Tactics for integrated weed management
Windmill grass is a useful pasture species, providing forage over the summer/autumn feed gap. It is tolerant of drought and saline conditions and can be grazed heavily and repeatedly. Nutritionally, it is comparable to senesced subterranean-clover based pasture or wheat stubble and sheep will preferentially graze windmill grass prior to seed head production.
| Pasture characteristic | Windmill grass | Sub-clover based pasture | Wheat stubble |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digestible dry matter (%) | 61-63 | 49-64 | 43-52 |
| Crude protein (%) | 10.4-14.2 | 6.8-12.2 | 2.5-6.5 |
| Metabolisable energy (MJ/kg) | 8.8-9.1 | 5.7-9.0 | 5.8-7.0 |
Dry biomass of windmill grass over summer in the central wheatbelt ranges from 0-1460kg/ha, depending on seasonal conditions. Given that paddocks in WA should not be grazed below 500kg of dry matter/ha to avoid erosion and sheep will trample/ruin approximately 30% of available dry matter, then 1460kg/ha of dry biomass will provide 877 grazing days/ha (that is, approximately 30 days for 30 sheep/ha), assuming that sheep are maintained at condition score 2 (that is, sheep maintained in a lean but healthy condition).