1. PASTURE ESTABLISHMENT
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

2. Preliminary Information
Soil type
Soil fertility
Previous vegetation
Rainfall pattern
Area to be planted
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

3. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Land Clearing
From forests
Revenue from logging
Leave trees for shade
Normally carried out by contractor
Leave steep slopes and ravines
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

4. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
From abandoned land
More easily cleared
Problem of weeds
Soil of lower fertility
Needs higher rates of fertilizer and liming
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

5. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
LAND CLEARING
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

6. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
BURNING – not recommended
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

7. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Soil preparation
Clay and loamy soils
Use disc plough to turn soil over
Disc harrows to break up soil clods
Final round with rotovator to make soil fine for seed sowing
Soil need not be fine with vegetative propagation
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

8. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Sandy soils
Can use chisel plough to break up soils and remove weeds
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

9. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
DISC PLOUGH – to overturn soil and bury existing vegetation
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

10. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
DISC PLOUGH – cutting and overturning soil
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

11. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Large clods of soil left during disc ploughing
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12. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

13. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Liming
Use lime if pH <4.5
Apply about 2 tonnes/ha
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

14. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Liming after disc ploughing
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

15. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Liming manually
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16. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

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18. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Harrows
Disc harrows used after ploughing and liming
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

19. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
DISC HARROWS
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

20. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Disc harrows breaking up clods into smaller particles
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

21. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Rotovator
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

22. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Basal fertilizers
Fertilisers applied during planting
Pure grass pastures:
60 kg N, 40 kg P and 50 kg K/ha
Legume grass:
Apply only P and K
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

23. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Planting grass/legume seeds using seed drill
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

24. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Compartments on seed drill for seeds and fertilizers
fertilizers
seeds
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

25. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
funnel
Disc to cut soil
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26. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Seed drill
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

27. Seed drill with operator
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

28. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
NO-TILL DRILL FOR SOIL CONSERVATION
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29. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Seeding Rates
Grasses kg/ha
Legumes 2-6 kg/ha
Seed depth – small seeds 5-10 mm
Large seeds (legumes) – mm
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

30. Grasses that can be planted with seeds
Signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens)
Guinea grass (Panicum maximum)
Setaria sphacelata var sericea
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31. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Vegetative Planting
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32. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Vegetative materials
Divided root stocks
Cuttings
Whole stems
e.g. MARDI Digit, Setaria splendida, Napier
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33. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
VEGETATIVE PLANTING – Napier grass
Planting material – mature stems
Stems stripped off leaves
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34. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Bare stems laid in furrow, base to tip
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35. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Planting cuttings of napier - slanted
New tillers
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

36. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
VEGETATIVE PLANTING Guinea grass
Planting material – rooted clumps
3 tillers per planting hole
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37. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Guinea grass clumps in rows
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38. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
VEGETATIVE PLANTING - MARDI Digit
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39. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
VEGETATIVE PLANTING – stoloniferous grasses
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

40. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Good establishment – after 2 weeks
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

41. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Weed problems
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

42. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Good legume-grass pasture
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

43. AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT
HAPPY STUDENTS AFTER SUCCESSFUL PLANTING!
AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT