Productive native grasses soon available for sowing

摘要

Native grasses could provide solutions to many of Australia's soil and water degradation problems. Farmers will soon be able to choose from a wide range of native grasses which improve production and are valuable allies in the fight against land degradation. Ligule or "Low Input Grasses Useful in Limiting Environments is an innovative native grass research project aimed at improving the productivity and sustainability of less fertile hill lands in south-eastern Australia. The project aims to find,develop and release cultivars (varieties of plants produced only under cultivation) of Australian native grasses that have applications in environments where the usual range of introduced pasture species fail, and which have a role in preventing land andwater degradation. This demands that these cultivars are persistent in low fertility, acid environments and are reasonably productive and palatable. Native grasses grow all year round, persisting when other pasture species are dormant or have died off.