Studies on lucerne and lucerne-grass leys. I. Summer and autumn management of a lucerne-grass mixture grown on heavy land

Abstract

1. Some earlier work concerning the management of lucerne is discussed.2. Two experiments, designed to compare cutting and grazing the second (July) crop, and cutting and grazing the third crop at two different dates (September and October) each year on the yield and botanical composition of a lucerne-grass (mainly cocksfoot) ley, are described and the results discussed.3. The method of defoliating both the second and the third crops had very little lasting effect on yield or composition of the ley, though some temporary effects, depending on season, were found.4. It is shown that date of defoliating the third (autumn) crop of a lucerne-grass mixture may influence the yield of oven-dried produce from an individual crop. Late autumn defoliation led to a greater yield of lucerne and a greater proportion of lucerne in the produce, but since the opposite effect was found in the yield of grass there was no overall effect on the total yield of oven-dried produce over a 3-year period.5. In these experiments it appeared that lack of winter cover had no adverse effect on the productivity or persistence of lucerne in the lucerne-grass mixture studied.