Review of productivity decline in sown grass pastures

Abstract

Productivity decline in sown grass pastures is widespread in northern Australia and reduces production by approximately 50%, a farm gate cost to industry of > $17B over the next 30 years.
Buffel grass is the most widely established sown species (>75% of plantings) and has been estimated to be “dominant” on 5.8 M hectares and “common” on a further 25.9 M hectares of Queensland. Legumes are the most cost effective mitigation option and can reclaim 30-50% of lost production. Commercial use of legumes has achieved mixed results with notable successes but many failures. There is significant opportunity to improve commercial results from legumes using existing technologies, however there is a need for targeted research to improve the reliability of
establishment and productivity of legumes. This review recommends the grazing industry invest in targeted R,D&E to assist industry in improving production and sustainability of rundown pastures.