New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Potential value of some Bromus species of the section Ceratochloa
A. V. STEWART
Pyne Gould Guinness Ltd
P. O. Box 3100
Christchurch 8015, New Zealand
Abstract The paper discusses the potential agricultural value
of 10 Bromus species in the section Ceratochloa. The species are
bunch grasses poorly adapted to soils which are prone to waterlogging or are
heavy-textured, very acidic, or have moderate to high levels of aluminium. They
are moderately deep-rooted with good drought tolerance on better soils but
require warm soil temperatures for reliable establishment. The seeds do not
flow readily as they are generally large, light, and often have awns and fine
hairs on the seed coat. The seed requires additional processing to be sown
commercially. Forage is generally of high quality and palatability, and
endophytic fungi are not a problem. Prairie grass (B. willdenowii Kunth)
is a large-tillered short-lived, productive, winter-active species demanding
very high soil fertility. It requires a long rotation interval between grazings
and has poor tolerance to close continuous grazing. This inflexibility limits
its role on farms. Grazing brome (B. stamineus Desv.) is a fine-tillered
winter-active, perennial, drought-tolerant species with tolerance to close
continuous grazing. This flexibility allows it to be used as a general-purpose
pasture. It is best adapted to milder winter climates but not to regions with
less than 400 mm or more than 1000 mm annual rainfall. B. valdivianus
Phil. is finer-tillered and produces a denser sward with less winter growth,
but otherwise is agronomically quite similar. Bromus burkartii Desv. is
a fine-tillered winter-dormant perennial species with tolerance to close
continuous grazing. It is potentially best adapted to colder winter climates
such as in the mountain valleys of New Zealand and Tasmania. Annual forms of
B. carinatus H. & A. with very high winter growth could be valuable
in mediterranean zones of Australia. B. sitchensis may be valuable in
cold winter regions. Three lesser known species B. leptoclados Nees.,
B. runssorensis K. Schum., and B. lithobius Trin. are also discussed
briefly.
Keywords Bromus species; bunch grasses
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1996, Vol. 39: 611-618
0028-8233/96/3904-0611 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
1996
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (733K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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