Herbage growth, white clover content and lamb production on grazed ryegrass‐white clover swards

Abstract

AbstractTwo contrasting Gremie perennial ryegrass and Blanca white clover seeds mixtures were established. Each sward type was either continuously or rotationally (four paddocks) grazed at two stocking rates by lambs of 26–28 kg initial mean live weight in two 12‐week experiments. Dry matter production, assessed by the cage method, was lower on the high‐clover sward during the first experiment but overall was similar between seeds mixtures. Clover content, and differences between sward types, declined with time and was lowered by continuous grazing in both experiments and by the higher stocking rate in the first experiment.Animal performance was related to intake and both were increased by lowering stocking rate, increasing clover content and adopting a continuous grazing system. The results are discussed in relation to the experimental methods used and to other published findings.