Effect of early season sward management on sward quality and lamb liveweight gain during autumn

AbstractIn two experiments (1990 and 1991) perennial ryegrass (cv. Talbot) pasture was subjected to six different management treatments by adjusting stock numbers to achieve set sward heights for set periods between turn‐out in early April and weaning in early July. The main objective of the experiments was to measure the effect of differences in sward management up to July on subsequent sward type, and the effect of sward type on the performance of weaned lambs between mid‐July and early October when all swards were grazed at a sward height of 7 cm. In Experiment 1 swards were grazed at 7 cm initially and then reduced to 3 cm at various dates and maintained at 3 cm until early July. In Experiment 2 swards were grazed initially at 7 cm, and this was reduced to 3 cm and then allowed to return to 7 cm at various dates up to early July.Grazing at a sward height of 7 cm up to weaning, in early July, gave mean twin lamb growth rates of 310 g d−1, while at a tower sward surface height of 3 cm lamb growth rate was reduced to 206 g d−1 The density of seed heads produced from July was strongly influenced by earlier management. Grazing at 7 cm up to July gave a high density of seed heads (213m−2), and this reduced (126 m−2) by grazing to 3 cm. Seed heads were almost eliminated (17 m−2) by grazing at 7 cm until late June followed by grazing down to 3 cm in early July. Reducing sward surface height from 7 cm to 3 cm at an earlier date tended to increase the development of seed heads from early July. Where swards were grazed from 7 cm to 3 cm and then allowed to return to 7 cm, the later in the pre‐weaning period this took place the greater the reduction in seed head development. Greater seed head density was associated with a significant decrease in the nitrogen content of the herbage on offer in Experiment 2, but an increase in modified acid detergent (MAD) fibre content was not significant.Despite the differences in the sward type on offer, the effect on weaned lamb growth rate was small. Lamb liveweight gain during autumn was significantly reduced in Experiment 2 following earlier grazing at 7 cm compared with 3 cm, but liveweight gain differences in Experiment 1 were not significant.