New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Effect of deferred grazing during summer on white clover content of Waikato
dairy pastures, New Zealand
S. L. HARRIS
C. D. WAUGH
R. J. MCCABE
V. T. VAN VUGHT
Dairying Research Corporation Ltd
Private Bag 3123
Hamilton, New Zealand
Abstract New Zealand dairy pastures rotationally grazed at
intervals of 25 to 30 days to low residual herbage masses (<1400 kg DM
ha-1) over summer often suffer white clover death. An experiment was
conducted over 1994-1997 in mixed perennial ryegrass/white clover dairy
pastures to examine the effects of deferred grazing, the practice of holding
over pasture in situ for 50, 75, or 100 days over summer, on white
clover growth compared with a more common 25-day grazing interval. Additional
pasture cover built up in 100-day deferred (100D) plots resulted in
significantly (P < 0.05) lower soil temperatures and higher soil
moisture levels than in the 25D treatment. Clover stolon survival was up to 63%
higher in deferred pastures than the 25D treatment. This, combined with higher
clover seedling density, resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) higher
clover contents in pastures following deferral compared with the 25D grazed
pasture. These differences did not persist through to the following spring.
Deferred grazing also resulted in small increases in total herbage accumulation
but had little effect on ryegrass tiller density.
Keywords dairy pasture; deferred grazing; white clover;
herbage accumulation; growing point; seedling density
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1999, Vol. 42: 1-7
0028-8233/99/4201-0001 $7.00/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
1999
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (582K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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