Hardy perennial for croppers

However, their incorporation into cropping systems has not been widespread, largely due to their inability to withstand long periods of summer drought.

But graziers facing dry summers could find a saviour in a native Mediterranean variety of cocksfoot, after positive research results from a four-year forage trial.

The trial, conducted by Department of Primary Industries (DPI) scientist Mark Norton, compared 22 varieties of cocksfoot, fescue and phalaris grasses at Beckom in the Riverina.

The grasses were sown in 2009 at varied rates, according to Dr Norton, and the final harvest of the trial was in October this year.

Dr Norton said the perennial grass, Kasbah, yielded 1560 kilograms per hectare in the final harvest.

“This was streets ahead of phalaris TamPWA, which produced 900kg/ ha,” he said.

Kasbah (Dactylis glomerata) adapted to its native Mediterranean climate of long, dry summers and winter rainfall by using a special trait, according to Dr Norton.

He said past research on drought resistance of plants had primarily focused on annual species rather than perennials.

“Annual species can use drought avoidance or drought tolerance mechanisms to survive drought, but rely on the seed phase to survive hot, dry summers,” Dr Norton said.

“Summer dormancy allows the plant to switch off and avoid growth during stressful summer periods, giving it the edge in hot, dry conditions.”

While perennial pastures provided year-long benefits, Dr Norton said there were few varieties that could survive severe heat and drought – conditions which were predicted to become more common.

Winter waterlogging and the hot, dry summers of southern, inland Australia combined to produce an environment in which only certain perennial species could survive.

While farmers were now being encouraged to include perennial species in their pastures, there was a shortage of recommended perennial pasture grass cultivars available as the last major developments with these species in inland NSW occurred in the 1960s.

“With a strong summer dormancy trait, Kasbah proved its worth in the Beckom trial, funded by the Future Farm Industries Co-operative Rese-arch Centre, where the plant survival rate was four times that of Currie cocksfoot, which is only moderately summer dormant,” he said.

The palatable perennial could provide an alternative to another widely-used perennial – lucerne.

“Lucerne is the most common perennial pasture species used in crop rotations in south-eastern Australia, largely due to its ability to produce high quality feed for livestock during the summer months and fix nitrogen for use by subsequent crops,” Dr Norton said.

“However, lucerne is relatively inactive during the cooler months and there is a need to include alternative forage species in local farming systems to fill feed deficits during autumn and winter.”