Establishment of perennial pasture grasses under a cover crip in a Mediterranean type environment

Abstract

In a Mediterranean type environment, several cultivars of phalaris and cocksfoot were established successfully in each of three different years under wheat crops sown at 30 or 45 lb an acre. Phalaris was also established under lupins and early-flowering barley, but these crops were less profitable than wheat. Oats suppressed grass establishment more than the other crops. Sowing wheat and grass in alternate rows reduced wheat yield but increased the proportion of grass seeds that produced established plants. It also gave more vigorous growth of the grass plants in the second autumn and winter. Cocksfoot was less sensitive than phalaris to changes in the sowing rate or row spacing of the cover crop. Height, leafiness, or direction of the rows of the wheat cover crop had no effect on the density of grass stands that established. Two experiments indicated that the tendency for wheat to suppress the establishment of undersown grass was due more to competition among the root systems than to competition for light.