Professional Documents
Culture Documents
management in spring
Paddock guide
2
SECTION 2 LEAF STAGE: assessing leaf stage and how to use the leaf stage
principle to maximise pasture performance.
6
SECTION 5 DECISION SUPPORT TOOL: a tool to help you achieve a good balance
between pasture and animal performance.
34
Authors: Sean McCarthy, Cthal Wims, Julia Lee DairyNZ. Danny Donaghy Massey University.
We thank the farmers and our DairyNZ colleagues whose contributions have enhanced this booklet.
DNZ10-065
How to use this booklet
This booklet provides information to enable you to answer key grazing management questions:
Perennial ryegrass
Leaves: hairless, defined mid-rib, ribbed on upper
surface, shiny underneath
Each tiller:
-- has its own leaves and roots
-- maintains three live leaves which develop from
the growing point at the base of the tiller
-- is capable of producing new or daughter tillers
-- has one leaf growing at a time as the fourth
new leaf emerges, the oldest leaf dies
-- lives for about one year
Spring and autumn are key periods of tillering When tillers become reproductive the stem
-- production/growth of new tillers elongates and eventually, if the tiller is not grazed,
a seed-head is produced
Tillers can be classified as vegetative (leafy) or
reproductive Poa and Italian ryegrass are commonly mistaken
for perennial ryegrass.
A reproductive tiller can be identified by looking
for, or feeling for, nodes on the stem
Daughter tiller
Daughter tiller
IDENTIFICATION 5
LEAF STAGE 6
-- reflects the tillers energy status and ability to recover after grazing
Graze between the 2 and 3 leaf stages of regrowth to optimise production of high quality pasture; earlier if
canopy closure occurs (see p12)
-- Grazing may occur closer to the 2-leaf stage when demand per hectare is low or when moving into surplus
After the 3-leaf stage, older leaves die resulting in wastage and feed quality falls as dead material builds up.
TARGET GRAZING
Pasture mass (kg DM/ha)
WINDOW
% of high quality
leaf growth TIP: First leaf
40-50%
contributes less
when using low N
35-40%
inputs or grazing
below target
15-25%
residuals
0 1 2 3 4
Plant energy reserves
Replenishment by photosynthesis
in the stubble
0 1 2 3 4
Leaf stage of regrowth
LEAF STAGE 7
LEAF STAGE 8
Note: Leaves are fully grown when the next leaf has
begun to emerge. For the uppermost leaf you may
need to unfold it along the mid-rib to check this.
4 5 6
How big is the remnant How many fully If uppermost leaf is not
leaf compared with the grown leaves with fully grown how big is
leaf above it (first pointy tips are there? it compared with the leaf
new leaf)? below it?
LEAF STAGE 9
LEAF STAGE 10
appearing
2nd new
1st new leaf leaf
5th new leaf
4th new leaf
appearing
1st leaf (dying/dead)
TIP: If decayed full
leaves are visible in the
Remnant leaf base of the pasture, At the 4-leaf stage there
then its beyond the is often no remnant leaf
3-leaf stage. as it has decayed.
LEAF STAGE 11
PASTURE ALLOCATION 12
e.g. (3 x 18 x 21) + 1500 = 2634 kg DM/ha TIP: Manage the pasture to look after your cows.
PASTURE ALLOCATION 13
PASTURE ALLOCATION 14
PASTURE ALLOCATION 15
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 16
Post-grazing residuals
Focus on the post-grazing residuals to optimise pasture utilisation and subsequent pasture growth and quality.
Target a post-grazing residual of 1500-1600 kg DM/ha or 7-8 clicks using a rising plate meter during
spring and early summer (calving to Christmas)
Higher residuals reduce pasture quality at subsequent grazings and increase pasture wastage.
TIP: Think of a simple way to record residuals daily such as on the whiteboard in the farm dairy.
Schematic representation of target post-grazing residual height (compressed height) throughout the season.
Spring Summer Autumn Winter
10
Grazing residual height (RPM clicks)
8
Tolerance zone
Target
Minimal impact on growth
6 during winter and set up
pastures for spring
0
cm clicks kg DM/ha
1cm = 2 clicks clicks x 140 + 500 = kg DM/ha 3 6 1340
RPM = rising plate meter 4 8 1620
5 10 1900
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 17
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 18
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 19
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 20
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 21
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 22
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 23
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 24
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 25
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 26
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 27
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 28
1500 kg DM/ha from pre-grazing of 2800 kg DM/ha 1700 kg DM/ha from pre-grazing of 4000 kg DM/ha
Green colour at base. Pale colour at base (stemmy).
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 29
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 30
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 31
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 32
Consequences:
Long stem remaining
Unable to achieve target residual without severly
impacting animal performance
Wasted pasture.
Actions:
Graze with dry cows, earmark for silage or top to
reset the post-grazing residuals to 7-8 clicks.
POST-GRAZING RESIDUALS 33
TOOL 34
PRE-GRAZING YIELD
More than 4
Current leaf stage 1 per tiller 1-2 per tiller 2-3 per tiller 3-4 per tiller
per tiller
Does grazing now reduce potential DM eaten Growth reduced Growth Some leaf Considerable
No
in this paddock? considerably reduced wastage leaf wastage
Has canopy closure occurred in this paddock? - - No Some patches Lots of patches
ASSESSING FEEDING LEVEL Suggests inadequate feeding TARGET Suggests over feeding
POST-GRAZING RESIDUAL
Less than 5 Greater than
Overall height 5-7 clicks 7-8 clicks 8-10 clicks
clicks 10 clicks
Greater than
Proportion of area covered by clumps None Less than 10% 10-20% 20-30%
30%
Completely Few small
Grazing of clumps Small and sharp Rounded Untouched
grazed clumps
Grazable leaf remaining None - - - Large amount
SUPPLEMENT
Is supplement being wasted in paddock? - - No Small amount Lots
Yes, large Yes, small No, small No, large
Does the herd require supplement?
deficit deficit surplus surplus
Is supplement being wasted in the system? - - No Small amount Lots
COW BEHAVIOUR
Run and Some Graze Little grazing/
The herd on entering the paddock -
bellow bellowing quietly lie down
MILK PRODUCTION
TOTAL NUMBER OF
TOOL 35
TOOL 36
Useful calculations
Leaf emergence rates
If pastures are at the 2-leaf stage 20 days after grazing the leaf emergence rate is 10 days (20/2)
-- pastures will be at the 3-leaf stage in ~30 days
Leaf stage x leaf emergence rate Rotation length = total area area grazed
150 m
2.8 ha
28,000 150 m = 187 m (28,000 m)
e.g. (2.8 x 1300) 200 = 18 kg DM
TOOL 37
Post-grazing
height target
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