Tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrumponticum (Podp.) Z.W. Liu + R.R.C. Wang): A neglected resource in Australian pasture

摘要

Abstract Tall wheatgrass, Thinopyrum ponticum, is a perennial grass that is widely sown on saline land for grazing and soil conservation. However, the true potential of the species is seldom realised, because tall wheatgrass is truly a neglected resource. Once sown the grass is often subjected to very poor grazing management, if it is grazed at all. Tall wheatgrass has received little attention from researchers, to the extent that some 40 years after the introduction of the species to Australia, recommendations on the management of tall wheatgrass swards for persistence and productivity are still incomplete. This will remain so until more research into the basic agronomy and animal production potential oftall wheatgrass is completed. This short review summarises changes to the taxonomy of tall wheatgrass, the historical use of tall wheatgrass in Australia, recent agronomic research, and its animal production potential. The review also identifies some priorities for further research.