This work byProf. Derrick Moot and the Lincoln University Dryland Pastures Research Teamis licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives4.0 International License. Howlong, NSW 19th August 2015 Lucerne Agronomy Dr Derrick Moot Professor of Plant Science Strong rainfall gradient West East ⇒ NIWA 2013 Rain fed 300-800 mm East coast - summer dry Objectives • Outline the role of lucerne in New Zealand farming systems • Understand how lucerne growth and development affects management • Describe management to maximise production, quality and persistence RG/Wc Lucerne CF/Sub CF/Balansa CF/Cc CF/Wc Grazing Expt. - ‘MaxClover’ MaxClover Total DM yields Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 ) y 18.5 Luc / a 17.8 17.4 CF/Sub h / RG/Wc M D t 15 ( d 14.0 14.0 l ie 13.0 13.1 12.8 12.9 y M 11.5 11.1 D 11.2 10.5 10.5 ed 10 10.1 10.0 10.0 9.8 9.5 at 8.4 9.1 9.1 8.8 8.7 l u m 7.0 u 6.6 6.6 c c a 5 l a u n n a 461 mm 493 mm 635 mm 601 mm 643 mm 651 mm 767 mm 612 mm 602 mm l a t o T 0 Jul02 Jan03 Jul03 Jan04 Jul04 Jan05 Jul05 Jan06 Jul06 Jan07 Jul07 Jan08 Jul08 Jan09 Jul09 Jan10 Jul10 Jan11 Jul11 Date Moot 2012 Annual grasses Taprooted dicot weeds Unsown species <5% in Year 1 ….…>45% in Year 6 RG/Wc pastures Spring WUE ) 28 kg DM/ha/mm a Lucerne 6 h / Grass/clover t ( 20 kg DM/ha/mm Grass only M D 4 d e 13 kg DM/ha/mm t a l u 2 m u c c A 0 0 100 200 300 Water use (mm) Moot et al. 2008 Growth: is dry matter accumulation as a result of light interception and photosynthesis Development: is the ‘age’ or maturity of the regrowth crop e.g. leaf appearance, flowering Growth and development are both influenced by environmental signals The canopy: the energy capture device