Australia
November 30, 2011
Alternative species of perennial pasture legumes from southern Africa could help Australian producers fill traditional green feed gaps in autumn and late spring, the 17th International Congress on Nitrogen Fixation has been told.
The congress is being sponsored by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), hosted by the Centre for Rhizobium Studies (CRS) at Murdoch University, and supported by Curtin University, the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) and the Perth Convention Centre.
Professor John Howieson, of the Centre for Rhizobium Studies, collects lebeckia in South Africa
CRS director Associate Professor Graham O’Hara said the GRDC-supported CRS was currently investigating African herbaceous perennial legumes such as Lebeckia, Lessertia and Lotononis for their suitability in Australian farming systems.
“These species are showing promise in providing green feed for grazing over a longer period than traditional perennial legumes such as lucerne and white clover,” he said.
“Many Australian soils do not sustain traditional perennial legumes throughout the year because of stresses such as acidity, low clay content, low nutrient status and low rainfall.”
Associate Professor O’Hara said Australian researchers continued to introduce legumes from overseas, in a bid to find species better adapted to local soils.
“However, because Australian soils don’t naturally contain rhizobia which form effective nitrogen-fixing symbioses with these legumes, inoculation with introduced rhizobia is essential,” he said.
Rhizobia are soil bacteria that fix nitrogen into the soil after becoming established inside the root nodules of legumes.
The legume introduction program at CRS is being run by Professor John Howieson as part of an African-based project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
“During the past 15 years the CRS and the National Rhizobium Program have developed 15 strains of rhizobia for commercial production, and contributed to the development of new legumes which, together with their rhizobia, have been sown over five million hectares in Australia,” Professor Howieson said.
“In addition, new insights have been obtained into phenomena affecting the symbiotic relationship between legumes and rhizobia.”
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