CASE STUDY 1

This paddock was sown to

phalaris in 2005.

Why did it fail?

Have a look at the paddock history below and

see what you think.

You can click on the questions in the right

hand column and they will give you some
more information.

Details of the paddock and history

Paddock history Questions to think about?
Soil test prior to Not done Would a soil test have helped?
sowing
Weed control prior to Spayed Glyphosate with good results apart from
sowing onion weed

Sowing time June 2005

Species and Sowing Landmaster 5-6 kg/ha Was this the best phalaris variety to
Rate Arrow leaf clover and Riverina sub clover 5kg/ha sow?

Fertiliser 2005 Lime 1.25 tonne /ha

Fertiliser 2006 Lime 1.25 tonne /ha

Sowing fertiliser Single super 150kg/ha

Farmer comments Good strike and good density in Jan 2006 Why were plants being pulled out?
Grazed in Feb 2006
Noticed plants being pulled out
Noticed fewer plants in autumn 2006 (drought
year) see rainfall details

Grazing management Rotational Will this help Landmaster phalaris

persist?

For further information contact Tim Ekberg Co-ordinator Ph 0357273931 tim@farminganswers.com

This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
under its FarmReady program.
Page 1
Assessment 2009
Plant density Phalaris basal density = less than 5% What is the ideal basal density of a
(Basal density is a measure of how much of the phalaris pasture to aim for?
soil surface is covered by the plant)
Soil fertility Phosphorus (Olsen) = 8.5ppm What nutrients are limiting?
Potassium (Colwell)= 203ppm
Sulphur (KCl40) = 7.4 What levels of nutrients will enable a
pH (CaCl2) = 4.4 perennial pasture to grow to 95% of
Al ( % of CEC ) 0 to 10 cm = 11.7% potential production and persist?
Al ( % of CEC ) at 50 cm = 20.2%

Weeds Toad Rush Erodium (Storks bill), Silver grass, See photos
Onion Grass
There are only a few good patches of Phalaris in
high fertility areas and depressions

Rainfall Eldorado
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
2005 40.2 185.8 13 11.6 6 122.4 54.2 101 80.6 130 74.6 49.4 868.8
2006 18 12 28.4 32 18.2 33.6 48 24.4 28.8 0.6 31 3.4 278.4
2007 15.6 31 48.2 29.2 113.2 47 69.8 14.6 18.6 17.2 40.6 50.4 495.4

Photos
The odd phalaris plant among weeds. The square is one tenth of a square metre. It is used to
do species counts and to calculate the basal density of the pasture.

For further information contact Tim Ekberg Co-ordinator Ph 0357273931 tim@farminganswers.com

This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
under its FarmReady program.
Page 2
Would a soil test have helped?
Yes a soil test would have helped. It would have indicated what nutrients were limiting. The
current soil test shows that phosphorus levels are low and aluminium is too high. Phalaris
roots don’t like high aluminium levels and all plant roots grow longer where phosphorus
levels are high(see photos below).

Low Phosphorus High Phosphorus

Photos courtesy of Jason Trompf

Was this the best phalaris variety to sow?

Landmaster is the more tolerant of acid soils and aluminium than other phalaris cultivars.
Although once established, Australian phalaris is able tolerate high aluminium levels.
Land master has been bred for shallow fairly acid and infertile soils.

The CSIRO are currently working on a new phalaris cultivar for strongly acid soils.

Why were plants being pulled out?

The plants may have had weak root systems due to the low phosphorus level and high
aluminium level.
If soil fertility had been higher a winter sown phalaris pasture would be expected to have a
root system that could handle grazing.
Often a spring sown phalaris pasture has a poor root system and is best left ungrazed until
after the autumn break.

For further information contact Tim Ekberg Co-ordinator Ph 0357273931 tim@farminganswers.com

This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
under its FarmReady program.
Page 3
Will this help Landmaster phalaris persist?
Landmaster phalaris is a semi-erect variety. It will not persist as well under set stocking as
Australian phalaris which is a more prostrate variety.

What is the ideal basal density of a phalaris pasture to aim for?

Basal density is a measure of how much of the soil surface is covered by the plant. An ideal
phalaris pasture would have a basal density of 60% or more. Under good conditions and
good management a phalaris pasture should have a basal density of 50% to 60% 2 years
after sowing.

The greater the density of the pasture: the more productive the pasture. The sooner a
paddock reaches full production: the sooner the break-even cost of sowing is reached, ie the
sooner you get your money back on the cost of sowing.

This paddock was sown to

phalaris (3 kg/ha Sirosa
phalaris) and subclover (6
kg /ha) in June 2009.

It was sprayed to control

toad rush immediately
after sowing.

This photo was taken

late October 2009.

This is what a winter

sown phalaris pasture
should look like in spring.

With good grazing

management it is
expected this paddock
will reach 50% pasture
basal density in spring
2010.

For further information contact Tim Ekberg Co-ordinator Ph 0357273931 tim@farminganswers.com

This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
under its FarmReady program.
Page 4
What nutrients are limiting?
Phosphorus is very low and sulphur is marginal. Aluminium levels are high. This is due to the
low pH.

What levels of nutrients will enable a perennial pasture to grow to 95% of

potential production and persist?
Target levels of nutrients for a perennial pasture to grow to 95% of its potential growth are:
Phosphorus (Olsen) = 15ppm*
Potassium (Colwell) = 130ppm for sand up to 160ppm for clay loam*
Sulphur (KCl40) = 8ppm*
pH (CaCl2) = 4.8
Al (% of CEC) 0 to 10 cm soil depth = less than 5% but preferably lower.
Al (% of CEC) at 50cm soil depth= less than 5% but preferably lower

*Source Making Better Fertiliser Decisions for Grazed Pastures in Australia Gourley et al

Disclaimer: The contents of this article do not constitute management, business or financial advice. Before taking any action in relation to
information described in this publication, you should seek advice from a qualified professional.
The authors accept no responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on the contents or information contained in this publication.

For further information contact Tim Ekberg Co-ordinator Ph 0357273931 tim@farminganswers.com

This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
under its FarmReady program.
Page 5