Pasture cropping: can you have your cake and eat it too?

2010

Research organisaton

Trial details

Researcher(s) Lyn Dohle (Rural Solutions SA)
Year(s) 2010
Contributor Agriculture Kangaroo Island Incorporated
Trial location(s) Stokes Bay Road,
Pasture cropping: can you have your cake and eat it too? locations
Aims

To investigate the idea of Pasture Cropping (PC), which involves seeding a crop into an existing summer-active pasture stand without killing the pasture.

Key messages

Pasture cropping is an option for KI producers wishing to maximise grazing/cropping options.
The key principles are:

  • Graze the paddocks down to 75-100 mm with livestock, or apply herbicides. Aim to suppress (but not kill) the pastures either with the judicious use of herbicides to burn the perennials or through appropriate grazing to take out the annual weeds.
  • Zero till with a tyne or disc. Minimise soil disturbance as it kills pastures and encourages weeds. The aim is to open a slot and loosen the soil to create sufficient tilth for germination of the seed crop.
Lead research organisation Agriculture Kangaroo Island Incorporated
Host research organisation N/A
Related program N/A
Acknowledgments

Thanks to trial sponsors:

  • Australian Government Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry under its Australia’s Farming Future initiative through Agriculture Kangaroo Island.

Other trial partners Rural Solutions SA
Download the trial report to view additional trial information

Method

Crop types Pasture: Kikuyu Forage: Oats Grain Legume: Field peas Grain Legume: Lupins
Treatment type(s)
  • Crop: Type
  • Farm operations: Economics
Trial type Experimental
Trial design Replicated

Stokes Bay Road 2010 Kikuyu

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified

Stokes Bay Road 2010 Oats

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified

Stokes Bay Road 2010 Field peas

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified

Stokes Bay Road 2010 Lupins

Sow date Not specified
Harvest date Not specified
Plot size Not specified
Plot replication Not specified
Download the trial report to view additional method/treatment information
Trial source data and summary not available
Check the trial report PDF for trial results.
Observed trial site soil information
Trial site soil testing
Not specified
Soil conditions
Trial site Soil texture
Stokes Bay Road, Not specified
Derived trial site soil information
Soil Moisture Source: BOM/ANU
Average amount of water stored in the soil profile during the year, estimated by the OzWALD model-data fusion system.
Year Stokes Bay Road
2010 416.3mm
2009 398.2mm
2008 352.9mm
2007 357.8mm
2006 421.3mm
2005 437.9mm
2004 467.6mm
2003 479.7mm
2002 428.8mm
2001 437.5mm
2000 429.7mm
National soil grid Source: CSIRO/TERN
NOTE: National Soil Grid data is aggregated information for background information on the wider area
Actual soil values can vary significantly in a small area and the trial soil tests are the most relevant data where available

Soil properties

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Climate

Derived climate information

No observed climate data available for this trial.
Derived climate data is determined from trial site location and national weather sources.

Stokes Bay Road

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Some data on this site is sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology

SILO weather estimates sourced from https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/silo/
Jeffrey, S.J., Carter, J.O., Moodie, K.B. and Beswick, A.R. (2001). Using spatial interpolation to construct a comprehensive archive of Australian climate data , Environmental Modelling and Software, Vol 16/4, pp 309-330. DOI: 10.1016/S1364-8152(01)00008-1.

Trial report and links

2010 trial report

Event Date Type Effect
Seeding errors

See attached trial report for full details.

Uneven application N/A


Trial last modified: 15-12-2021 09:35am AEST