Improving summer and autumn feed quality in New Zealand hill country

Abstract

Abstract Management of late spring surpluses to restrict reproductive growth can increase the quality of hillcountry pastures during summer and autumn. This occurs through a reduction in accumulated stem and dead material and an increase in clover content. However, there is little information on the magnitude and longevity of these effects. This trial investigated the effects of four late spring defoliation intensities on herbage quality, measured at the end of spring and during summer. Treatments were applied through regular cutting of hill pastures in areas of medium fertility and slope on two aspects in each of four geo-climatically different hill-farming regions over two years. Pasture herbage quality at the end of spring followed expected trends: defoliation to low residual pasture height led to higher quality herbage. The maximum difference in quality between the lowest cutting height and nil cutting at this time was nearly 2 MJME/kg DM. With a change to uniform cutting height across all plots in early summer, these pasture quality differences reduced and disappeared. Keywords: Pasture quality, hill country, grazing management