How do I … get perennial grasses to thrive and survive? A RESOURCE FOR ADVISORS
The issue: Pasture productivity and persistence is influenced by how we manage perennial grasses to recover with optimal growth following grazing. Under-grazing can be just as detrimental for growing productive, high quality pastures as over-grazing.
The impact: Under-grazing leads to wastage of pasture, while dead plant material restricts new growth and reduces overall herbage quality. Over-grazing maximises utilisation of pasture, but repeated over-grazing draws down a plant’s reserves and, over time, reduces its persistence.
The opportunity: Understanding how perennial grasses grow and the factors affecting leaf emergence and tiller and root growth means we can better manage them. We can create and utilise flexible grazing systems to optimise productivity and persistence of sown perennial grasses in a mixed pasture.
