Use of Italian ryegrass on seasonal dairy farms in northern New Zealand

摘要

Abstract Four field plot experiments were conducted to determine the effects different methods of establishment, nitrogen (N) fertiliser applications, and sowing time, had on the growth of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. cv. Concord), particularly in late winter/early spring when feed shortages occur on seasonal dairy farms. Data were collected on the seasonal herbage accumulation and persistence of autumn‐sown Concord ryegrass, and its chemical composition and digestibility. An insecticide treatment was applied to examine possible damage by insects such as Argentine stem weevil (Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel)) at various sowing dates. These experiments provided background data for a large‐scale farmlet trial measuring milk production responses, following the introduction of Concord ryegrass. Compared with existing unrenovated pasture (EP), Concord ryegrass drilled into plots after spraying existing pasture with herbicide (DD), accumulated, on average over consecutive years, twice as much ext...