Funded by The New Zealand Merino Company Ltd
‘Survive, thrive and make money from’ are the three stages of pasture legume research aimed at high country pastures. Lincoln University staff and post-graduates are working with several high country farmers to determine which species survive and how to make them thrive in the unique soils and climatic conditions of the South Island high country.
People | Downloads | Blog posts
The High Country stations involved are:
- Lake Heron Station (Philip Todhunter, Ashburton)
- Sawdon Station (Snow Loxton, Burkes Pass)
- Glenmore Station (Will & Jim Murray, Tekapo)
- Simon’s Hill (Glen & Denis Fastier, Tekapo)
- Bog Roy (Gundy and Lisa Anderson, Lake Benmore)
- Omarama Station (Richard Subtil)
- Mount Grand Station (Rick McNeilly, Hawea)
Farmers’ questions set the scientists the challenge to find methods to:
- Establish lucerne where possible
- Introduce alternative annual legumes establishment
- Introduce alternative species for specific environmental niches (cultivatable and non-cultivatable land)
- Oversow and top dress steep topographic areas
- Overcome acid soils with high exchangeable aluminium
- Develop hill country paddocks of different aspects, altitudes and rainfall/temperature regimes, with perennial legumes and grasses
- Use appropriate species and methods to oversow tussock grasslands to increase quality and quantity of available feed at lambing
- Define management requirements for grass and legume species sown to survive, produce and persist.
Yields, changes in botanical composition of pastures and liveweight production from grazing stock will be monitored to quantify how successful strategy was.
Researchers
- Derrick Moot, Head of Dryland Pastures Research
- Alistair Black, Senior Lecturer
- James Moir, Department of Soil and Physical Sciences
- Dick (Richard) Lucas, Senior Lecturer (retired)
- Keith Pollock, Technician
Postgraduate Research
- 2019. Travis Ryan-Salter (PhD). Agronomic potential of Lupinus polyphyllus for dryland merino properties in the Mackenzie Basin.
- 2019. Daniel Hendrie (PhD). Liming effects on legume production and phosphorus availability in acid South Island Hill and High Country soils.
- 2018. Amy Whitley (PhD). Investigations of soil extractable aluminium and toxicity in New Zealand soils.
- 2015. Saman Berenji (PhD). Constraints and opportunities for lucerne (Medicago sativa L.), Caucasian clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb), and Russell lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus L.) in the high country of New Zealand.
Downloads
| 06 Nov 2014. Moot DJ & Pollock KM. 2014. Perennial lupin establishment and yield when sown at five different rates at Glenmore Station, Lake Tekapo. NZ Grassland Association Conference presentation. Alexandra. (PDF 8.0 MB). |  |
| 07 Nov 2014. Black AD, Harvey A, Moir JL, Moot DJ. 2014. Caucasian clover responses to fertiliser, lime & rhizobia inoculation at Lake Heron Station, Canterbury. NZ Grassland Association Conference presentation. Alexandra. (PDF 5.3 MB). | |
| 22 Jun 2015. Black AD, Loxton G, Ryan-Salter T, Moot DJ. 2015. Merino lamb and wool production from a commercial stand of perennial lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) on a high country farm in New Zealand. Presentation to XIV Lupin Conference. Milan, Italy. (PDF 3.6 MB). | |
| 24 Jun 2015. Black AD, Ryan-Salter T, Liu W, Moot DJ, Hill GD, Andrews M. 2015. Bradyrhizobia with a distinct nodA gene nodulate Lupinus polyphyllus in New Zealand soils. Presentation to XIV Lupin Conference. Milan, Italy. (PDF 2.4 MB). | |
| 05 Nov 2014. Anderson D, Anderson L, Moot DJ, Ogle GI. 2014. Integrating lucerne (Medicago sativa) into a high country merino system. NZGA Conference presentation. Alexandra. (PDF 0.3 MB). | |
| 01 Oct 2014. Berenji S, Ridgway H, Moot DJ. 2014. Strain diversity of rhizobia occupying lucerne and Caucasian clover nodules in high country soil in New Zealand. Proceedings of the 17th Australian Nitrogen Fixation Conference. (PDF 0.7 MB). | |
| 30 Jun 2015. Forage establishment & management in the high country of New Zealand – Glenmore Station, Tekapo. June 2015. Final Report to the New Zealand Merino Company. Prepared by Prof. Derrick Moot, Dr Jim Moir, Dr Keith Pollock, S. Berenji (Lincoln University). 115 pp. (PDF 7.6 MB). | |
| 24 Jun 2015. Black AD, Ryan-Salter T, Liu W, Moot DJ, Hill GD, Andrews M. 2015. Bradyrhizobia with a distinct nodA gene nodulate Lupinus polyphyllus in New Zealand soils. XIV Lupin Conference, 21-26 June 2015, Milan, Italy. (PDF 0.3 MB). | |
| 22 Jun 2015. Black AD, Ryan-Salter T, Loxton G, Moot DJ. 2015. Liveweight gain of young sheep grazing perennial lupin-cocksfoot pasture compared with pure lucerne pasture. XIV Lupin Conference, 21-26 June 2015, Milan, Italy. (PDF 0.2 MB). | |
| 22 Jun 2015. Black AD, Loxton G, Ryan-Salter T, Moot DJ. 2015. Merino lamb and wool production from a commercial stand of perennial lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) on a high country farm in New Zealand Presentation to XIV Lupin Conference, 21-26 June 2015, Milan, Italy. (PDF 0.1 MB). | |
| 01 Jun 2014. Moot DJ, Black AD, Moir J, Pollock KM, Roux MM, Ryan-Salter T. 2014. Forage establishment & management in the high country of New Zealand. Report to the New Zealand Merino Company. 123 pp. (PDF 4.1 MB). | |
| 10 Jul 2013. Agronomic potential of Russell lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus L.) as a legume for high country grazing systems. Literature review prepared by T. Ryan-Salter, Dr A.D. Black, Mr R.J. Lucas and Prof. Derrick Moot (Lincoln University). 31 pp. (PDF 1.3 MB) | |
| 01 Jun 2013. Forage establishment and management in the high country of New Zealand. Report to the New Zealand Merino Company. Prepared by Prof. Derrick Moot, Dr A.D. Black, Dr J. Moir, Mr R.J. Lucas, Dr K.M. Pollock, M.M.Roux, T. Ryan-Salter, S. Berenji (Lincoln University). 115 pp. (PDF 8.0 MB). | |
Blog posts & Videos
- 26/11/2013. High Country Forage Improvement Projects
- 27/12/2013. December lupin harvest at Sawdon Station
- 28/01/2014. Lupin grazing at Sawdon Station (January 2014)
- 09/04/2014. Lupins at Sawdon – March 2014
- 25/10/2019. Hill Country Management