Scientist Favours Replacing Clover

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32072, 21 August 1969, Page 22

Scientist Favours Replacing Clover

(N«u> Zealand Press Association)

PALMERSTON NORTH, August 20.

The end of the ryegrass-clover pasture grazing system is seen by the director of the D.SJ.R. Plant Physiology Division, Dr K. J. Mitchell.

In a paper which predicts a change in pastoral technology, Dr Mitchell has proposed a progressive “pensioning-off” of clover as New Zealand’s source of pasture nitrogen, and its replacement with fertiliser nitrogen. He advocates the housing of animals in centralised areas, to free the former grazing lands for growing high-yield crops. The paper, presented to the Institute of Agricultural Science in Palmerston North today, was prepared by Dr Mitchell in collaboration with Mr A. L. Kearton, an economist with the Department of Agriculture. , ■ ■ . The conclusion was that ■production technology based oh nitrogen fertiliser and storage would deliver feed to the animal about two-thirds the cost of the present rye-grass-clover grazed pasture system. This would be associated with big increases in production, improved quality of feed, and higher -net returns an acre for a suitably organised enterprise. “Newi Zealand cannot cling to the pastoral technology of previous decades and expect to remain prosperous on the basis of its climatic advantage,” the paper said. "Our

climatic advantage is still real, but only if we make use of it with production techniques at least as modern as, and preferably ahead, of those of our competitors,”