Effect of lime and phosphate on lotus and white clover establishment and yield on pakihi soils

Abstract

Abstract The establishment and yield of three lotus cultivars (‘Grasslands Maku’, ‘4703’, ‘4712’) and ‘Grasslands Huia’ white clover were compared under two initial application rates of lime (500 and 2000 kg/ha) and phosphate (40 and 100 kg/ha) on an Okarito soil at Mawheraiti, near Reefton. At the low rate of lime, ‘G 4703’ and ‘Maku’ were higher-yielding than ‘Huia’, but at the high rate these cultivars were similar in yield. The yield from ‘G 4712’ was substantially lower than from other lotus cultivars at all rates of lime and phosphate. The role of lotus as a pioneer species when sown at low rates of lime and phosphate on pakihi soils is discussed.