The use of narrow leaved plantain (Plantago lanceolata) in pasture sowing mixtures has recently increased as a result of research demonstrating the value of some cultivars in reducing cattle urinary N concentration, with likely benefits for reducing N leaching from pasture systems. The purpose of this study was to document the ways in which farmers are using plantain, what factors enhance successful establishment and persistence, and to test a method of visual estimation of plantain content in paddocks. This will support verification of animal intake, given that there is evidence of a critical level of plantain in the diet to achieve significant effects on N cycling. In grass-based pastures, plantain content declined with age since sowing and few paddocks had more than 20% of their available dry matter as plantain after 3 years. A systematic visual assessment of plantain cover correlated well with a formal visual dry matter assessment technique and could be used to establish plantain content at a paddock scale where this is >20-30%. Plantain content tended to be highest when sown with clover, when established by under-sowing and on clay soils, but optimal sowing rates have yet to be determined
History
Rights statement
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Language
English
Does this contain Māori information or data?
No
Publisher
NZ Grassland Association Inc.
Journal title
Journal of New Zealand Grasslands
ISSN
2463-2872
Citation
Dodd, M. B., Moss, R. A., & Pinxterhuis, I. J. B. (2019). A paddock survey of on-farm plantain use. Journal of New Zealand Grasslands, 81, 125–130. doi:10.33584/jnzg.2019.81.408