Perennial Pasture Update. Geoff Moore Pastures for livestock, DAFWA

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1 Perennial Pasture Update Geoff Moore Pastures for livestock, DAFWA

2 Overview Messina - Snapshot Perennial pastures Establishment guide Saponins and grasses New panic grasses First screening in WA Video featuring local farmers

3 Messina (Melilotus siculus) A new annual pasture legume with salt and waterlogging tolerance Phil Nichols 1,2 1 Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia 2 Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre

4 The messina development team Andrew Craig, Amanda Bonython, Ross Ballard, Nigel Charman South Australian Research and Development Institute Natasha Teakle, Tim Colmer University of Western Australia Mary-Jane Rogers Victorian Department of Primary Industries Brad Wintle, Darryl McClements Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia

5 Search to find salt tolerant legumes. National trial series to find a pasture legume with salt and waterlogging tolerance 42 annual legumes 7 sites over 3 years Targeted areas too saline for cropping Nichols et al. (2008)

6 Balansa clover (Trifolium michelianum) Very waterlogging tolerant Was promoted as having salt tolerance Farmer experience - unreliable performance on saline soils Trial results: Very productive at waterlogged sites with nillow salinity Failed to persist at higher salinity levels Balansa clover Nichols et al. (2008)

7 Burr medic (Medicago polymorpha) Productive on saline, well drained sites Failed to persist at waterlogged sites cv. Scimitar burr medic in Year 3 Nichols et al. (2008)

8 Messina (Melilotus siculus) Only legume to perform on highly saline, waterlogged sites Messina Nichols et al. (2008)

9 Good nodulation of messina in Year 1 - commercial medic Rhizobium strain WSM1115

10 Nodulation failure in year 2 Nodulation failure (>80%) in regenerating messina Rhizobia not surviving high salt levels over summer Photo: Amanda Bonython

11 Selection of a Rhizobium for messina Field trials of 80 rhizobia strains at saline sites 2 sites x 4 reps Short-listed 9 superior strains Further field trials in SA and WA at saline sites Resulted in selection of Rhizobium strain SRDI 554 Inoculum: SRDI 554 Inoculum: WSM1115 (Commercial Group AM) Uninoculated control Photo: Nigel Charman

12 Selection of a messina cultivar SA40002 selected as a new cultivar Most productive and persistent of 21 messina lines in SA and WA Seed Net awarded marketing licence 70 kg of Breeders seed produced in 2013 Seed for farmers from 2016

13 Potential role of messina Legume component for saline pastures Provision of high quality feed during winter-spring Improve soil fertility through N fixation Companion plant to salttolerant perennial grasses Puccinellia Tall wheatgrass Understorey plant to saltbushes

14 Darkan A glimpse of future saltland pastures messina, puccinellia and saltbush

15 Perennial grasses Good establishment in March after dry summer

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22 Secondary photosensitisation.. First cases reported in Nov 2008 on young sheep Investigations showed steroidal saponins as the cause & this implicated signal grass and panic grass. Subsequently confirmed cases with both cattle & sheep Incidence seems to be higher than in other areas

23 Perennial grass evaluation sites in WA Mingenew Buntine Badgingarra Muresk Medina KEY MLA germplasm evaluation sites MLA Satellite sites Quantity & Quality trials Seed Increase Early sampling for saponins Saponin sampling commercial paddocks Esperance Kojonup Wellstead

24 Site east of Geraldton

25 Saponins Three main saponins in literature : Protodioscin Dioscin Critical value: How Dichotomin much saponins are required to cause a problem..? Literature Panic review grass secondary (Megathyrsus photosensitisation maximus syn. connected Panicum maximum) with protodioscin concentrations of 0.3 contains to 2.56%, protodioscin we will use 0.2% But as three Signal different grass saponins (Urochloa, convert decumbens) to diosgenin - contains equivalents protodioscin (sapogenin) and dioscin Critical value = 0.08% (0.8 mg/g) diosgenin equivalents Bambatsi panic (Panicum coloratum) contains dichotomin

26 Diosgenin equivalents (mg/g) Saponin results - All commercial paddocks Panic grass 15 Signal grass /11/11 23/12/11 11/02/12 1/04/12 21/05/12 10/07/12 29/08/12 18/10/12 7/12/12 26/01/13

27 Signal grass contains high to very high concentrations of steroidal saponins and appears to be the main contributor to the saponin content in perennial grass-based pastures. DAFWA recommends not sowing signal grass either alone or as a component of sub-tropical grass mixtures For panic grass 3 out of ~100 samples from field in WA were above the critical threshold, while ~40% had non-quantifiable concentrations of saponins (very low) For more information: Industry Update

28 Badgingarra panic grass density trial July

29 NEW PANIC GRASSES - Megathyrsus maximus 049 CODE.. M max 049 Origin: 450 mm rainfall Short-medium panic grass - foliage soft, fine-leafed, medium to high tiller density, early flowering with fine stems Currently being commercialised by Heritage Seeds through FFI CRC

30 Badgingarra 2007 plot trial March 31 st 2010 M. maximus 049

31 Badgingarra 2007 panic grass plot trial Perennial persistence (frequency %) on May 10 th Variety/Accession Average frequency % (groundcover) M. max M. max M. max M. max Gatton control 38.8 Petrie Green control 37.2 Average 41.6 (An average of 10 frequency measurements per plot) 31

32 Badgingarra 2007 panic grass plot trial Sown species biomass from May 2008 until May (kg DM/ha) Accession/Variety May Av. sown species biomass (kg DM/ha) Sept Nov July Oct May Cumulative biomass sown species (kg/ha) % Gatton panic M. max M. max M. max M. max Green panic Gatton panic

33 Badgi 2007 plot April

34 SUMMARY: M. max 049 Excellent persistence across all sites Very good biomass Desirable morphology (soft down fine leaves, excellent leafiness with medium to high tiller density) Seed production (best synchronisation of flowering, erect growth habit & potentially highest seed production) Other - Darling Downs, coastal Queensland 34

35 Kingaroy field trial M_max 059 mainly for northern NSW and Qld 049 M max 049 Two new panic grass varieties under Trademark with Heritage Seeds M_max 049 as a replacement for Green panic in Qld and WA

36 Videos Transforming northern sandplain series (i) Introduction to Pasture Cropping with David Ferris (EverCrop project leader) and local farmers. (ii) Saponins and perennial grasses (iii) Ketosis in cattle with Dr Marion Seymour (DAFWA Moora) and (iv) Assessing the establishment of sub-tropical perennial grasses with Phil Barrett-Lennard (Evergreen Farming)

37 NEW Videos Transforming The videos soon to be uploaded are: northern sandplain series 1. Pasture cropping results from the Moora focus site with David Ferris, Phil Ward (CSIRO) and Roger Lawes (CSIRO) 2. Identifying sub-tropical grass seedlings with Brad Wintle (DAFWA) 3. Grower perspective Strengths and weaknesses of perennial grasses with leading farmers 4. Sub-tropical grass establishment Machinery demonstration with leading farmers 5. Pasture cropping - Experiences of innovative growers 6. Key steps for successful establishment of sub-tropical grasses with Phil Barrett-Lennard (Evergreen Farming) and leading farmers 7. Tagasaste management with Bob Wilson and Brad Leeson

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