Legumes key for bargoo country
From the August 2007 edition of Agriculture Today.
Persistent legumes and rotational grazing is the key to lifting beef productivity, according to Scott and Janelle Ousby.
At their 85 hectare Eungella property on the Tweed, Shaw creeping vigna is the most successful legume.
"Wherever Shaw is growing stock will selectively eat it close to the ground," Scott said.
"I only wish there was some seed produced," he commented despairingly.
At their recently purchased 702ha "Myall Downs" property near Whiporie, Scott has established observation areas of Bolton Pinto forage peanut, Amarillo Pinto peanut, Wilson’s hybrid forage peanut, Wynn cassia and Shaw creeping vigna.
The soils on "Myall Downs" are relatively infertile with scanty levels of white clover, bargoo joint vetch, siratro, native glycines and desmodiums present in the pasture.
To promote these legumes, 160ha has been fertilised with chicken litter and Mo Superphosphate.
"Already the chook manure has done a lot of good - there’s some clover in the pasture, and the setaria paddock has thickened-up - Eh," Scott said, using the North Queensland rhetorical affirmation.
The Pensacola Bahia grass areas were a worry for Scott. He intends to get the most out of it by grazing management and mowing when required.
Although superior to carpet grass in respect to quality and productivity, few legumes can associate with Bahia.
Prine rhizoma peanut and Bargoo joint vetch are the few exceptions. Unfortunately both these legumes were never fully commercialised following their release. Wynn cassia has filled the Bargoo joint vetch niche reasonably well on the north coast.
Wynn can lift beef cattle liveweight gains on well drained light textured Bargoo and "whip-a-flea" country of the northern rivers. A proviso is that phosphorus, sulfur and molybdenum requirements be maintained.
Where nutrients are deficient, Wynn declines to low frequencies.
In a Queensland DPI trial at Gin Gin conducted by Ian Partridge and Jim Wright over five years, steers on unfertilised Wynn cassia augmented native pasture gained an average 35 kg/hd/yr more (40 per cent) than those on native pasture.
Wynn responded strongly to superphosphate and weight gains were improved a further 10kg/hd/yr. Note: Wynn cassia is not eaten by horses and can be a weed of grain legume crops (eg, soybean).
A small trial area of Bolton, Amarillo and Wilson’s hybrid (Arachis pintoi x A. repens) forage peanut varieties has been established at Dr Bruce and Jane King’s beef property near Rappville.
It is hoped that Bolton Pinto peanut will extend the suitability of forage peanut into the drier sub-coastal areas of the northern rivers with annual rainfall less than 1000mm. Bolton is more erect than Amarillo Pinto peanut and may be better suited for growing with the tufted or bunch grasses. Bolton Pinto peanut seed is produced by Southedge Seeds, Mareeba.
Sequestering carbon at higher rates in the soil as organic matter is a topical talking point.
With pastures and rangelands, deep rooted perennial grasses are suggested as an alternative to trees. On any country this objective will be most efficiently achieved with legumes present.
Bargoo is an Aboriginal word roughly meaning defective? Early Clarence valley graziers called the poorest Kangaroo Creek sandstone country, Bargoo country.
Contact Bede Clarke, NSW DPI Casino, (02) 6662 2288.
