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The Benefit of Legumes in a Pasture Michael D. Peel USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Lab. Pasture...
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Transcript of The Benefit of Legumes in a Pasture Michael D. Peel USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Lab. Pasture...
The Benefit of Legumes in a Pasture
Michael D. PeelUSDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Lab.
Pasture WorkshopMay 13, 2005
Introduction
• Develop legumes primarily for range– Spreading & falcata (yellow flowered) alfalfa
Broad deep spreading crowns less likely to suffer injury during grazing traffic
Broad spreading crown
Rhizome spread as Rhizome spread as viewed by a wormviewed by a worm
Ideal plant type
Introduction• Develop legumes primarily for range
– Spreading & falcata (yellow flowered) alfalfa– Sainfoin– Cicer Milkvetch– Utah Sweetvetch– Globemallow– Small Burnet
• Legumes for irrigated pastures– Birdsfoot Trefoil– Kura Clover
Legume/Grass Study Nearing Completion• Utilizes a line-source irrigation system
1 2 3 4 55 4 3 2 1
Purpose of study
• Test multiple types of alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, and grasses in monocultures and in mixtures.
• Do they perform differently at high irrigation down to no irrigation.
Materials tested
• Alfalfa– Ladak– Spreader III– Amerigraze– P53V08– Diploid falcata
• Empire Birdsfoot Trefoil• Grasses
– Cache Meadowbrome– Martin Tallfescue– Perennial Ryegrass
Management• Fertility
– Sufficient P205 applied to supply legumes
– 20lbs/A nitrogen: establishment, fall & after harv. 1
• Average harvest dates: May 19th, June 25th, July 29th, Sept. 5th.
• Irrigation– WL1 23.6”– WL2 15.2”– WL3 13.2”– WL4 9.3”– WL5 4.8”
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
WL1 WL2 WL3 WL4 WL5
Water Level
Pro
duct
ion
(T/A
)`Meadow Brome
Tall Fescue
Perennial RG
Forage Production of meadow brome, tall fescue and perennial ryegrass, 2003-2004.
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
Harv.1 Harv.2 Harv.3 Harv.4
Harvest
Yie
ld (
T/A
) `
Meadow Brome
Tall Fescue
Perennial RG
Seasonal production of meadow brome, tall fescue and perennial RG, 2003-2004.
Forage production of alfalfa and birdsfoot trefoil at five levels of irrigation, 2003-2004.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
WL1 WL2 WL3 WL4 WL5
Water Level
Pro
duct
ion (
T/A
) `
Alfalfa
Birdsfoot Trefoil
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
Harv.1 Harv.2 Harv.3 Harv.4
Harvest
Yie
ld (
t/A)
`Alfalfa
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Seasonal production of birdsfoot trefoil and alfalfa at water level one, 2003-2004.
Forage production of alfalfa, tall fescue and an alfalfa-tall fescue mixture, 2003-2004.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
WL1 WL2 WL3 WL4 WL5
Water Level
Pro
duct
ion
(t/A
) `
Alfalfa
Tall Fescue
Alf/TF
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
Harv.1 Harv.2 Harv.3 Harv.4
Harvest Date
Yie
ld (
t/A)
`
Alfalfa
Tall Fescue
Alf/TF
Seasonal production of alfalfa, tall fescue and an alfalfa-tall fescue mixture, 2003-2004.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
WL1 WL2 WL3 WL4 WL5
Water Level
Pro
duct
ion
(T/A
) `
Alfalfa
Meadow Brome
Alf/MB
Forage production of alfalfa, meadow brome and an alfalfa-meadow brome mixture, 2003-2004.
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2
Harv.1 Harv.2 Harv.3 Harv.4
Harvest
Yie
ld (
T/A
) `
Alfalfa
Meadow Brome
Alf/MB
Seasonal production of alfalfa, meadow brome and an alfalfa-meadow brome mixture, 2003-2004.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
WL1 WL2 WL3 WL4 WL5
Water Level
Pro
duct
ion
(T/A
) `
Diploid falcata
MB&TF
DF/TF&MB
Forage production of diploid falcata alfalfa, the average of tall fescue/meadow brome and the mean of the two falcata-grass mixtures, 2003-2004.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Harv.1 Harv.2 Harv.3 Harv.4
Harvest Date
Yie
ld (
Mg/
ha)
`Diploid falcata
MB&TF
DF/TF&MB
Seasonal production of diploid falcata alfalfa, the average of tall fescue/meadow brome and the mean of the two falcata-grass mixtures, 2003-2004.
Meadow brome/LadakMeadow brome/Ladak
Meadow brome/Diploid Meadow brome/Diploid falcatafalcataMeadow brome/Diploid Meadow brome/Diploid falcatafalcata
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
WL1 WL2 WL3 WL4 WL5
Water Level
Pro
duct
ion
(T/A
) `
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Meadow Brome
BFTF/MB
Forage production of birdsfoot trefoil, meadow brome and a birdsfoot trefoil-meadow brome mixture, 2003-2004.
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
Harv.1 Harv.2 Harv.3 Harv.4
Harvest
Yie
ld (
T/A
) `
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Meadow Brome
BFTF/MB
Seasonal production of birdsfoot trefoil, meadow brome and a birdsfoot trefoil-meadow brome mixture, 2003-2004.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
WL1 WL2 WL3 WL4 WL5
Water Level
Pro
duct
ion
(T/A
) `
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Tall Fescue
BFTF/TF
Forage production of birdsfoot trefoil, tall fescue and a birdsfoot trefoil-tall fescue mixture, 2003-2004.
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
Harv.1 Harv.2 Harv.3 Harv.4
Harvest
Yie
ld (
T/A
) `
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Tall Fescue
BFTF/TF
Seasonal production of birdsfoot trefoil, tall fescue and a birdsfoot trefoil-tall fescue mixture, 2003-2004.
Summary
• The grass/alfalfa mixtures averaged 63 % higher production than the grass monocultures
• The grass/falcata mixtures averaged 47 % higher production than the grass monocultures
• The grass/trefoil mixtures averaged 33% higher production than the grass monocultures
– The largest benefit realized under irrigation
• I wouldn’t use perennial ryegrass
• The production distribution of trefoil vs alfalfa should be considered
Questions?Questions?