Semiarid land rehabilitation by direct drilling in the South Island, New Zealand—plant species and establishment technology

Wills, B. J.; Trainor, K.D.; Littlejohn, R. P.

doi:10.1002/ldr.626

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Distribution of root length in 1-m long tubes containing (a) M. sativa, (b) D. rectum and (c) D. hirsutum (mean ± se). Wills et al, 1989bWills et al, , 2004. Evidence suggests that D. rectum is less adapted to adverse conditions (Douglas and Foote, 1994).…”

Section: Growth Factorsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Relative growth rate, resource allocation and root morphology in the perennial legumes, Medicago sativa, Dorycnium rectum and D. hirsutum grown under controlled conditions

Bell

2005

Plant Soil

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Perennial pastures are needed in farming systems in southern Australia to combat environmental problems such as dryland salinity. The mediterranean climate in southern Australia imposes constraints to the growth and survival of perennial plants. The aim of this study was to compare growth rates, resource allocation and root distribution in three perennial legumes, Medicago sativa L., Dorycnium hirsutum (L.) Ser. and Dorycnium rectum (L.) Ser., to identify different plant traits and their ecological and agronomic significance. Plants were grown in 1-m deep split tubes and destructive harvests were made every 2 weeks after plant emergence for 10 weeks. Leaf area and leaf, stem and root fresh and dry weights were measured. Maximum root depth and the root distribution were also determined. Seedlings of Dorycnium were slower to emerge and had a lower relative growth rate (RGR) than M. sativa. The slower RGR was associated with a lower specific leaf area (SLA) in D. hirsutum and a lower net assimilation rate (NAR) in D. rectum. Although all species allocated a similar proportion of biomass to roots, D. rectum had a shallower root distribution and took longer to produce deep roots. The slow growth rates of Dorycnium seedlings suggest that they are more prone to establishment problems due to competition from weeds or other pastures, and because they have less access to water at greater depth during summer drought. However, D. hirsutum displayed characteristics of a plant that is adapted to stressful environments and therefore may be able to grow in conditions where other perennial legumes cannot.

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Section: Growth Factorsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Relative growth rate, resource allocation and root morphology in the perennial legumes, Medicago sativa, Dorycnium rectum and D. hirsutum grown under controlled conditions

Bell

2005

Plant Soil

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“…In contrast Gga survived on eight (including L. perenne) of these species and Gga was only present in higher concentrations than Ggt on Arrhenatherum elatius (Brooks 1965). Arrhenatherum elatius is common in New Zealand non-cereal, dryland pastoral areas, but not in cropped paddocks (Wills and Begg 1994;Wills et al 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Low frequency of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. avenae in New Zealand: implications for take-all management in wheat

Bithell

McKay

Cromey

2011

Australasian Plant Pathol.

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This study sought to determine the prevalence and crop sequence associations of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. avenae (Gga) in cereal cropping fields in New Zealand. Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt) and Gga cause the root disease take-all on wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare). Gga also causes take-all on oats (Avena sativa) and, when present, oats cannot be used as a break crop to manage the risk of takeall in cereals. The study used DNA assays for Gga and Ggt to survey soil sampled following 438 crops in 226 fields over three growing seasons. The assays detected Ggt in 341 (78%) of samples, but Gga in only 20 (5%) of samples. While the majority of Gga detections followed wheat crops, they were mostly from fields or farms where oats form a part of the rotations. Ggt was the more common strain and, when present in the same wheat field, was typically at higher concentrations than Gga. Gga contributed relatively little to the risk of take-all in a following wheat crop. The area sown to oats in New Zealand has declined over the last 20 years. Since Gga concentrations are currently low, it should be possible to use oats as a break crop to manage take-all in wheat.

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Prospects for three Dorycnium species as forage plants in agricultural systems: a review of their agronomic characteristics

Bell

Ryan

Ewing

et al. 2008

Aust. J. Exp. Agric.

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Perennial legumes in the Dorycnium genus may have potential as forage plants that could reduce the seasonality of feed production and improve the sustainability of agricultural systems. However, Dorycnium species are not currently used commercially and little is known about their agronomic characteristics. This review covers the current knowledge on Dorycnium distribution, taxonomy and the agronomic performance of Dorycnium hirsutum, Dorycnium rectum and Dorycnium pentaphyllum, including adaptation, establishment, biomass production, water use, grazing management and nitrogen fixation, along with considerations for animal production. Dorycnium originate from temperate Europe and the Mediterranean basin and may be suitable for other regions with similar climatic conditions. Little data exist on the climatic and edaphic conditions to which Dorycnium species are best adapted. Current evidence suggests that D. hirsutum is widely adapted and might be suitable as a forage plant for acid soils in drier and frost-prone agricultural regions. D. hirsutum also persists well in low rainfall environments (down to 300 mm mean annual rainfall), can produce up to 21 t dry matter(DM)/ha in its first 3 years and, by utilising extra water compared with annual pastures, can reduce water leakage below the root zone, thereby slowing development of dryland salinity. The use of D. rectum would be limited to high rainfall or water-accumulating sites. D. pentaphyllum is a diverse species, yet available material appears to be less productive but has better forage quality than D. hirsutum. Currently, establishment reliability and/or forage digestibility are major limitations of the tested Dorycnium species that restrict their potential role and challenge the feasibility of their future use. Breeding may overcome or minimise these limitations and improved agronomic management might also enhance their usefulness. However, current collected genetic resources of Dorycnium are very limited and targeted collections would be needed to yield better adapted germplasm. Breeding to reduce the high levels of condensed tannins (>13% of DM) to moderate concentrations in Dorycnium might improve forage digestibility and could have positive implications for animal performance and health. Despite the poor digestibility of some Dorycnium species (<60% DM digestibility), these plants may still play a significant role as drought forage to provide feed when other forage sources are in limited supply. Further research is required to quantify the potential of Dorycnium species for commercial release and to determine how these plants should be best managed and integrated into livestock and mixed cropping systems.

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Semiarid land rehabilitation by direct drilling in the South Island, New Zealand—plant species and establishment technology

Cited by 3 publications

References 13 publications

Relative growth rate, resource allocation and root morphology in the perennial legumes, Medicago sativa, Dorycnium rectum and D. hirsutum grown under controlled conditions

Relative growth rate, resource allocation and root morphology in the perennial legumes, Medicago sativa, Dorycnium rectum and D. hirsutum grown under controlled conditions

Low frequency of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. avenae in New Zealand: implications for take-all management in wheat

Prospects for three Dorycnium species as forage plants in agricultural systems: a review of their agronomic characteristics

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