Frequent grazing by sheep reduced caucasian clover cover and rhizome mass in ryegrass pasture
Frequent grazing by sheep reduced caucasian clover cover and rhizome mass in ryegrass pasture
Lucas, Richard J. ; Moorhead, A. J. E. ; Nichol, Wayne W. ; Sedcole, John R. ; Jarvis, Peter
Lucas, Richard J.
Moorhead, A. J. E.
Nichol, Wayne W.
Sedcole, John R.
Jarvis, Peter
Date
1998
Type
Conference Contribution - published
Collections
Fields of Research
Abstract
The responses of hexaploid caucasian clover
(Trifolium ambiguum) to four contrasting grazing
regimes were compared with those of white clover
(T. repens) in an endophytic (Neotyphodium lolii)
hybrid ryegrass pasture on a fertile lowland site.
After 2 years, frequent grazing (set stocking) by
sheep reduced caucasian clover cover to 10%
compared with 25.5% in infrequent grazing
(rotational grazing) treatments (mean spelling time
25 days). Similarly, frequent grazing reduced
caucasian clover rhizome plus root dry weight (780
kg DM/ha when sampled to 100 mm depth in
frequently grazed plots, compared with 3220 kg
DM/ha for infrequent). Under frequent grazing
treatments, mean white clover cover was 21%,
under infrequent hard grazing it was 26% and under
lax infrequent grazing it was 14%. The reduction
in ryegrass tiller population from 5720/m² in the
infrequently and laxly grazed treatments to 4150/
m² in the frequently hard grazed pastures indicated
the severity of that hard grazed treatment. These
results show that in lowland ryegrass pastures on
high fertility sites, the stoloniferous growth form
of white clover may be superior to the rhizomatous
strategy of caucasian clover when grazing by sheep
is frequent throughout spring, summer and autumn.
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