Open AccessThe High Country Environment
Author(s) -
A. A
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
grassland research and practice series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2463-4751
pISSN - 0110-8581
DOI - 10.33584/rps.4.1995.3328
Subject(s) - pasture , vegetation (pathology) , environmental science , moisture , soil water , agriculture , water content , agronomy , agroforestry , soil fertility , yield (engineering) , geography , soil science , biology , geology , meteorology , medicine , materials science , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , pathology , metallurgy
The most important environmental factors influencing farming and the choice of pasture species are: l Temperature l Soil moisture 0 Soil fertility 0 Pasture management. Temperature and moisture gradients define the general pattern of soils, original vegetation and present farming systems within New Zealand (Figure 1). With decreasing moisture and temperature, pasture production falls, so pasture yields in the high country are generally much lower than elsewhere. The traditionally large size of both paddocks and runs in the high country was related to the low level of pasture yield from native vegetation.