The growing interest in new perennials and the success of kikuyu on the south coast saw more than 30 producers turn up to the Western Australia Department of Agriculture’s pasture field day at Wellstead.

Department research officer Paul Sanford said recent research had demonstrated that kikuyu could fill the autumn feed gap, increase stocking rates and reduce land degradation.

Mr Sanford said a new trial on a Wellstead property was also finding success with a range of new sub-tropical perennials sourced from Queensland.

He said the trial which commenced in 2001, followed up on the work of the Evergreen farmer group north of Perth, which were evaluating the Queensland species with the aim of having green feed all year.

The trial at Wellstead is assessing about 30 species and cultivars including guinea grass, signal grass, solader setaria, splenda setaria, pioneer rhodes grass, katambora rhodes grass, finger grass, tall wheat grass, premier digit grass, bambatsi, lotononis and green leaf desmodium.

Mr Sanford said the trial site averaged  600 mm annual rainfall, was grey sand with a pH of 4.4 and had an available phosphorous value of 57 ppm in the top 10cm.

He said the plants were cut frequently and assessed for yield, persistence, dry matter digestibility and crude protein.

“Based on yield in 2002 and 2003, the best performing grasses were guinea grass, rhodes grass, setaria, premier digit grass and signal grass. The best performing legume was lotononis,” Mr Sanford said.

“Within the best lines, lotononis had the highest dry matter digestibility and crude protein. For dry matter digestibility, the grasses where ranked setaria, guinea grass, premier digit grass, signal grass and rhodes grass.

“Crude protein values for the grasses were generally similar though guinea grass tended to be the highest and rhodes grass consistently the lowest.”

Mr Sanford said guinea grass and setaria were summer active, grew to about 1.5m, and performed best under rotational grazing. Guinea grass did not tolerate waterlogging, but the setaria coped well with temporary waterlogging,

He said signal grass and lotononis were prostrate perennials which spread by runners. Both were also summer growing on a wide range of soil types and needed to be heavily grazed to perform well.

“Based on the preliminary findings some of the best performing tropical forages should be progressed to grazing trials to assess livestock performance,” he said.

“If they perform similarly in broadacre pastures, we expect to see an expansion of the options on the south-coast for summer active perennials that improve both livestock production and reduce land degradation.”