The production and utilization of lucerne in New Zealand

Douglas, J. A.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2494.1986.tb01796.x

Cited by 43 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 291 publications

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“…2). The 21t DM/ha annual lucerne yield is consistent with a number of reports of dryland yields exceeding 20t DM/ha on soils of high available water capacity (Douglas 1986). As expected, the 14-15t DM/ha per year for dryland chicory was higher than the only other reported dryland yield of 7-11t DM/ha per year from a 2-4 year old stand on a shallow soil in Canterbury (Hunter et al 1994).…”

Section: Dryland Herbage Yieldssupporting

confidence: 75%

“…However, on soils with a low water holding capacity, less water extraction is possible so WU and herbage production will be less. In spite of this, lucerne roots often reach in excess of 3 m depth (Sheaffer et al 1988) and even on soils of low water holding capacity the greater depth of root penetration may provide water for 1 or 2 weeks more growth than ryegrass/white clover pastures (Douglas 1986). Lower WU and herbage production would also be expected in seasons of lower rainfall or incomplete soil water recharge over the preceding winter.…”

Section: Water Use and Dryland Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Herbage production, persistence, nutritive characteristics and water use of perennial forages grown over 6 years on a Wakanui silt loam

Brown¹,

Moot²,

Pollock³

2005

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

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Herbage production, persistence, nutritive characteristics and utilisation of chicory, lucerne, and red clover swards grown under irrigated and dryland conditions were compared over a 6-year period on a Wakanui silt loam soil in Canterbury, New Zealand. Under irrigated conditions, annual yields of lucerne (16-28 t DM/ha) were 30% greater than chicory or red clover. Lucerne yielded 17.5-21 t DM/ha under dryland conditions, which was also 30-50% greater than chicory or red clover. The yield advantage of irrigated lucerne came from greater cool season growth, with 15 kg DM/ha per day higher growth rates in September and 10-30 kg DM/ ha per day higher growth rates from March to May. The yield advantage of dryland lucerne was due to higher growth rates during September (non-limiting soil moisture) and during periods of high soil water deficit in summer. Lucerne also had superior persistence, being 94% (dryland) and 55% (irrigated) of the botanical composition of swards in the sixth year, compared with 61% (dryland) and 55% (irrigated) for chicory and 0% for red clover. All three forages had similar metabolisable energy (ME) content in utilised herbage (10.9-11.6 MJ/kg), but red clover and lucerne had higher crude protein (CP) content (25-29%) than chicory (18%). The combination of herbage nutritive characteristics with production and utilisation data showed that grazing stock consumed 30% more CP and ME annually from lucerne than either chicory or red clover swards. Water use (WU) was measured to investigate the production differences in dryland swards. Chicory and red clover extracted water to a maximum depth of 1.9 m whereas lucerne extracted at least 50 mm per annum of water between 1.9 and 2.3 m depth (maximum depth measured), and evidence is presented to show it also extracted water below this. Comparisons of WU showed no differences in water use efficiency but revealed greater dryland production from lucerne due solely to greater soil water extraction.

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Section: Dryland Herbage Yieldssupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Water Use and Dryland Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbage production, persistence, nutritive characteristics and water use of perennial forages grown over 6 years on a Wakanui silt loam

Brown¹,

Moot²,

Pollock³

2005

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

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“…In practice, this involves rotational stocking, with grazing periods of up to 12 d and rest periods ranging from 28 to 35 d (Douglas 1986). This method of management would be most favorable for promoting the persistence of non-grazing-tolerant alfalfa in the stand (Douglas 1986;Gdara et al 1991).…”

Section: Herbage Intakementioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing pasture productivity with alfalfa: A review

Popp¹,

McCaughey²,

Cohen³

et al. 2000

Can. J. Plant Sci.

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, W. 2000. Enhancing pasture productivity with alfalfa: A review. Can. J. Plant Sci. 80: 513-519. Alfalfa has been recognized for its superior yield and quality in seeded pastures. However, when grazing immature alfalfa there is a risk of animal losses due to frothy bloat in some ruminant livestock. Inclusion of at least 50% grass in the pasture mixture is commonly recommended to reduce the risk of bloat. Two decades of plant breeding have resulted in the release of AC Grazeland, an alfalfa cultivar that reduces the incidence of bloat. Other bloat control agents such as pluronic detergents and ionophores can also be of value. Development of grazing-tolerant alfalfa varieties is solving some of the problems associated with lack of persistence of alfalfa in mixed stands; however, they are not bloat-safe. Animal productivity commonly increases when alfalfa is included in pasture mixtures. Improvements in cattle rate of gain are observed when alfalfa contributes as little as 35% to the sward. Grazing management is the principal method for controlling pasture yield and quality as well as animal performance and bloat incidence. When grazing management is used to optimize pasture production and nutrient intake, yearling steers can gain as much as 1.5 kg head -1 d -1 and liveweight production ranging from 107 kg ha -1 (on dryland) to 1946 kg ha -1 (under irrigation) can be expected. Limiting utilization of alfalfa-based pasture to ≤70% may be more important for maximizing gain per head than managing herbage quality. La luzerne est reconnue pour son rendement éléve, tant en quantité qu'en qualité, dans les pâturages de semis. Toutefois quand on fait pâturer de la luzerne trop jeune, on court le risque de pertes d'animaux dues au météorisme chez certaines espèces de ruminants, c'est pourquoi on conseille généralement d'inclure au moins 50 % de graminées dans les mélanges à pâturage. Deux décennies d'amélioration génétique ont abouti à la mise au commerce de AC Grazeland, un cultivar de luzerne moins météorisant. Des substances antimétéorisme comme les détergents pluroniques et les ionophores, peuvent avoir une certaine efficacité. La sélection de variétés de luzerne tolérantes à la pâture règle quelques-uns des problèmes liés au manque de longévité de la luzerne en peuplement mixte, mais elle n'apporte aucune solution au problème du météorisme. La productivité animale augmente généralement lorsque la luzerne est incluse dans les associations à pâturage. Une proportion d'aussi peu que 35 % de luzerne dans la prairie provoque des améliorations du taux de gain des bestiaux. La conduite du pâturage demeure le principal moyen de manipuler le rendement et la qualité de l'herbe, de même que les performances zootechniques et les risques de météorisme. Lorsque la conduite du pâturage est utilisée pour optimiser la production d'herbe et l'absorption d' éléments nutritifs, des bouvillons d'un an peuvent prendre jusqu'à 1,5 kg par jour et par animal avec une production en vif allant de 107 kg ha -1 en culture sèche et à 1 946 kg ha -...

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“…Vaches à viande, veaux, rendement laitier, productivité des pâturages, luzerne, brome des prés Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) provides high forage yields and exceptional forage quality that translates into high rates of live-weight gain (Douglas 1986). Meadow bromegrass (Bromus biebersteinii Roem & Schult.)…”

Section: Mots Clésunclassified

Management strategies to improve cow-calf productivity on meadow bromegrass pastures

Kopp¹,

Wittenberg²,

McCaughey³

2004

Can. J. Anim. Sci.

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. 2004. Management strategies to improve cow-calf productivity on meadow bromegrass pastures. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 84: 529-535. A 4-yr experiment was conducted to determine the effects of fertilization, incorporation of a legume and use of the Rumensin ® -controlled release capsules (CRC) on productivity of cow-calf pairs grazing meadow bromegrass (Bromus biebersteinii Roem & Schult.). Four pasture treatments (T), alfalfa-grass fertilized (AF), alfalfa-grass unfertilized (AU), grass-only fertilized (GF) and grass-only unfertilized (GU), each replicated twice were compared. The eight 3.7-ha pastures were split into five equally sized paddocks and rotationally stocked with first-calf cows in 1995 and 1998, and with mature cows in 1996 and 1997. Half of the cows on each pasture received a Rumensin ® CRC 1 wk prior to the start of the pasture season. Cow DMI was not influenced by fertilization or incorporation of a legume. However, cows treated with monensin consumed less (2.3% BW) compared to the control cows (2.5% BW, P < 0.05). Incorporation of alfalfa and fertilization improved pasture quality and resulted in higher CP and lower NDF content in forage selected by the animals. Monensin improved (P < 0.05) cow average daily gain (ADG, kg d -1 ) when grazing unfertilized grass and alfalfa-grass pastures, but did not influence gains of cows on fertilized pastures. Fertilizer application, legume incorporation and monensin administration did not affect milk yield or milk composition. Despite differences in diet quality, calf ADG for AU, AF, and GF were similar. However, calf ADG was lower for GU pastures (P < 0.05), probably as a result of the high fibre and low protein content of this pasture treatment. Both incorporation of alfalfa and fertilization increased total calf gain (kg ha -1 ); the greatest improvement was associated with fertilization. There were, however, economic advantages to legume incorporation, as the cost of the additional gain for GF and AF pastures averaged $1.08 and $0.79 kg -1 ha -1 , and no extra costs were incurred for AU. ). Pour cela, ils ont comparé quatre traitements étudiés en double : la graminée et de la luzerne avec fertilisation (AF), la graminée et de la luzerne sans fertilisation (AU), la graminée avec fertilisation (GF) et la graminée sans fertilisation (GU). Les huit pâturages de 3,7 hectares ont été scindés en cinq enclos de superficie identique et on y a mis à l'herbe, en rotation, des vaches primipares (1995 et 1998) ou des vaches matures (1996 et 1997). La moitié des sujets de chaque enclos a reçu des capsules de Rumensin ® à libéra-tion lente une semaine avant que débute la paissance. La fertilisation et l'incorporation d'une légumineuse n'affectent pas l'ingestion de matière sèche par la vache. Toutefois, les animaux recevant du monensin mangent moins (2,3 % du poids corporel) que les vaches témoins (2,5 % du poids corporel, P < 0,05). L'incorporation de luzerne et la fertilisation améliorent la qualité du pâturage tout en augmentant la concentration de protéines brutes et en ...

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The production and utilization of lucerne in New Zealand

Cited by 43 publications

References 291 publications

Herbage production, persistence, nutritive characteristics and water use of perennial forages grown over 6 years on a Wakanui silt loam

Herbage production, persistence, nutritive characteristics and water use of perennial forages grown over 6 years on a Wakanui silt loam

Enhancing pasture productivity with alfalfa: A review

Management strategies to improve cow-calf productivity on meadow bromegrass pastures

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