Measurements from the third year of the ASHEEP Pasture Variety Trials, a Meat & Livestock Australia Producer Demonstration Site project, have been collected and we're nearing the time when we can release this year's results. South Coastal Agencies have been doing great work monitoring the demonstration sites, plus analysing pasture cuts and performance. We anticipate being able to release an annual report in early 2023.
In Year 1 & Year 2 of the Pasture Variety Trials, South East Agronomy Research put in plot scale trials of a range of pastures, which South Coastal Agencies have since been monitoring for regeneration. Some of the sites are no longer viable for a range of reasons, including seasonal conditions and spray drift. Following is an update from South Coastal Agencies on the two sites that they were able to monitor this year.
Year 1 Sites (Sown 2020):
Neridup – John Wallace (Monitoring ceased)
Salmon Gums – Sam Guest (Monitoring ceased)
Grass Patch – David Vandenberghe (Checked in 2022, but overgrown with medic)
Year 2 Sites (Sown 2021):
Neridup – John Wallace (Monitoring ceased)
Cascade – Simeon Roberts (Monitored in 2022)
Grass Patch – David Vandenberghe (Monitored in 2022)
Year 2 Cascade Site Regeneration (2021 sown)
Site Host: Simeon Roberts
2022 Inputs:
The 2021 pasture variety trials at the Cascade site were oversown with
25kg/ha of RM4 Vetch in March 2022. A very dry summer and favourable opening rains contributed to excellent conditions for plant establishment. With these optimum
conditions, the grasses and cereals were effectively controlled by Regenerated Cavalier Medic (with RM4 Vetch), Cascade Regenerated Cobra Balansa with some Rose Clover, Cascade the pre-em knockdown and the post-em selective herbicides; therefore, their re-establishment was non-existent.
However, the stand-out varieties in this reestablishment trial were cavalier medic, snail medic, sultan medic, trigonella, rose clover and cobra balansa. In some cases, varieties that weren’t originally sown in the same plot in 2021 were found together this year, it is likely that through the processes of oversewing vetch, the seed set from the 2021 pasture was spread across neighbouring plots.
Year 2 Grass Patch Site Regeneration (2021 sown)
Site Host: David Vandenberghe
2022 Inputs:
The Year 2 Grass Patch site (sown in 2022) was not oversewn in 2023, and was allowed to regenerate. The site had very good opening rain in April, followed by a dryer than average May to July and wetter than average August. Due to the drier
winter and cool conditions, pastures established well but were growing slowly. While the overall biomass was behind the Cascade trial, the standout varieties at the Grass Patch site were the Cobra, RM4, Snail Medic, and Sardi Lucene. Biomass
and feed quality tests will be shared in the annual report to come.
