In this section:
About Pastures
Our mission
Pasture and shrub research delivering improved varieties, agronomic practices and management systems for farming and the environment.
Forage resources for low rainfall farming systems
The SARDI Pasture group are developing stable forage based farming systems for the low rainfall areas of southern Australia that help counteract the increasing risks of cropping in a climate with variable rainfall. The system focus on having a robust, drought tolerant shrub that can conserve forage for when you need it most – reducing supplementary feeding costs and providing a stable income in years of crop failure. In between shrub rows a range of annual and perennial herbaceous pastures are available – with current work fine tuning the best shrub and inter-row options.
Visit the shrub section as your starting point for more information.
Productive pastures for intensive farming systems
Cutting edge breeding programs developing industry leading pasture varieties. Varieties are released after years of extensive trialing on commercial farms under farmer management. We are confident that our varieties will serve you well.
• An international breeding program for lucerne with Heritage Seeds Pty Ltd.
• National breeding programs for sulla, and chicory
• Breeding annual pasture legumes including medics, sub clover, Persian and balansa clover
• Salt tolerant pastures for hyper-saline environments and salt tolerant lucerne with tolerance to saline irrigation water.
Pasture group profile
The SARDI Pastures Group comprises a team of 15 professional and 12 technical staff with extensive expertise in Mediterranean pasture systems and an excellent track record of research and commercial outcomes. The Group is located at 3 key sites across the State; the Waite Institute (Adelaide), Turretfield (near Gawler) and Struan Research Centre (near Naracoorte).
