Establishing & managing pasture species suitable for heavier soil types
Aim
This project aims to find suitable nitrogen fixing pasture species for heavy soil types, to improve livestock carrying capacity and increase grazing days in a low rainfall region.
Description
Legume pastures can provide livestock feed, improve soil health and, once established help reduce weed competition in paddocks. These benefits can make it a handy rotational option in cropping systems. However, the options for legume pastures on heavy clay soils in the dryer regions of WA’s eastern Wheatbelt are limited and have variable success.
This trial will test the establishment and use of different nitrogen fixing pasture species on heavy soil types in the eastern Wheatbelt where sub clovers have had poor success.
Preliminary Results
Strips of Santiago Bur Medic, Casbah Biserrula, Bindoon sub-clover and Losa sub-clover were sown in April 2015 on three paddocks. Good rains followed seeding and all pasture varieties germinated well. After good seed set was established, the pastures were grazed at five lambs per hectare for about a month, avoiding overgrazing.
Landowner Frank Varone reports that the Losa, Bindoon and Casbah have had good ground cover, but the Santiago was not as good. Casbah had the most bulk and produced the most feed per hectare, followed by Bindoon and Losa. A lot of seed remains on the ground which will hopefully give Frank good pastures in the years to come.
Last year was an excellent year for plant growth in most areas and the trial had minimal frost problems. The project will continue monitoring pasture seed regeneration until 2018.
Clockwise from top left: Casbah, Santiago, Losa, Bindoon. Photos taken October 2016
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