Managing rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) cv. Callide to improve diet quality. 2. Effects of stocking rate and irrigation frequency

The effects of stocking rate and irrigation frequency on the milk production of cows grazing nitrogen-fertilised Callide rhodes grass pastures was studied in south-east Queensland. Pastures were stocked at 3.5, 5.25 and 6.1 cows/ha from January-May inclusive, and irrigated at fortnightly or monthly intervals. Yields on offer pregrazing and pasture, leaf and stem residues after grazing decreased at the higher stocking rates. Consumption of grass leaf averaged 10.6, 7.7 and 6.5 kg DM/cow/d for cows grazed at 3.5, 5.25 and 6.1 cows/ha, respectively (P0.05). Milk yields averaged 16.6 kg/cow/d for Weeks 7-18 and were unaffected by treatment. Liveweight loss in the first 15 weeks of the experiment averaged 15, 28 and 43 kg at 3.5, 5.25 and 6.1 cows/ha, respectively (P