Volume 27, 367

Tropical Grasslands (1993) Volume 27, 367–372

Tropical pasture establishment.
11. Producer establishment practices and experiences in north Queensland

K.A. SHAW¹ and I.W. TINCKNELL²

¹Department of Primary Industries, Mareeba, Queensland, Australia
²'Dagworth' Station, Georgetown, Queensland, Australia

Abstract

Introduced pastures are increasingly sown to improve beef cattle productivity across the north Queensland region. Pasture improvement is heavily concentrated in the south and east of the region in the 750–1000 mm rainfall zone, being related to rainfall reliability, soil suitability and property size and internal subdivision. Sowing techniques range from oversowing small amounts of legume seed into existing vegetation, to forest clearing and complete replacement of the native pasture. Time for the establishing pasture to develop depends on the level of input and the season following sowing; it is usually 3–4 years but can range from 2–8 years. Generally, establishment is not a problem in the north Queensland region and hence is not a constraint to pasture improvement. Some soil disturbance is needed to establish grasses and research has failed to identify legumes suitable for clay soils receiving < 1000 mm of rainfall annually.