A comparison of ‘Grasslands Pitau’ and ‘Huia’ white clovers in the Waikato under two intensities of winter grazing

Abstract

Two white clover cultivars were compared, a pedigree New Zealand selection, ‘Huia’, and a product of a New Zealand × Spanish polycross selection, ‘Pitau’, bred for improved cool-season production. The clovers were sown with the perennial ryegrass ‘Ariki’ and compared for 3 years and one extra winter under two grazing pressures using wethers. ‘Pitau’ produced 14 percent and 11 percent more dry matter than ‘Huia’ in winter and for the whole period respectively. Half this difference was passed on to total pasture yield of dry matter. This amounted only to 3.8% and 1.6% increases in total yield in winter and all the year round respectively. The superior growth of ‘Pitau’ resulted in a suppression of weeds and Poa spp. Grazing pressure in winter had little effect on the relative performance of the two white clovers.