Introduction

• Pastures are mixed communities of plant species adapted to being grazed.
• Grass species provide the majority of the herbage produced by pastures but the legumes species are the keystone of the pastorial system because they supply fixed nitrogen and often have greater nutritive value than grasses.

Reasons for farmer to change pasture species

• A desire for better seasonal distribution of herbage production
• For better nutritive value; for greater persistency from the pasture
• For improved pest and disease tolerance
• For the opportunity provided by cultivation to remove unwanted species
• To incorporate drainage and to level land

Pasture species composition in mixture

• Ranges from 20 or more.
• The advantage of pastures based on 2-3 species are easy establishment and grazing management because the requirements of each species can be taken into account.
• As a general rule, pasture mixes should be as simple as possible to meet the requirements of the grazing system.
• Addition of more species to a mix doesn’t increase the annual herbage production, but 2-3 species with contrasting patters of seasonal growth will provide a more even supply than just one species.