires de légumineuses et de graminées. Les six graminées employées étaient le pâturin des prés (Poa pratensis L.), la fétuque des prés (Festuca pratensis Huds.), le dactyle pelotonné (Dactylis glomerata L), la fétuque élevée [Schedonorus phoenix (Scob.) Holub ], la fléole (Phleum pratense L.) et le brome des prés (Bromus biebersteinii Roem. & Schult.). En 2010, ils ont semé les graminées avec de la luzerne adaptée à la paissance (Medicago sativa L.), du trèfle blanc (Trifolium repens L.) ou du lotier corniculé (Lotus corniculatus L.). Les six graminées cultivées avec la luzerne, le lotier corniculé ou le trèfle blanc ont bien résisté aux coupes fréquentes et aux pâturages tournants, aux trois sites. Mélangé à une graminée, le trèfle blanc n'a pas bien performé avec des coupes fréq...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield and nutritive value of binary legume-grass mixtures under grazing or frequent cutting

et al. 2017

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“…These imbalances and the associated nitrate leaching may be mitigated by establishing mixtures of grass species in legume-based pastures. Mixtures of grass species grown with clover have been shown to increase and sustain herbage production throughout the growing season compared with pastures dominated by a single grass species (McKenzie et al 2005;Kunelius et al 2006). The capacity of variable mixtures of grass species, grown with clover, to contain the seasonal accumulation of nitrate in the soil and the associated risk of nitrate leaching should, however, be tested experimentally.…”

Section: Pasture Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal nitrate levels in the soil solution of an organic pasture managed for nature conservation

Bouman¹

2008

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

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Bouman, O. T. 2008. Seasonal nitrate levels in the soil solution of an organic pasture managed for nature conservation. Can. J. Soil Sci. 88: 423Á428. Extensive management of pastures is considered as an option to enhance nature conservation in agricultural landscapes. Partial reduction of the grazing frequency from four to two rotations and discontinuing the tending of sod and sward have been tested for extensive management of a mixed pasture at the Nova Scotia College of Agriculture in Truro since 2004. It is not well known how extensification affects the N cycle of organic pastures without mineral fertilizer or manure applications. Moisture and temperature of the topsoil and nitrate content of the leachate extracted with ceramic suction cups at 0.5 m depth were monitored prior to grazing and during sward regrowth in the first and second rotation in spring of 2005 and 2006. In each year, more than 75% of all samples contained less than 2.5 mg NO 3 -N L (1 . A significant seasonal nitrate dynamic suggests that plant N uptake reduces nitrate leaching in the first rotation, while soil biological activity increases N supply due to soil warming in excess of plant uptake, thus raising the nitrate level in the second rotation. Extensification significantly reduced soil temperature with a concomitant albeit small decrease of nitrate levels in the soil leachate. The pasture cycled nitrogen very tightly with little room for leakages as a result of imposed treatments during the spring season. Mots clé s: Paˆturage, biologique, tempe´rature, azote, lessivage Nature conservation constitutes an important aspect of sustainable development in agriculture. Rotational grazing and intensive agronomic practices have reduced plant species richness of agricultural grasslands in temperate regions (Ellenberg 1996). Organic farming holds potential to restore some species richness in grasslands (Bakker and ter Heerdt 2005). On dairy farms, a reduced grazing frequency on some paddocks of a rotational grazing system would set pasture land temporarily aside for the purpose of nature conservation. This practice would effectively reduce the available pasture area without any re-zoning of agricultural landscapes, thus without any permanent loss of farm land.It is not well known how a decrease in pasture utilization and the discontinuing of sod and sward tending would affect the nutrient cycles of a pasture. In organic pasture management, the productive function and sustainability of a pasture depends on maintaining a floristic balance between leguminous plant species and grass species in the sward. This floristic balance is known to be sensitive to grazing frequency and pasture cultivation (Ellenberg 1996). Grassland species also differ in their effects on the nitrogen cycle (Personeni and Loiseau 2005) and the leguminous component of a sward tends to increase soil nitrogen leaching (Loiseau et al. 2001;Scherer-Lorenzen et al. 2003

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“…Consequently, pastures with increased plant species diversity could improve forage yield and yield stability. In studies conducted in Atlantic Canada, more complex mixtures were shown to result in more resilient pastures that were ultimately more productive (McKenzie et al 2005;McElroy et al 2012;Papadopoulos et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield and nutritive value of grazed complex legume–grass mixtures under increasing nitrogen application rates

et al. 2020

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Complex pasture mixtures are advantageous, but little information exists on the best forage species and nitrogen (N) management in eastern Canada. We compared under mob stocking four complex mixtures of one of two legume species [alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.)] plus one of two grass mixes [No. 1 — timothy (Phleum pratense L.), meadow fescue (Schedonorus pratensis (Huds.) P. Beauv.), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.), and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.); No. 2 — tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort., nom. cons.), meadow bromegrass (Bromus biebersteinii Roem. and Schult.), reed canarygrass, and Kentucky bluegrass] under three N application rates at three sites over the first three post-seeding years. Legume species had little effect on most forage attributes mainly because of their low contribution to forage dry matter (DM) yield (<30%) in second and third years. The grass mix with tall fescue and meadow bromegrass (No. 2) yielded similar or slightly better than the one with timothy and meadow fescue (No. 1) but tended to have a greater neutral detergent fibre concentration, and lower N and total digestible nutrient concentrations. Nitrogen fertilization increased forage DM yield only in second and third years when the legume contribution to forage DM yield was <30%, and it increased N concentration and decreased nonstructural carbohydrate concentration. These results highlight the challenge of maintaining legume species in rotationally grazed pastures of eastern Canada and confirm recommendations of applying no or little N fertilizer on grazed legume–grass mixtures when the legume contribution to forage DM yield is >30%.

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Compositional changes over four years for binary mixtures of grass species grown with white clover

Cited by 8 publications

References 29 publications

Yield and nutritive value of binary legume-grass mixtures under grazing or frequent cutting

Yield and nutritive value of binary legume-grass mixtures under grazing or frequent cutting

Seasonal nitrate levels in the soil solution of an organic pasture managed for nature conservation

Yield and nutritive value of grazed complex legume–grass mixtures under increasing nitrogen application rates

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