Canterbury is of great significance to New Zealand’s agricultural production, with approximately 20% of its farmland. The Region is the largest in New Zealand (by Regional Council boundaries), with 3 m ha of agricultural and exotic forestry land.
On 4 september 2010 a Richter 7.1 earthquake unzipped a 29 km scarp along the previously unknown “Greendale fault” about 12 km west of lincoln. it was a powerful reminder of the dynamic geological forces that have shaped the diverse landscape of canterbury, which is one of New Zealand’s most diverse agricultural regions.
‘Peak P’ analysts stress that rock phosphate (RP) production will decline and prices rise long before reserves run out, interpreting sharp price rises in 2007/2008 as a signal of Peak P and a looming crisis.
With increasing focus on global food security it is timely to examine the historical performance of Australian and new Zealand agriculture and assess future prospects.
Because the expansion of cropped areas is ultimately limited and increasingly undesirable, we review recent progress in maize, wheat, rice and soybean yields resulting from improved varieties and agronomic practices.
Productivity gains are an important source of wealth in any economy. Productivity growth in the agriculture sectors in Australia and new Zealand has been credible relative to other sectors of their economies.
Land use change has been a constant theme of New Zealand history. Economics, government policy and farmer choices continue to influence these changes. Current financial drivers are encouraging further growth in the dairy industry through the Canterbury and Southland regions. Changing economic opportunities and government policy around water and nutrient loss will continue to shift the balance of the forces driving land use change. The challenge for business and science is to intensify the competition for land use by lifting the performance of all sectors.
Irrigation is required to ensure that agriculture and horticulture is profitable in many of the drier parts of Australia and New Zealand.
Farmers are always talking about the weather, not because it is a polite, safe topic of conversation, but because our livelihood depends on it.
The agricultural research group on Sustainability (argoS) has been comparing soil quality between conventional, organic and alternative management systems for New Zealand sheep and beef (SB) and dairy (Dy) sectors.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of two pastoral farming systems using automatic milking systems (AMS).
Dry matter (DM) yields, botanical composition, liveweight production and pasture quality of six grazed dryland pastures established in 2002 at Lincoln University, Canterbury, are reported for Years 6 (2007/08) and 7 (2008/09). Lucerne (Medicago sativa) yielded 14.0 t DM/ha/yr and sheep liveweight (LW) production totalled 903 (2007/08) and 1 141 kg/ha/yr (2008/09). Metabolisable energy (ME) on offer (~134 GJ/ha/yr) and N yield (>500 kg/ha/yr) from the lucerne exceeded those of grass-based pastures. Yields (9.8- 11.2 t DM/ha/yr) and liveweight production (814-912 kg/ha/yr) from cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata) pastures established with subterranean (Trifolium subterraneum) clover were greater than all other grass-based pastures. Annual ME was 79-96 GJ/ha and N yield was 269- 316 kg/ha from the cocksfoot, subterranean clover and volunteer white clover (T. repens) components. For Year 7, the contribution of unsown weeds and grasses in cocksfoot-based pastures was ~28% of total annual yield compared with 55% in ryegrass (Lolium perenne)/ white clover pastures. Consequently, the ME and N yields from sown pasture components in ryegrass/white clover pastures were lower than those from cocksfootbased pastures. These results indicate dryland farms with lucerne and/or cocksfoot/sub clover pastures can produce higher DM yields from more persistent pasture species. Persistence led to more ME and N on offer to grazing livestock, which resulted in higher liveweight production than from the ryegrass pastures. Keywords: balansa clover, Caucasian clover, growth rates, pasture quality, T. ambiguum, T. michelianum
Annual dry matter (DM) production and botanical composition from dryland cocksfoot and ryegrass pastures grown with and without subterranean clover were measured over 2 years (2006-2008) in Canterbury.
Clover root weevil (CRW) has become one of New Zealand’s most serious pasture pests. An Irish ecotype of Microctonus aethiopoides has been released and established as a biocontrol agent. Since early 2006, field samples have been taken to monitor its spread and establishment. The biocontrol agent has established well at sites where 1 000-2 500 parasitised CRW were initially released, except in the Far North, and is spreading at around 15 km/year. Industry field personnel assisted with distributing 2 000 mini-releases (10 parasitised CRW) to areas where CRW was causing damage. One hundred farmers were sent a postal survey and feedback from 59 respondents showed the mini-release approach was successful in terms of distribution of the parasitoid, technology transfer and funder recognition. Based on natural spread from many of the release sites, it is predicted that the parasitoid will be present on most North Island farms by the end of summer 2010/2011. Keywords: Microctonus aethiopoides, biocontrol agent, white clover, Trifolium repens
Water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) provides readily available energy in the rumen that improves the efficiency of crude protein (CP) utilisation, partitioning of dietary N towards animal growth, and reduces the loss of N as urea.
Earthworm species beneficial to pastures are not indigenous to New Zealand and because there has been no systematic release of earthworms, their distribution is patchy. The findings from an on-farm survey in the Central North Island in spring 2009, reinforces this with only 14% of paddocks sampled containing species from all three earthworm functional groups.
Both foliar endophytes and root arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can infect perennial ryegrass and improve its performance, mainly by improving herbivore resistance and phosphorus (P) uptake, respectively.
The issue of high nitrate levels in fresh water is becoming increasingly important in New Zealand.
Pasture renewal on the milking platform of dairy farms may or may not involve growing forage crops in the transition from old to new pasture.
Our current survey revealed that soil water repellency (SWR) is a widespread phenomenon under pasture in the North Island. If present, SWR controls soil water dynamics.
Surface water quality can be impaired by phosphorus (P) loss from land. The lower Olsen P requirement of ryegrass compared with clover can, when growing them separately, allow for more targeted application of nutrients and better profitability than is possible for a mixture.
The yield potential of modern forage cultivars is a limit to production from pasture- based agriculture, and may influence profitability. Hybrid vigour has increased yield in a range of plant species, but is only partially captured in conventional forage breeding systems. The objective of this research was to assess the potential for harnessing hybrid vigour in a semi-hybrid breeding system for perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). Paired crosses among eight parental sources, including four cultivars and four ecotypes, were used to create 28 semi-hybrid populations. Parents, semi-hybrids and check cultivars were trialled in pure grass plots under rotational grazing for 2 years in the Manawatu. Dry matter yield data were used to estimate cumulative and seasonal patterns of hybrid vigour expression for cultivar x cultivar semi-hybrid combinations. The mean level of high parent heterosis was less than 2%. However, one combination exhibited significant (p<0.05) high parent heterosis of 7% for cumulative yield. Seasonal levels of heterosis expression ranged up to 11% in winter and 19% in spring, with lower expression in the summer and autumn. These data suggest hybrid vigour may be expressed in some combinations among current populations, and that further experiments to identify superior combinations are warranted. Adoption of a semi-hybrid breeding system for variety development would have implications for population improvement, seed production and certification, and plant variety rights. Keywords: Lolium, heterosis, hybrid, yield
This paper summarises progress in a field-based study exploring the phosphorus (P) requirements of high producing perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea)-based pastures, where the constraints to pasture growth and associated P uptake imposed by low nitrogen (N) availability and soil moisture over summer-autumn and poor physical condition of the soil have been removed.
An analysis of the pasture growth pattern in a summer- dry environment compared with the feed requirements of breeding hinds shows that the inclusion of a brassica crop can improve feed supply.
Genetic changes in fibre characteristics of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) may enhance degradability and thereby improve voluntary feed intake and energy availability from ingested grass.
Nutrient loading can be high in dairy-farm soils that are regularly irrigated with shed effluent, especially when the area treated is small or the farming system has intensified.
The major limitation to perennial ryegrass-based systems is low soil moisture which reduces perennial ryegrass growth. irrigation can maintain adequate soil moisture levels for pasture growth, however, the associated cost requires high levels of forage water use efficiency.
Humping and hollowing of wet and infertile soils on the West Coast is a practice used to improve drainage and pasture dry matter production (DMP).
The abundance of four naturalised annual clovers (striated, cluster, suckling, haresfoot) and two sown clovers (subterranean and white clover) was investigated in relation to topographical, soil fertility and management factors on two contrasting hill/high country stations in the South Island: Glenfalloch in inland Canterbury (1 665 mm annual rainfall), and Mt Grand in Central Otago (703 mm annual rainfall).
Potassium (K) build up in soils is a side effect of prolonged farm dairy effluent irrigation, and can result in animal health issues. A kale crop was planted to investigate its potential to take up K applied in farm dairy effluent.
Intensive lamb finishing requires a consistent supply of high quality forage throughout the year to regularly finish lambs. Per head and per ha liveweight gain of weaned lambs was compared in 13 batches of lambs on replicated irrigated farmlets for 2.5 years from conventional mixed tetraploid perennial ryegrass- white clover pastures (Conv) and pastures that were pure white clover for spring and summer and switched to overdrilled Italian ryegrass for the winter (Switch).
The nitrification inhibitor, dicyandiamide (DCD), is a promising technology for reducing N losses from grazed pastures. However, insights as to its best usage are still required. Modelling offers a cost-effective way to determine best practice for DCD, synthesising the available knowledge. The APSIM model, with a newly developed module for nitrification inhibition, was used to investigate the role of DCD on N leaching.
There is scant information on nitrate-N leaching in East Coast hill country. Castlepoint Station, a focus farm in the Wise Use of fertiliser Nitrogen (N) project and in the face of potential restrictions on fertiliser N use, ran a 3 year trial focused on the impacts of N fertiliser on pasture and animal production as well as nitrate leaching.
New Zealand pastoral industries have set a goal of producing 45 t DM/ha annually from supplementary feed crops. Achieving this will require high inputs of water and nutrients that may increase the risk of nitrate leaching. This research describes nitrate leaching losses from the first year of intensively managed forage crop sequences to identify mitigation options.
The amount of nitrogen (N) in clover dry matter (DM) herbage derived from N fixation in subterranean or white clover was estimated using the 15N enrichment technique in a dryland grazing experiment at Lincoln University.
Dry matter (DM) yields of unimproved resident browntop-dominant pasture on three Central Otago dryland farms was <1.5 t /ha/year from 2008-2010.
Livestock farming in New Zealand and the United States is increasingly being scrutinised for its environmental impact. In some regions regulations intended to reduce non-point source pollution have been introduced.
Many aspects of plant growth and physiology following defoliation have been investigated in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne).
There is limited research investigating the extent of soil physical damage under repeated winter forage cropping practices, the impact of management factors and the rates of soil recovery following winter grazing practices.
A 2-year field experiment was conducted on a high country brown stony soil in the Lees Valley, North Canterbury. Two forms of lime (‘AgLime’ and ‘Quicklime’) were applied at 4 rates (0, 2, 4 and 8 t/ ha) and plots sown with ‘Grasslands Kaituna’ lucerne. Soil pH was strongly (R2=0.73) related to exchangeable aluminium (Al), with a sharp rise in plant-available Al levels below a pH of 5.8.
Clover root weevil (Sitona lepidus) (CRw), a white clover pest from the Northern Hemisphere, was first found in the North island in 1996.
Recent unprecedented demands on freshwater for irrigation have led to over-allocations and restrictions. Variable rate irrigation (VRI) aims to optimise scheduling according to soil differences using irrigation prescription maps coupled with software-driven variable rate irrigators and individual sprinkler control for site specific management.
Vulpia (Vulpia myuros) and goose grass (Bromus hordeaceus) are common annual grass weeds throughout New Zealand in dryland pastures. They compete with sown species, suppressing pasture production and livestock performance.
Nitrification inhibitors are an important mitigation practice for nitrate leaching since they reduce leaching loads and can potentially increase farm profit through promoting pasture production.
Grazed forage underpins the productivity and economic performance of new Zealand’s pastoral industries. This trial aimed to increase grazeable forage grown by 50% from 17 to 25 t DM/ha to meet industry targets.
The intensification of modern pastoral agriculture has increased the risk of environmental degradation. The use of nitrification inhibitor technology has been shown to reduce nitrate (no3-) leaching losses and nitrous oxide (n2o) emissions from new Zealand dairy pasture systems.
Kale is used throughout New Zealand as a supplement to pasture during winter. However, kale contains the anti- nutritional compounds S-methylcysteine sulphoxide (SMCO), glucosinolates and nitrate (NO3-).
A series of field experiments were carried out to assess the impact of two important global change factors (increased temperature and elevated atmospheric CO2) on the germination and growth of three C4 grass species found in New Zealand pastures: Digitaria sanguinalis (summer grass), Paspalum dilatatum (paspalum) and Pennisetum clandestinum (kikuyu).
Sustainable food production requires maintaining land of suitable quantity and quality to meet the needs of current and future generations.
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) tillers of cultivar ‘Alto’ were grown in hydroponic culture in winter- spring and autumn experiments and roots of known age were individually dissected and a number of properties including dry weight, main axis length and total length were measured to define root developmental status at successive positions or phytomers on the tiller axis.
Soil potassium (K) accumulation and associated metabolic cow health risks result from increased volumes of land-treated farm dairy effluent (FDE) generated by the intensification of dairy farming in New Zealand.
The rate of emergence, time of the first mainstem leaf appearance, phyllochron and branch initiation and inflorescence development were quantified for balansa clover (Trifolium michelianum).
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