Establishment of perennial species useful for soil conservation and as forages

Abstract

Field establishment of 11 potentially useful soil conservation/revegetation species comprising three grasses (Dactylis glomerata, Festuca arundinacea, Thinopyrum ponticum), seven legumes (Astragalus cicer, Dorycnium hirsutum, Dorycnium pentaphyllum, Dorycnium rectum, Lotus corniculatus, Lupinus polyphyllus, Medicago sativa), and one herb (Sanguisorba minor) was examined at a low‐moderately fertile, seasonally dry site in the lower North Island from spring 1989 to winter 1991. Final seedling emergence ranged from c. 10% (for D. hirsutum, L. corniculatus, and L. polyphyllus) to c. 100% for S. minor, which was unique in achieving complete emergence. The duration of emergence was 3 (L. polyphyllus) to 13 (D. pentaphyllum, D. rectum) days and emergence of all species was completed within 25 days after sowing. Seedling survival 10 weeks after sowing was 40–90% for all species. An exception was A. cicer (4%) and the reason(s) for its low survival were unknown. Ground covers of M. sativa, S. minor, and T. ponticum were 30–90% at five of the six assessments during the trial while cover of most other species was less than 30%, except for four species (e.g., L. corniculatus (70%)) in spring 1990. Ground cover of the grasses under cutting was stable (F. arundinacea, T. ponticum) or increased (D. glomerata), whereas that of most other species declined. It was recommended that grasses should be included in seed mixes for areas where defoliation is expected. Herbage accumulation in the second year of growth as 1.7 (A. cicer) to 24.6 (T. ponticum) t DM/ha and species with relatively high accumulation such as D. rectum and T. ponticum warrant further investigation as potential forages.

Keywords:

• cover plants
• emergence
• herbs
• legumes
• plant establishment
• soil conservation
• forage
• perennial grasses