Animal and forage responses on lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) pastures under contrasting grazing managements in a temperate climate

Berone, Germán Darío; Sardiña, María C.; Moot, Derrick J.

doi:10.1111/gfs.12479

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Pasture legumes with deep taproots, such as alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.), birdsfoot trefoil ( Lotus corniculatus L.) and Caucasian clover ( Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb), are extensively grown in semi‐arid environments (Porqueddu et al., 2016). Although alfalfa is primarily used as a hay crop, successful grazing management practices have been developed in New Zealand (Moot, Bennett, Mills, & Smith, 2016) and grazing tolerant cultivars are available (Berone, Sardiña, & Moot, 2020; Smith, Bouton, Singh, & McCaughey, 2000). Birdsfoot trefoil persists on poorly drained and low fertility soils and can be grazed safely by ruminants (Hunt, MacAdam, & Reeve, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pasture production, persistence of legumes and lamb growth in summer‐dry hill pastures

Gultekin

Filley

Smallman

et al. 2020

Grass and Forage Science

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Nitrogen (N) is a pivotal element that drives plant growth, yet it is the most limiting nutrient for pasture production (Mills, Moot, & Jamieson, 2009). In particular, dryland pasture soils in arid and temperate regions are often low in N. Therefore, increasing N availability in dryland pastures that are managed under low-input production systems is a primary need to improve productivity. Application of chemical fertilizers can be costly and challenging, particularly in difficult terrains such as hill and high-country pastures. In such environments, biological N 2 fixation by legumes, through their symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, is an excellent tool to increase N availability for pasture plants (Ledgard & Steele, 1992). Nitrogen recycled through the grazed grass-legume pasture systems improves forage quality. Additionally, a higher legume content of pastures leads to higher herbage intake and productivity of grazing livestock

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pasture production, persistence of legumes and lamb growth in summer‐dry hill pastures

Gultekin

Filley

Smallman

et al. 2020

Grass and Forage Science

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“…In practice this fits the dryland sheep and beef industry where a high number of animals are produced in spring with a need for rapid animal growth rates to allow destocking at, or before, the summer dry arrives (Avery et al 2008;Moot et al 2019). This grazing approach has been successful in Argentina (Berone et al 2020) compared with previous recommendations to allow 10% flowering before defoliation (McLeod 1978;Kirsopp 2001). Recommendations to allow 10% flowering historically came from management guidelines developed in the United States where "alfalfa" is predominantly a conserved feed in a cut and carry system.…”

Section: Impact Of Defoliation On Lucerne Root Reservesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pasture resilience reflects differences in root and shoot responses to defoliation, and water and nitrogen deficits

et al. 2021

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The yield of a pasture is directly proportional to the amount of light plants intercept and allocate to different organs. When plants are carbon (C) limited, due to defoliation, they allocate more C preferentially to shoots to restore leaf area. In contrast, water and nitrogen (N) limitations lead to a greater allocation of C to roots. Changes in the root:shoot ratio therefore reflect changes in C and N partitioning and indicate their relative priority. A major factor that influences plant responses to stress is their ability to store and remobilise reserves to restore leaf area. Species with tap roots, like lucerne, have a large potential C and N storage capacity that is utilised seasonally for storage and remobilisation. This has been used to develop seasonally based grazing management rules. Similarly, recommendations to graze perennial ryegrass at the 2- or 3-leaf stage are based on the balance between maximizing growth rates and the need to replenish water-soluble carbohydrate reserves. However, perennial ryegrass has lower levels of perennial reserves than other grass species. This reduces its resilience to concurrent water deficits or N deficiency. Under these conditions maintaining the recommended 3-leaf grazing intervals and/or leaving higher post-grazing pasture masses are recommended to assist canopy recovery. Other grass species, such as cocksfoot and tall fescue, provide more resilience, particularly in response to water deficits.

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“…during spring-summer should be around approximately 1,200-1,500 kg DM ha À1 (approximately 17 cm of canopy height). This implies $2,000-3,000 kg DM ha À1 pre-grazing biomass ($25-35 cm of canopy height) and a $ 5 cm residual (Berone et al, 2020;Moot et al, 2016). The exact details of when and how to graze lucerne may differ, but all of these recommendations suggest waiting for 10%…”

Section: Utilisation Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield gaps of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) in livestock systems of Argentina

Jáuregui

Ojeda²,

Berone

et al. 2022

Annals of Applied Biology

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Argentina grows the second-largest area of lucerne in the world. Despite its importance, a yield gap exists between potential and measured yields, but factors contributing to it are still unclear. This study aimed to identify management factors and research needs to reduce the lucerne yield gap to improve the livestock systems in this region. We used meteorological data coupled with lucerne crop modelling and measured yields from the National Lucerne Cultivar Evaluation Network (NLCEN) to quantify the lucerne yield gap in nine sites located within the Argentinian Pampas (between parallels 30-45 S and meridians 58-65 W) and three sites outside the Pampas. Specifically, we used the model developed by McCall & Bishop-Hurley (2003), adapted and calibrated for lucerne in Argentina by Berone et al. (2017) to estimate the potential yield (PY) for 12 locations (three irrigated and nine rainfed), and compared those results with measured yields from the NLCEN to calculate yield gaps. We found the average available photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and temperatures were sufficient to achieve 21.5 ± 3.7 t dry matter (DM) ha À1 yr À1 under rainfed conditions (environments with mean annual rainfall from 400 to 1,200 mm). However, the average measured yield from the NLCEN was 16.8 ± 2.4 t DM ha À1 yr À1 (a 22% gap). Potential yields ranged between 10 and 25 t DM ha À1 yr À1 under rainfed conditions and between 25 and 39 t DM ha À1 yr À1 for irrigated crops. As latitude increased rainfed locations had lower yields, while irrigated locations had higher yields. Adding irrigation was predicted to increase yields to 35.4 ± 2.0 t DM ha À1 yr À1 (a 53% gap) in rainfed sites. For irrigated locations, the gap was smaller (27.3 ± 3.5 vs 32.4 ± 2.2 t DM ha À1 yr À1 for measured vs potential yield, respectively), and most likely linked to nutrient deficits. Also, current grazing management was estimated to achieve approximately 50% less grazing efficiency than optimal grazing management. Our results demonstrated that the livestock industry can potentially increase animal production under current environmental conditions. The four main adjustments to achieve this are increased use of irrigation, increased use of fertilisers, earlier commencement of grazing in spring and increased stocking rates.

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Animal and forage responses on lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) pastures under contrasting grazing managements in a temperate climate

Cited by 10 publications

References 38 publications

Pasture production, persistence of legumes and lamb growth in summer‐dry hill pastures

Pasture production, persistence of legumes and lamb growth in summer‐dry hill pastures

Pasture resilience reflects differences in root and shoot responses to defoliation, and water and nitrogen deficits

Yield gaps of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) in livestock systems of Argentina

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