Plantain (\u3cem\u3ePlantago lanceolata\u3c/em\u3e) in Herb and Legume Pastures Increases Lamb Growth Relative to Perennial Ryegrass and White Clover Pasture

Increased use of plantain (Plantago lanceolata) by New Zealand farmers has created a demand for a more complete understanding of the performance and manage-ment of plantain by itself and in various combinations with chicory (Cichorium intybus) and legumes such as white clover (Trifolium repens) and red clover (T. pratense). The objective of this study was to evaluate lamb finishing on plantain by itself and combined with chicory, white and red clover as part of a research programme to develop a temperate perennial pasture superior in animal performance to perennial ryegrass and white clover pasture for sheep production systems (Kemp et al. 2010)

Plantain (\u3cem\u3ePlantago lanceolata\u3c/em\u3e) Outperforms Chicory (\u3cem\u3eCichorium intybus\u3c/em\u3e) under Moisture Stress in Glasshouse

Forage chicory (Cichorium intybus) and plantain (Plantago lanceolata) are now widely used throughout the world as high feed quality perennial herbage (Sanderson et al. 2003; Labreveux et al. 2006; Li et al. 2010; Golding et al. 2011; Hutton et al. 2011). Both are taprooted plants and are thus likely to confer a degree of drought tolerance through accessing water deeper in the soil profile (Kemp et al. 2010). Nie et al. (2008) reported chicory can tolerate moisture stress to a greater degree than plantain. However, overall little is known about the effect of moisture stress on plantain and chicory persistence under defoliated conditions. The objective was to compare plantain and chicory un-der moisture stress and defoliation under glasshouse conditions

Herb and Clover Mixes Increase Average Daily Gain (ADG) of Finishing Lambs in Different Seasons

Approximately half of the usable land area in New Zealand is under grasslands (Saggar 2001). Production of lamb meat is seasonal in New Zealand (Fisher 2004) with the majority of lambs born in the spring and slaughtered in late summer and autumn depending on the international demand (Clemens and Babcock 2004) and pasture growth pattern. Finishing lambs outside this window using high quality pastures would help to facilitate a continuous supply of meat to the domestic and international markets. Charlton and Belgrave (1992) and Kemp et al. (2010) reported that the use of herb-clover mixes instead of perennial ryegrass/white clover swards would facilitate finishing lambs to a high carcass weight or in a shorter time period. Therefore, a research was undertaken in four different seasons: early spring, late spring, summer and autumn during 2011/2012 with the hypothesis that the average daily gain (ADG) and average live weight per ha per day of finishing lambs would be greater in herb-clover mixes than on a perennial ryegrass/white clover sward

Seasonal Influence on Botanical Composition of Plantain, Chicory, White- and Red-Clover Based Herbage Mixes

Use of herb based sward mixes that are productive in different weather conditions could be an effective option to provide feed requirements for finishing lambs year round compared to ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)/white clover (Trifolium repens L.) sward in New Zealand (Kemp et al., 2010). Herbs such as plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) and the legumes such as white clover and red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) as pure swards are known to improve lamb performance compared to ryegrass/white clover. Therefore, there is scope to have herb-clover mixes to enhance post-weaning lamb performance. However, one significant limitation in the use of these herbages is the seasonality of their production. A further issue could be their persistence and poor winter growth (Moloney and Milne, 1993). Botanical composition of a sward mix changes depending on the grazing management system. Herbs such as plantain and chicory are susceptible to winter grazing and treading damage affecting their proportion in a sward mix. A sward’s botanical composition (legumes or grasses, leaf or stem materials, dead matter or weeds) and morphological composition (growth in different seasons), would likely affect the nutrient composition and lamb production (Lambert and Litherland, 2000). Therefore, it is essential to observe potential changes within and across seasons of the botanical composition in herb clover sward mixes

Net Herbage Accumulation Rate (NHAR) of Plantain and Chicory Based Sward Mixes

The managed grasslands of New Zealand have a range of forage species comprising grasses and legumes that can be grown and utilised in a wide range of conditions (Saggar et al., 2007). Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens) are the dominant grass and legume species found in these grasslands (Hodgson et al., 2005; Waghorn and Clark, 2004). Annual pasture production is affected by the soil moisture status, nutrient levels and temperatures (Valantine and Kemp, 2007). Therefore, monthly pasture production can vary from year to year. Net herbage accumulation rate (NHAR) is a measurement of pasture production (Valantine and Kemp, 2007). Net herbage accumulation rate can be used to help with livestock management by determining the carrying capacity of the land. Alternative forages such as plantain (Plantago lanceolata) and chicory (Cichorium intybus) are becoming popular in New Zealand. Kemp et al., (2010) suggested that farmers could achieve „marketable target weight‟ of lambs sooner by feeding a herb and legume mix consisted of plantain, chicory, white clover (Trifolium repens) and red clover (Trifolium pratense) compared to a ryegrass/white clover pasture. However, a significant potential limitation in the use of these herbages is the seasonality of their production. There is a dearth of knowledge on NHAR of these herb-clover mixes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine NHAR and NHAR curves for plantain and chicory based sward mixes