Nitrogen yields from sown pasture components in cocksfoot based pastures in a temperate environment

Abstract

Cocksfoot (orchardgrass; Dactylis glomerata L.) is a persistent pasture grass in temperate dryland pastoral farming systems. Yield is strongly reliant on nitrogen (N) availability either from inorganic fertilisers of companion legumes. In mixtures, legume suppression by cocksfoot reduces N availability and therefore grass yields. In practice, long term environmental and financial sustainability are unlikely to be maintained in systems heavily reliant on inorganic N fertilisers. Thus use of companion legumes which can produce, survive and persist within grass based pastures can be used to transfer nitrogen and increase total dry matter yields.