BRIEF COMMUNICATION: Milksolids production of dairy cows grazing lucerne and perennial ryegrass in spring

摘要

The potential of New Zealand grazing systems is dependant on the dry matter (DM) yield, nutritive characteristics, and utilisation of pasture. The most common pasture is a mixture of ryegrass and white clover, which is tolerant of a wide range of environments and management (Kemp et al. 1999). However species such as these with shallow root systems and poor growth in high temperatures will have reduced herbage accumulation and quality during dry summer periods (Hoglund & White 1985). As demand for irrigation has increased to alleviate these problems, it has also raised questions about water allocation impacts on dairy farm production and profit (Thorrold et al. 2004). For Canterbury, which experiences hot, dry summers, lucerne is a potential sourceof high quality feed due to its active warm season growth and greater water use efficiency (Mills & Moot 2010). Much of the recent research on lucerne in livestock systems has focussed on sheep and beef in dryland situations (Mills & Moot 2010). There islimited information on the productivity of dairy cows grazing lucerne (Bryant 1978).