Publication Date

1990

Document Type

Report

DPIRD Collections

Grains and field crops

Abstract

Trial 90EC1

Effect of species and maturity on dry matter production and water use of annual medic on deep sandplain soil.

Location: East Chapman.

All medic cultivars were preferentially grazed compared to Paros serradella which did not allow a proper comparison between the two species in the grazed treatment. 2. Poor nodulation in Harbinger due to incompatability with the current Group A inoculant (R. meliloti strain WSM 540) resulted in poor-growth-and-low-seed-yield. - 3. Water use was directly related to maturity or time taken to flower ; total water extraction (mm) = 1.48 * days to flower - 41.1 R2 = 0.85 However seed yields decreased with maturity. 3. Water use was not significantly different in grazed and ungrazed treatments. This may be a reflection of the dry spring conditions which had a greater effect on the ungrazed swards which defoliated severely under moisture stress.

Trial 89GE60

Evaluation of annual medics on deep sandplain soil

Location: Henville and Tenindewa

Average over all lines and species, nodulated plants had five times the dry weight of unnodulated plants by July 18. All nodulation was low however subclover and murex medic had the greatest proportion of plants nodulated. The presence of a considerable compaction layer may have favoured the shallower rooting subclover cultivars, with Dalkeith and Nungarin producing significantly greater dry matter yields than most medic lines.

Dry matter yields of various annual medic lines on deep yellow sandplain at Tenindewa 1990.

Plots were sprayed with 400 ml/ha of 2,4 DB on 30/7 and grazed heavily between 6/8 and 20/8 to control double-gee and capeweed. All lines besides subclover failed to recover fully after this treatment, although the lines Parabinga, Z-110, Madeira and Paros appeared more tolerant than others. Before spraying the M. tornata lines had regenerated well and on average produced over 60% more dry matter by July compared to the volunteer treatment.

Number of Pages

8

Keywords

Western Australia

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