USE OF TAMA RYEGRASS WITH LUCERNE

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33680, 1 November 1974, Page 7

USE OF TAMA RYEGRASS WITH LUCERNE

The Lincoln regional station of the Grasslands Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is now in the second season of looking at the use of Tama ryegrass with lucerne for prime lamb production on the property of Mr R. H. Williams, at Kirwee, where it has leased 80 acres.

Dr E. W. Vartha, who is officer in charge of the regional station, recalled at a field afternoon last week that the division had begun its work with overdrilling Tama into lucerne at Ashley Dene in 1965-66, but after a few years it was felt that unless there were rains in the autumn the Tama did not get away as quickly as it should. In reviewing the work at Kirwee he said that this quick start remained vital. At Kirwee, where the division has the opportunity to do some irrigation, Dr Vartha said that they had established four farmlets each of about 1.8 hectares, two of which were irrigated and two run under dryland conditions. Each farmlet was subdivided into six paddocks, three of which were in lucerne, one cultivated and sown to Tama and the other two in lucerne w'hich was overdrilled with Tama. One of the lucerne paddocks was used as a feeding pad in the winter. In the first year each fannlet was stocked at 15 ewes to the hectare or six to the acre, although it was realised that there would be a surplus of feed on the irrigated areas. Now the irrigated farmlets have had their stocking level increased to 20 to the hectare or eight to the acre. But at six ewes the dry-

land farmlets were not self sufficient last year as no hay was made and five ewes to the acre would probably have been nearer the mark, but this year paddocks have been closed for hay. Mr T. J. Fraser, a technician with the division, said that 50 per cent of each farmlet was in Tama each year — one paddock being in pure Tama and two overdrilled. The Tama was sown in mid March, With 20 kilograms of seed and also 150 kilograms of superphosphate being applied per hectare. This was fallowed with 30 kilograms of nitrogen at the end of June. The areas to be overdrilled were grazed hard in early March and last year in the dry autumn the lucerne did not offer the young Tama any competition, but this year there was good lucerne growth in March and April and a light grazing of the overdrilled areas was essential for- the good establishment of the Tama, but it was important not to graze too hard at this stage or the Tama could be seriously damaged. The place of Tama in the system was as pre and postlambing feed.

If Tama was sown too early, as in mid January or early February, it was pointed out that it could be hit by stem weevil, but with irrigation it could be

activated whenever it was wished. Dr Vartha explained that the purpose of the six paddocks on the farmlets was to allow the lucerne pastures to be rotationally grazed for seven to 10 days at a time with a spell of four to six weeks in between, but in the winter all of the ewes were in one paddock for 12 to 14 weeks. Mr Fraser said that last year the ewes were brought bn to the trial area at the beginning of March but the rams were not put out until April 1 because of the limited amount of lucerne then available for flushing. However, it was reported that there was a 120 per cent lambing. . This season the lambing has been about 115 per cent. On this occasion it has been about two weeks earlier. At the outset the sheep on the farmlets consisted of mainly mixed age halfbred and Corriedale ewes. Now BorderCorriedale cross two-tooths have been brought in as replacements. Last season pure Tama yielded 6000 kilograms of dry matter per hectare

under irrigation and 3800 without water. Where it was overdrilled into lucerne the yield with three waterings was 10,900 kilograms, including 3900 from the Tama, compared with 4700 on the dry areas with the Tama contributing 1000 kilograms. This year under more favourable conditions, however, there has been a

doubling of the yield of Tama where it has been ovefdrilled into lucerne. Last season the lucerne pad area produced 9200 kilograms with three waterings against 3900 kilograms without water at all. The production of fleece wool was 3.8 kilograms per sheep last year and 3.75 this season.

Last season lambs were taken in one draft, representing 100 per cent prime off the mothers, and on the irrigated farmlets production amounted to 217 kilograms per hectare or 13.5 kilograms per head and on the dryland farmlets 203 kilograms or 12.5 kilograms per lamb.