Sub clover, cocksfoot and lucerne combine to improve dryland stock production

The temporal (seasonal) pattern of dryland pasture and stock production from four cocksfoot based pastures (mixed with balansa, Caucasian, subterranean or white clover), a ryegrass/white clover pasture and a pure lucerne crop were compared over 2 years (2004/05 and 2005/ 06). Subterranean clover with cocksfoot provided high legume content pasture giving higher stock production than other pasture mixtures from August to October. This complemented the high yields and stock production provided by lucerne from mid September to January in 2004/05. However, a dry winter followed by spring snow resulted in lucerne production similar to other pastures in 2005/06. Cocksfoot based pastures provided more maintenance feed than perennial ryegrass during a dry summer (2005/06) but ryegrass/white clover provided higher stock production in wet summer conditions (2004/ 05). These results suggest a range of pasture species are necessary to cope with the seasonal climate variability typically experienced in dryland farm systems.Meat and Wool New Zealand Ltd