Herbage mass and persistence of pasture legumes and grasses at two potentially different saline and waterlogging sites in northern New South Wales
Summary
Two adjacent sites (naturalised pasture and previously cropped) were sown in a saline area near Tamworth, NSW with 4 temperate perennial grasses (experiment 1), 8 temperate perennial legumes (experiment 2) and 10 temperate annual legumes (experiment 3) in May 2003, and 6 tropical perennial grasses (experiment 4) in December 2003. Herbage mass and plant frequency were assessed from 2003 to 2006 and used to assess the comparative performance of species in each experiment.
On a moderately saline soil, tall wheatgrass was productive and persistent compared with puccinellia and phalaris (experiment 1). Puccinellia did not establish or perform well under the conditions of the study. At both sites, Premier digit and Katambora Rhodes grass were the best performing tropical grasses (experiment 4) while the performance of Swann forest bluegrass was good at the previously cropped site and Bambatsi panic was best at the heavier textured, wetter naturalised pasture site. At both sites, lucerne was the best perennial legume (experiment 2), with cv. Aquarius being superior to cv. Salado after 3 years. The performance of strawberry clover was low compared with lucerne. Of the annual legumes (experiment 3) Scimitar burr medic and M. sulcatus had the best performance.