Introduction Cattle production on Brachiaria pastures is a primary use of cleared forestland in the western Brazilian Amazon. About 6.8 million hectares in the States of Acre and Rondônia have been deforested, where 75% of land is now grazed (IBGE, 1998). The principal pasture species are B. brizantha and B. decumbens with the latter in decline from spittlebug susceptibility (Deois incompleta; ...

PASTURE PRODUCTION is logically measured in terms of grazing animals supported by that pasture. A simple calculation based on stock numbers and area in grassland in New Zealand shows that over the last forty years carrying capacity has increased from 1.4 to 3.2 “sheep units” per acre, or 130% (N.Z. Official Year Book). Obviously many factors have contributed to this increase, including improved...

Interseeding legumes into grass-dominated stands can benefit pasture and hay producers by increasing the yield and quality of forage they produce and reducing their need for inputs of nitrogen fertilizer. The challenge is to get the legumes established given the competition from existing vegetation. This study confirmed that suppressing the grasses with glyphosate prior to seeding results in th...

Farmers and consultants were surveyed to identify current level of adoption and constraints to adoption of new annual pasture legumes in the mixed farming zone of Western Australia. Subterranean clover is the most widely grown annual pasture legume and promoted by all the consultants. French and yellow serradellas and biserrula are recommended by up to 40% of consultants and grown by 20 to 30% ...