Evaluation of Perennial Forage Legumes and Herbs in Six Mediterranean Environments

Abstract

There is an absence of drought tolerant herbaceous perennial forage legume and herb options other than lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) for environments with Mediterranean-like climates common in extensive areas of Southern Australia, the Mediterranean basin, and Chile. Therefore, a collection of 174 forage perennial legume and herb entries from 103 species and 32 genera was evaluated for adaptation in a diverse range of Mediterranean climatic environments in Southern Australia. The seasonal rainfall distribution varied from moderately to highly winter dominant with long term average annual rainfall ranging from 318 to 655 mm. The entries were rated for productivity and persistence over 3 yr. The 12 entries identified as the most promising for winter, summer, or all-year round production included Bituminaria bituminosa (L.) C.H. Stirt. var. albomarginata; Cichorium intybus L.; Cullen australasicum (Schltdl.) J.W. Grimes; Dorycnium hirsutum (L.) Ser.; Kennedia prostrata R. Br.; Lotononis bainesii Baker, Lotus pedunculatus Cav.; L. corniculatus L.; L. cytisoides L.; Medicago sativa subsp. sativa L.; Medicago sativa subsp. caerulea (Less. ex Ledeb.) Schmalh., and M. sativa subsp. falcata (L.) Arcang. These entries maintained production and persisted for the period of the evaluation, with the exception of C. intybus and L. corniculatus that declined in persistence over time. The potential role of these species in extensive grazing systems in Mediterranean climatic zones, their attributes and limitations, and current progress in developing them as useful forage plants was discussed.

Exploitation of Annual and Perennial Herbaceous Species for the Rehabilitation of a Sand Quarry in a Mediterranean Environment

“…This specie has performed well in less stressful New Zealand environments (Li & Kemp, ) and in recent studies in southern Australia (Li et al ., ), but it is relatively short lived in drier environments. Its poor performance in drier environments is not unexpected, given that no cultivars of these species have been developed specifically for low rainfall environments (Real et al ., ). Also the native species of C. coronarium presented a fast plant establishment, but the autumn re‐establishment was satisfactory only in the subsequent year, probably because of the remarkable amount of non‐viable seed as observed also by Sulas & Caredda ().…”

“…Among legumes, the best adapted species was the perennial L. cytisoides that showed high persistence in combination with other positive traits such as stem density and plant cover, both along seasons and years, although it had a moderate establishment rate. Its success could be explained by its high drought tolerance as reported by Real et al (2011), which included L. cytisoides in a set of top ten species within a large 4-year screening of 174 perennial legumes in six Australian sites. Additionally, the perennial legume T. pratense performed quite well in terms of persistence, despite its lower plant density compared with L. cytisoides.…”

“…Its success could be explained by its high drought tolerance as reported by Real et al . (), which included L. cytisoides in a set of top ten species within a large 4‐year screening of 174 perennial legumes in six Australian sites. Additionally, the perennial legume T. pratense performed quite well in terms of persistence, despite its lower plant density compared with L. cytisoides .…”

Species‐specific adaptations explain resilience of herbaceous understorey to increased precipitation variability in a Mediterranean oak woodland

“…However, with legumes only accounting for a small percentage of total productivity, this did not impair ecosystem resilience to changing precipitation patterns. Nevertheless, this may have implications for the agricultural practice of seeding legume-rich mixtures, and justifies additional research for drought-tolerant cultivar improvement (i.e., Erice et al 2010;Real et al 2011) to maintain productivity with climate change.…”

Use of functional traits to identify Australian forage grasses, legumes and shrubs for domestication and use in pastoral areas under a changing climate

“…J.W. Grimes is of interest and its advantage over M. sativa is its greater drought tolerance Real et al 2011;Bennett et al 2012;Humphries et al 2014). This species occurs naturally over widespread areas of south-western New South Wales, South Australia and the southern part of the Northern Territory (Humphries et al 2014).…”