Survival and growth of introduced grasses in Canterbury hill pastures

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Abstract
Seedlings of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.), and browntop (Agrostis tenuis Sibth.) were planted into various sites in topdressed browntop-dominant hill pastures. Plant survival and dry matter production were measured over 4 years. In the first season, about 15% of ryegrass plants died under a lax cutting regime, but 30% died on a sunny aspect under a set-stocked sheep grazing regime. Cocksfoot mortality was negligible under cutting but increased significantly under grazing, with 30% mortality on a ridge crest. Transplanted browntop was indistinguishable from resident browntop. Over all harvests the introduced grass treatments produced less total dry matter than controls of resident vegetation, and contained less clover and resident grass.

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