Wet pasture is quality forage
From the October 2007 edition of Agriculture Today.
The reintroduction and retention of fresh water to some back swamp areas on the NSW North Coast is leading to high quality forage, according to NSW Department of Primary Industries district agronomist at Kempsey, Carol Rose.
She said there were many back swamp areas on the North Coast that had a role in acid sulfate soil protection.
"Originally these coastal wetlands were used periodically by farmers for grazing, but last century there was a trend to drain these areas and introduce dryland species," she said.
"The reintroduction and retention of fresh water has been used in some areas to reduce acid sulphate discharge into drains, and to rehabilitate scalds."
She said native species that had adapted to the ‘water ponding’ reinvaded these areas.
From 2003 to 2005, Ms Rose collected local data on the affect on the growth of pastures as a result of the ‘wet pasture farming’ system.
The ‘Flood Plain Grazing’ project expanded this trial during the past summer to look at the production of pasture species in ponded pastures at Kempsey and Grafton.
The dominant species at both sites were water couch (Paspalum distichum) and spike rush (Eleocharis sphacelata).
Ms Rose said production during the summer was very variable, apparently very dependent on the amount of water in the pond.
"Comparison of water couch in previous summers also showed great variability," she said.
Both species showed growth rates of more than 100 kilograms of dry matter per hectare per day at their peaks.
"While still waiting for results from the feed quality testing, previous years’ testing indicate that both species are high quality forage," Ms Rose said.
Contact Carol Rose, Kempsey, (02) 6562 6244, carol.rose@dpi.nsw.gov.au
