Evaluation of new pasture legume species in terms of summer feeding value and effects on wool production.

Trial 86KA71 Location: Private farm \u27Monalta\u27 - south-east of Katanning. As outlined by S. Flecker in the 1987 summary for this trial, the expected result of the research is that the feeding value of burr medic pastures will be greater than the feeding value of sub. clover and barrel medic pasture, particularly over the dry summer/autumn period

Value of saltbush questioned

Over the last 20 years the Department of Agriculture has focused on finding plant species that can grow on salt/and to produce sheep feed, and on techniques for establishing plantations of saltbushes. Some research has been in response to farmer reports of success in using revegetated salt/and to provide autumn forage, while other work has resulted from the apparent importance of saltbushes in rangeland areas. Objective measurements of wool production have been taken only recently. Three years research at Katanning indicates that while saltbush material is selected and eaten by sheep, its value for wool production is not high. It appears that saltbush cannot act as a genuine supplement to dry pastures, as BRIAN WARREN, TESS CASSON and ED BARRETT-LENNARD explain

Greener pastures 2 - Nitrogen for intensively grazed dairy pastures

We undertook three main studies during the Greener Pastures project: 1. From mid 2005 to late 2008, a farming systems study was undertaken with five rates of nitrogen fertiliser as the main treatment. This study will be referred to as the ‘nitrogen response farmlets’. 2. From 2006 to 2008 a series of smaller ‘supporting’ studies were completed to investigate how grazing management influences the pasture production gains from nitrogen fertiliser. This will be referred to as the ‘nitrogen by growth-stage study’. 3. From early 2009 to early 2010, a farming systems study was undertaken to investigate the potential to increase pasture utilisation by delaying grazing based on the leaf stage of the ryegrass plant. This study will be referred to as the ‘leaf-stage farmlets’.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1129/thumbnail.jp

Evaluation of New Pasture Legume Species in Terms of Summer Feeding Value and Effects on Wool Production.

86KA71, Pasture legumes improve the feeding value of summer pastures in a mediterranean-type environment by maintaining the protein intake of grazing animals over the dry summer period, much of which comes from the ingestion of legume burr (A.D. Wilson and N.L. Hindley, 1968). Some of the most important species of pasture legumes to have been released commercially are Trifolium subterraneum (sub.clover), Medicago truncatula (barrel medic) and Medicago polymorpha (burr medic) (D.B. Purser, G.B. Taylor and W.J. Collins, 1987). What little information is available on the feeding value of these species suggests that barrel medic pod (H. Brownlee, 1973) and dry sub.clover pasture (D.B. Purser, unpublished data, as quoted in D.B. Purser et al., 1987) do not supply sufficient nutrients to permit the maintenance of body weight. Field observations however, have shown that sheep grazing burr medic pastures over summer are more productive than sheep grazing sub.clover or grass pastures. There is a wide range in pod structure and chemical composition between and within the different species of pasture legumes and this is likely to affect their feeding value. It is particularly relevant to consider the pod\u27s content of seed because it is the seed that provides the main source of nutrients, especially lipids and proteins (G.D. Denney, J.P. Hogan and J.R. Lindsay, 1979). Preliminary research at Katanning (Western Australia) has shown that the pod:seed ratio of barrel medic is only approximately 35% whereas the pod:seed ratio of the burr medics Circle Valley and Serena is approximately 50%. This finding suggests that the quality of burr medic pod is likely to be superior to the quality of barrel medic pod

Evaluation of New Pasture Legume Species in Terms of Summer Feeding Value and Effects on Wool Production.

86KA71, Pasture legumes improve the feeding value of summer pastures in a mediterranean-type environment by maintaining the protein intake of grazing animals over the dry summer period, much of which comes from the ingestion of legume burr (A.D. Wilson and N.L. Hindley, 1968). Some of the most important species of pasture legumes to have been released commercially are Trifolium subterraneum (sub.clover), Medicago truncatula (barrel medic) and Medicago polymorpha (burr medic) (D.B. Purser, G.B. Taylor and W.J. Collins, 1987). What little information is available on the feeding value of these species suggests that barrel medic pod (H. Brownlee, 1973) and dry sub.clover pasture (D.B. Purser, unpublished data, as quoted in D.B. Purser et al., 1987) do not supply sufficient nutrients to permit the maintenance of body weight. Field observations however, have shown that sheep grazing burr medic pastures over summer are more productive than sheep grazing sub.clover or grass pastures. There is a wide range in pod structure and chemical composition between and within the different species of pasture legumes and this is likely to affect their feeding value. It is particularly relevant to consider the pod\u27s content of seed because it is the seed that provides the main source of nutrients, especially lipids and proteins (G.D. Denney, J.P. Hogan and J.R. Lindsay, 1979). Preliminary research at Katanning (Western Australia) has shown that the pod:seed ratio of barrel medic is only approximately 35% whereas the pod:seed ratio of the burr medics Circle Valley and Serena is approximately 50%. This finding suggests that the quality of burr medic pod is likely to be superior to the quality of barrel medic pod