A paddock survey of on-farm plantain use

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