Experience with lucerne-grass systems for sheep production.

Limitations that were experienced with Jucerne/Tama are discussed chiefly in a dryland context. With irrigation, the addition of Matua prairie grass, ‘Grasslands G14’ phalaris, and Nui ryegrass with white clover to the lucerne/Tama system enabled less reliance to be placed on hay feeding in winter. End-of-September lambing in an attempt to achieve better matching of feed supply and demand has proven to be unsatisfactory for lamb finishing in dominantly lucerne systems. Change to greater content of perennial grass should enable earlier lambing at beginning of September, even at a high stocking rate (22 ewes/ha), and this is currently being researched. Improved lamb performance is also desired. I N T R O D U C T I O N ABOUT 12 years ago the use of Iucerne (Medicago sativa) was fully discussed in a meeting at Lincoln College (Langer, 1967). A new approach to grazing management, the question of associate species (whether perennial grasses or annual Tama ryegrass), and the proportion of the farm that should be in lucerne, were discussed. Since then the area of lucerne has expanded, partly because it is a relatively resistant species to grass grub (Gordon and Kain, 1972)) but also due to the increase in its use for grazing in areas of summer moisture stress because of the advantage lucerne has shown over grass pastures under these conditions (Flay, 1962). However, the situation that some had envisaged, with the major portion of many farms in lucerne, has not eventuated. Our research over the intervening period shows both the prospects and the problems in handling a lucerne feed supply for fat lamb production. It has been done both under dryland and irrigated conditions on light land in Canterbury. ‘Grasslands Tama’ ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) was the associate species (Vartha and Fraser, 1977, 1978). Over the past 3 years, ‘Grasslands Matua’ prairie grass (Bromus unioloides. (Willd.) Beauv.), a new phalaris cultivar, (Phalaris aquatica), ‘Grasslands G14’, and ‘Grasslands Nui’ ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) with white clover (Trifolium repens L.) have been added to the lucerne/Tama