Dryland Pasture Trial Waipapa Clarence Bridge sown 26/03/14 by Kiwi Seed.
Companion grass/clover assessments- plot walk 24/11/14 with interested local sheep and beef farmers.
The clover I have scored 0-10, 10 being the best result. Grass drilled North/South, clovers East/West
as follows
Difficult to score grass now, as clovers need to be the dominant species at this time of the year, grass will be scored in the autumn.
Relish and Rubitas red clover competed with all grasses well.
Annuals Lusa Persian and Bolta Balansa competed well.
Sub clover Woogenellup was outstanding.
Strawberry clover was a surprise with a good level of Biomass.
Conclusion
Not all grass/clover combinations are equal, careful selection of species will be important to achieve the 70% legume level.
Hopefully trials such as this can be useful to steer your decision making in the right direction.
The above cultivars are the standouts and could be recommended as useful in a summer dry environment.
An autumn assessment of grass species will be provided.
Regards Bruce