AUTUMN OVERDRILLED TAMA RYEGRASS AND CEREALS TO SUPPLEMENT LUCERNE IN THE CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND

Two experiments were conducted in which cereals and 'Grasslands Tama' ryegrass were overdrilled into lucerne in autumn, in one experiment following a prior light cultivation. The highest production was obtained from barley and oats when left uncut from sowing until early spring. Barley was distinctly superior to oats, ryecorn and Tama ryegrass when two cuts were taken in late winter and early spring. Tama ryegrass and to a lesser extent oats depressed lucerne growth, when they were growing and after their disappearance. Nitrogen doubled the weed content, where there was inadequate competition from overdrilled species.