Abstract
Four farmer participatory field experiments were conducted to determine the effect of covercropping on pasture establishment and subsequent pasture production in 2009 and 2010 at Ariah Park and
Brocklesby, NSW. In a drier year cover-cropping reduced plant density even when the cover crop was reduced to 10 kg/ha, but dry matter production by lucerne was not reduced in the following year compared
to phalaris which had reduced production. In a wetter year, plant density was maintained but dry matter production was reduced in the following year due to cover-cropping. A decision support tool was used to determine which pasture establishment method was the most profitable for each experiment. In the drier year, pasture should be established directly due to the low grain yield. In a wetter year, under-sown pasture is satisfactory and profitable due to high grain yields from cover-cropping, leading to high income which livestock production during the pasture phase could not compensate.
Brocklesby, NSW. In a drier year cover-cropping reduced plant density even when the cover crop was reduced to 10 kg/ha, but dry matter production by lucerne was not reduced in the following year compared
to phalaris which had reduced production. In a wetter year, plant density was maintained but dry matter production was reduced in the following year due to cover-cropping. A decision support tool was used to determine which pasture establishment method was the most profitable for each experiment. In the drier year, pasture should be established directly due to the low grain yield. In a wetter year, under-sown pasture is satisfactory and profitable due to high grain yields from cover-cropping, leading to high income which livestock production during the pasture phase could not compensate.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 27th annual conference of The Grassland Society of NSW Inc. |
| Subtitle of host publication | Driving your landscape to success: managing a grazing business for profit in the agricultural landscape |
| Place of Publication | Australia |
| Publisher | The Grassland Society of NSW Inc. |
| Pages | 1-7 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781742563039 |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 |
| Event | Annual Grasslands Conference - Wagga Wagga, Australia Duration: 24 Jul 2012 → 26 Jul 2012 |
Conference
| Conference | Annual Grasslands Conference |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| Period | 24/07/12 → 26/07/12 |
