Field Evaluation of Cocksfoot, Tall Fescue and Phalaris for Dry Marginal Environments of South‐Eastern Australia. 1. Establishment and Herbage Production

Abstract

Newly developed candidate cultivars of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.), phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. = syn. L. arundinaceum (Schreb) Darbysh.) were evaluated over four years for persistence and productivity against current commercial cultivars in small plots at five locations selected for lower and less reliable rainfall and difficult soils (low pH and high Al) in south-eastern Australia known to be marginally too dry for these grass species. The five locations were -representing summer dominant rainfall, Inverell, in northern New South Wales (NSW); -representing uniform rainfall; Trungley Hall, (medium rainfall), and Beckom (lower rainfall) both in southern NSW; and; representing a winter dominant pattern -Eversley, (higher rainfall), and Bealiba, (lower rainfall), in central Victoria. The objective was to determine if the new candidate cultivars were more likely to persist and to be productive than current commercial cultivars. The study showed that most phalaris and cocksfoot treatments were highly productive in high rainfall years at one or both sites in southern NSW. However, all treatments had become much less productive by the end of the experimental period due to plant loss under hot, dry conditions in the final summer. At Bealiba in central Victoria, cocksfoot was the most productive species with several cocksfoot treatments of both subsp. hispanica and subsp. glomerata still present at the final harvest despite a hot and dry final summer-autumn. Tall fescue was the most productive species in the two higher rainfall environments (Inverell, Eversley) although most treatments of all species performed well at those sites. Continental tall fescues were more productive on average than Mediterranean tall fescues at the strongly acidic Eversley site. As a result of this work, two of the new cocksfoot candidates (Moroccan Fine and AVH48 Selection) and one of the tall fescue candidates (Summer Active 1) have been licensed for commercial development and release.2009/10 (1 harvest)

Field Evaluation of Cocksfoot, Tall Fescue and Phalaris for Dry Marginal Environments of South‐Eastern Australia. 2. Persistence

“…Full details of site location, soil description, climate and site management are provided by Clark et al. (). There were two sites in the livestock production zone of central Victoria, Bealiba (36.822 S, 143.585 E; average annual rainfall [AAR] 477 mm) and Eversley (37.215 S, 143.146 E; AAR 596 mm); two sites in the mixed‐farming zone of southern New South Wales, Beckom (34.267 S, 146.996 E; AAR 460 mm) and Trungley Hall (34.256 S, 147.657 E; AAR 520 mm); and one site in the summer‐dominant rainfall mixed‐farming zone of northern New South Wales, Inverell (29.775 S, 151.082 E; AAR 700 mm).…”

“…At all sites, the perennial grass treatments were sown into a cultivated seed bed in May–June of 2009 with subterranean clover ( Trifolium subterraneum L.; see Clark et al. () for details). Dry conditions at Inverell meant that establishment at this site was unsatisfactory in 2009 and the experiment was resown in June 2010.…”

“…Additional fertiliser was broadcast each year: MAP at Bealiba and Eversley; Pasture Starter plus urea (46% N) or Granulock 15 at Beckom and Trungley Hall; and triple superphosphate (18% 9, 9% S) annually and urea in 2012 at Inverell (see Clark et al. () for details of fertiliser application).…”

“…Establishment and herbage production results and growth of a companion legume are presented by Clark et al. ().…”

A Review of Perennial Ryegrass Endophytes and Their Potential Use in the Management of African Black Beetle in Perennial Grazing Systems in Australia

“…Grasses that could persist in a Mediterranean climate (average annual rainfall < 400 mm) were collected from Southern Europe and North Africa in order to provide new germplasm for breeding programs (Clark et al, 2016). …”