Growth and competition in annual legume—perennial grass pasture in a dry monsoonal climate

Abstract

Abstract The seasonal growth characteristics of a perennial (sabi grass (Urochloa mosambicensis))‐annual (Townsville stylo (Stylosanthes humilis)) pasture ecosystem in the dry monsoonal region of norther Australia are described. The phases during which the botanical composition of the ecosystem may change are dry season plant survival, germination, establishment, growth and propagation. A conceptual model with general applicability for a pasture of perennial and annual species is presented and the inter‐relationships between the identified phases are indicated.For the example studied, there was a large decline in the proportion of the annual legume in the establishment phase, due to competition for restricted soil moisture. This explains the trend to grass dominance observed in sabi grass‐Townsville stylo swards, and is considered to apply generally in a perennial‐annual pasture in a dry monsoonal environment.Two distinct environmental periods occurred during the season and were reflected in the observed growth characteristics. During the first, the growth rate of Townsville stylo was slow and plant density fluctuated sharply. The growth rate of sabi grass also fluctuated sharply due to high temperature and radiation, and variable but limiting soil moisture. In the second period temperatures were lower and soil moisture was higher. During this period growth rate of sabi grass and tiller production declined but both the plant density of sabi grass and the growth rate of Townsville stylo increased.As sabi grass has a high initial growth rate and nitrogen and phosphorus contents which are nutritionally acceptable during the transition between the dry and wet seasons, monospecific sabi grass swards are suggested for grazing during this period.