Abstract
Plant and animal production from cocksfoot pasture and lucerne under 10-11 year-old radiata pine trees (200 stems/ha) and from adjacent open pastures (without trees) were measured from the Lincoln University Silvopastoral Experiment. Light intensity under trees was 50-60% of the open pasture. Liveweight gain (LWG) from lucerne was 220 g/hd/d in the open and 158 g/hd/d under trees. On cocksfoot, LWG was 132 g/hd/d in the open and 100 g/hd/d under trees. When converted to LWG/ha, lamb production from open pastures was double that from shaded pastures for lucerne (5.1 and 2.5 kg/ha/d) and cocksfoot (3.4 and 1.7 kg/ha/ d). Lucerne produced 11.2 t DM/ha in the open and 7.9 t DM/ha under trees which was 58% and 76% more than cocksfoot in the open and under trees, respectively. However, from September to November, when soil moisture was non-limiting, the lucerne DM production was 36% lower under tree shade than in the open. In comparison, the reduction was only 20% for cocksfoot, which confirms its greater 'shade tolerance'. The reduced lamb LWG produced from lambs on shaded pastures was attributed to the reduced pre-grazing pasture mass and pasture bulk density, leading to reduced apparent intakes. Crude protein and digestibility values were not influenced by shade, and clover content in cocksfoot pastures were low (
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
