Field evaluation of perennial grasses and herbs in southern Australia. 2. Persistence, root characteristics and summer activity

Nie, Zhongnan; Miller, S.M.; Moore, Geoff; Hackney, Belinda; Boschma, S. P.; Reed, K. F. M.; Mitchell, Meredith; Albertsen, Tony; Clark, S. G.; Craig, A. D.; Kearney, G. A.; Li, Guangdi; Dear, Brian

doi:10.1071/ea07136

Cited by 100 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Summer-active tall fescue is characteristically more heat tolerant than perennial ryegrass (Lowe & Bowdler 1995;Jiang & Huang 2001;Greenwood et al 2006), is deeper rooted (Garwood & Sinclair 1979;Wilman et al 1998;Mundy et al 2006) and is more responsive to summer rain Nie et al 2008). These traits may enable it to survive and remain productive in Australia's high-rainfall zone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…These dormancy mechanisms can, however, limit the productivity and grazing potential of the pasture between January and April, even if rain falls during this time ). Summer-active tall fescue, on the other hand, is able to produce 1Á2 t DM/ha of green feed quickly after summer rain Nie et al 2008). This ability was demonstrated by at Hamilton in Victoria, where summeractive tall fescue (cv.…”

Section: Moisture Deficit Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A review of summer-active tall fescue use and management in Australia's high-rainfall zone

Raeside

Friend²,

Behrendt³

et al. 2012

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

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Throughout many areas of Australia, climatic conditions create a unique challenge for pasture producers due to the combined effects of heat and moisture deficit stress over summer/early autumn, and cold-temperature stress with transient waterlogging over winter and early spring. To survive and remain productive in this environment, pasture species must possess a wide range of adaptive traits, with few species being suited to both drought stress and waterlogging stress. Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum syn. Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is a perennial pasture grass that is not widely used in Australia, where perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.) are the predominant improved pasture species. Summeractive cultivars of tall fescue may, however, possess adaptive traits (traits not possessed by other pasture grasses) that are useful in Australia. Summer-active tall fescue is generally more heat tolerant and deeper rooted than perennial ryegrass, with comparable nutritive value over much of the year and the benefit of improved summer productivity. To sustain a high level of summer growth and persistence, it is likely that summer-active cultivars of tall fescue will be specifically suited to rainfall zones receiving 600 mm/year, with some summer rainfall. In areas where summer rainfall is unreliable, summer-active tall fescue may be suited to heavy textured waterlogging-prone soils that provide a source of stored soil moisture available for extraction over summer. This review documents the potential usefulness of summer-active tall fescue as a forage species in the high-rainfall zone (600 mm) of Australia, particularly areas that experience the combined stresses of hot and dry summer conditions with cold conditions and transient waterlogging during winter. This literature review considers research from around the world, with particular reference to New Zealand studies, which are highly relevant to the Australian environment. The response of tall fescue to a range of establishment, grazing and fertiliser management regimes is discussed, relevant to prevailing environmental conditions and other comparable forage species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Moisture Deficit Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of summer-active tall fescue use and management in Australia's high-rainfall zone

Raeside

Friend²,

Behrendt³

et al. 2012

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

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“…Deep-rooted perennial pastures can use water when annual species are dead and can provide soil cover and root mass to restrict soil loss from erosion. The 'greenleafiness' of subtropical species over summer compared with annual species increases the potential for production from grazing systems, particularly where both winter-dominant annual species and summer-dominant subtropical species coexist (Moore et al 2006;Nie et al 2008;Ward et al 2012). The most common fodder shrub grown on water-repellent sands is tagasaste (Cytisus proliferus), but it requires a specific seeding technique to ensure successful establishment (Wiley 2000) and expensive canopy management to maintain production (Lefroy et al 2001).…”

Section: Avoidance: Adaptation and Alternative Land Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…grass mixtures are common in the north ( Moore et al 2006;Lawes et al 2014). Tenosols are stabilised by the establishment of kikuyu pastures that produce deeprooting systems (McDowall et al 2003;Nie et al 2008) and these protect and even increase soil carbon (Roper et al 2013b). Deep-rooted perennial pastures can use water when annual species are dead and can provide soil cover and root mass to restrict soil loss from erosion.…”

Section: Avoidance: Adaptation and Alternative Land Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Management options for water-repellent soils in Australian dryland agriculture

Roper

Davies²,

Blackwell³

et al. 2015

Soil Res.

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Abstract. Water-repellent ('non-wetting') soils are a major constraint to agricultural production in southern and south-west Australia, affecting >10 Mha of arable sandy soils. The major symptom is dry patches of surface soil, even after substantial rainfall, directly affecting agricultural production through uneven crop and pasture germination, and reduced nutrient availability. In addition, staggered weed germination impedes effective weed control, and delayed crop and pasture germination increases the risk of wind erosion. Water repellency is caused by waxy organic compounds derived from the breakdown of organic matter mostly of plant origin. It is more prevalent in soils with a sandy surface texture; their low particle surface area : volume ratio means that a smaller amount of waxy organic compounds can effectively cover a greater proportion of the particle surface area than in a fine-textured soil. Water repellency commonly occurs in sandy duplex soils (Sodosols and Chromosols) and deep sandy soils (Tenosols) but can also occur in Calcarosols, Kurosols and Podosols that have a sandy surface texture. Severity of water repellency has intensified in some areas with the adoption of no-till farming, which leads to the accumulation of soil organic matter (and hence waxy compounds) at the soil surface. Growers have also noticed worsening repellency after 'dry' or early sowing when break-of-season rains have been unreliable.Management strategies for water repellency fall into three categories: (i) amelioration, the properties of surface soils are changed; (ii) mitigation, water repellency is managed to allow crop and pasture production; (iii) avoidance, severely affected or poorly producing areas are removed from annual production and sown to perennial forage. Amelioration techniques include claying, deep cultivation with tools such as rotary spaders, or one-off soil inversion with mouldboard ploughs. These techniques can be expensive, but produce substantial, long-lasting benefits. However, they carry significant environmental risks if not adopted correctly. Mitigation strategies include furrow-seeding, application of wetting agents (surfactants), no-till with stubble retention, on-row seeding, and stimulating natural microbial degradation of waxy compounds. These are much cheaper than amelioration strategies, but have smaller and sometimes inconsistent impacts on crop production. For any given farm, economic analysis suggests that small patches of water repellency might best be ameliorated, but large areas should be treated initially with mitigation strategies. Further research is required to determine the long-term impacts of cultivation treatments, seeding systems and chemical and biological amendments on the expression and management of water repellency in an agricultural context.

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“…One option to increase actual SOC in this region may be to promote land-use systems which support greater net primary productivity and have potential to increase allocation of SOC to depth (e.g. perennial pasture systems; Jackson and Roy 1986;Nie et al 2008). This concept was evaluated for the Albany Sand Plain in Western Australia, an area of 2250 km 2 which typifies common land uses representative of semi-arid and Mediterranean-type agricultural production systems: cereal-dominated cropping (continuous cropping), mixed crop-pasture rotational systems (mixed cropping), and either permanent annual or perennial pastures for livestock grazing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Capacity for increasing soil organic carbon stocks in dryland agricultural systems

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Assessment of the potential for soil carbon sequestration based on soil type, land use, and climate scenarios is crucial for determining which agricultural regions can be used to help mitigate increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. In semi-arid and Mediterranean-type environments, soil organic carbon (SOC) storage capacity is rarely achieved under dryland agricultural systems. We aimed to assess both actual (measured) and attainable (modelled) SOC stock values for the dryland agricultural production zone of Western Australia. We measured actual SOC storage (0-0.3 m) and known constraints to plant growth for a range of soils types (3-27% clay) and land uses (continuous cropping, mixed cropping, annual and perennial pastures) on the Albany sand plain in Western Australia (n = 261 sites), spanning a rainfall gradient of 421-747 mm. Average actual SOC stocks for land use-soil type combinations ranged from 33 to 128 t C/ha (0-0.3 m). Up to 89% of the variability in actual SOC stock was explained by soil depth, rainfall, land use, and soil type. The scenarios modelled with Roth-C predicted that attainable SOC values of 59-140 t C/ha (0-0.3 m) could be achieved within 100 years. This indicated an additional storage capacity of 5-45% (7-27 t C/ha) depending on the specific land use-soil type combination. However, actual SOC in the surface 0-0.1 m was 95 to >100% of modelled attainable SOC values, suggesting this soil depth was 'saturated'. Our findings highlight that additional SOC storage capacity in this region is limited to the subsoil below 0.1 m. This has implications for management strategies to increase SOC sequestration in dryland agricultural systems, as current practices tend to concentrate organic matter near the soil surface.

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Field evaluation of perennial grasses and herbs in southern Australia. 2. Persistence, root characteristics and summer activity

Cited by 100 publications

References 32 publications

A review of summer-active tall fescue use and management in Australia's high-rainfall zone

A review of summer-active tall fescue use and management in Australia's high-rainfall zone

Management options for water-repellent soils in Australian dryland agriculture

Capacity for increasing soil organic carbon stocks in dryland agricultural systems

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