Production and persistence of subtropical grasses in environments with Mediterranean climates

The agricultural region of south-west Western Australia (WA) has a Mediterranean climate, characterised by a winter-dominant rainfall pattern. Perennial subtropical grasses are increasingly being grown to increase productivity and reduce erosion on infertile sandy soils in the northern agricultural region (NAR) of WA, an area with mild winters and dry, hot summers. However, little information exists on the persistence of different species or their expected seasonal production and feed quality. On the south coast of WA, an area with dry, warm summers and a maritime influence, kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) has been widely sown, but there is little information on the potential of other subtropical grasses. To address these issues, five trials were established across the agricultural area of south-west WA to measure the seasonal production, feed quality and persistence of the main, commercially available subtropical grasses over 3-4 years. This study demonstrates that subtropical grasses have a long-term role in the NAR in areas with mild winters and/or where the rainfall is >400mm. The best performing subtropical grasses across a range of sites were panic grass (Megathyrsus maximus) and Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana). These species can be expected to have a water-use efficiency of ∼10kgha-1mm-1 over a 12-month period, provided there is a good perennial grass density. On the south coast, panic grass, Rhodes grass and setaria (Setaria sphacelata) persisted well and produced significantly more biomass than kikuyu. These grasses could complement kikuyu by increasing out-of-season production. At Kojonup, a more inland site, most of the subtropical grasses died over winter from a combination of occasional frosts and cold, wet soils. However, kikuyu re-grew from rhizomes in spring and maintained >90% ground cover 4 years after sowing. The results from these experiments are likely to be applicable to other regions across the globe with Mediterranean climates and similar soil types. © CSIRO 2014.