Strickland is a perennial, stoloniferous summer growing grass adapted to a range of soils but finding special application on light and medium textured soils.
Strickland is blue-green in appearance, produces runners to 2.5m long in a wet season, foliage to 70cm and flowering stems to 1.3m. Seeds are small, approximately 2 million per kg.
Strickland is a protected variety under the PLANT BREEDERS RIGHTS ACT 1994 (PBR). Progressive Seeds Pty Ltd have the exclusive production and marketing rights for this variety.
Strickland is suited to areas receiving annual rainfall of over 550mm. It has been successfully trailed in central and north coast New South Wales, southern inland Queensland, coastal southern Queensland, sub coastal north Queensland and the Top End of the Northern Territory.
IMPORTANT FEATURES
Altitude range: Sea level to 1,000m.
Vigorous, spreading growth habit. Strickland is a vigorous perennial that will grow up to 1 .3m high if left ungrazed. As well as spreading by stolons it is also a prolific seeder.
Good seedling vigour: Establishes relatively well from seed, but should be sown about 1 cm depth.
Seed dormancy: Freshly harvested seed should not be sown as it is usually dormant. Seed harvested in autumn generally losses its dormancy in 3 to 6 months and so can be used for sowing at the onset of spring or summer rains.
Drought tolerant: Once established Strickland pastures can survive prolonged periods of drought.
Waterlogging: It will withstand Waterlogging but not prolonged flooding.
Very low phosphate requirement: Strickland will remain productive on soils with very low phosphate levels. This has been demonstrated by its persistence for more than 10 years in the Roma and Augathella districts.
Fertiliser requirement: Strickland responds to applied fertilizers. Types and amounts of fertilizer required will depend on soil type, rainfall, pasture mix and intended use\ of the pasture. In the Northern Territory it will respond to nitrogen during the wet season producing yields similar to pangola grass.
Palatability: Strickland is palatable to all types of stock, particularly in the early stages of growth.
Long term pasture: Strickland persists well under heavy grazing despite being palatable to stock.
Yield: In the Top End, Northern Territory annual dry matter yields up to 15t/ha have been recorded from well fertilised, ungrazed pastures.
Compatibility with other grasses and legumes: It has been grown successfully in combination with kenya white clover, lotononis, glenn and lee joint vetch, centro, milgarra, amiga, verano, seca and siran.
Hay: Good quality hay can be made from the grass which has high digestibility and is well accepted by stock.
Nematodes resistance: preliminary indications are that Strickland is highly resistant to nematodes and could be useful as a break crop for nematodes control in horticulture.
PLANTING INFORMATION
When to plant: Strickland can be planted any time after soil temperatures reach 17°C (about October) through until about the end of February. The most reliable planting time is considered to be January – February, normally the wettest months of the year and the most likely period to receive follow-up rain. In the Northern Territory sowing should be just prior to the onset of the wet season which normally occurs in December.
Seedbed preparation: Prepare as for cropping country. For best results, the surface should be fine and firm, with at least some sub soil moisture in the profile. Stored soil moisture will help keep the seedling alive until follow-up rain promotes the development of secondary roots.
Sowing rate: Sow a minimum of 2-4 kg/ha of good quality seed.
Planting method: Various methods are available ranging from surface sowing with conventional equipment through to planting at 10mm depth using press wheel planters.
Weeds
Control of weeds during the establishment phase of Strickland can dramatically improve the level of seedling survival. Previous rotation and fallowing can both be used to control weeds if sown into old cropping areas.
Trial results todate indicate that Strickland is very tolerant of atrazine, and that rates of from 3.5 – 6.0L/ha of the 500g product can be used to control most broadleaf weeds. Atrazine appears safe when applied either pre or post-emergent.
Ally, Lontrel and 24-D amine also appear promising for the control of broadleaf weeds in seedling Strickland pastures. Application of 24-D and Lontrel should be delayed until the seedlings have established secondary roots.
Grazing Management
Successful pasture establishment and long term productivity are both strongly influenced by the grazing management adopted in the pasture’s first year. As with most summer perennial grasses avoid all grazing until follow-up rainfall allows seedlings to develop secondary roots.The pasture can be grazed lightly after that. De-stock in autumn (late February onwards) and allow the Strickland to seed down. Stock can be re-introduced after seed has fallen. While Strickland does have good seedling vigour relative to the other summer grasses, it is very slow to ‘bulk-up’ in the establishment year. Producers should not expect a lot of grazing from Strickland in its first year.
