Persistence and Yield of Ten Lucerne Cultivars Under Dryland and Heavy Continuous Grazing in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

Abstract

Pastures in the Rûens region of the Western Cape are mainly legume based with lucerne being the most important and productive legume used (van Heerden & Tainton, 1987). Most pastures are sown to the land race cultivar SA Standard (SAS). Grazing resistance of SAS is high, but relative to other imported cultivars resistance to endemic insect and other pests is poor. This study therefore involves the evaluation for yield and persistence of nine new cultivars compared to SAS under local grazing conditions