The Improved modelling of livestock production from lucerne project improved the capacity of the GRAZPLAN pasture growth model to predict lucerne growth and development by analysis of a range of information from the scientific literature.
Summary
In this project, the capacity of the GRAZPLAN pasture growth model to predict lucerne growth and development was improved by analysis of a range of information from the scientific literature. The descriptions of key processes (the developmental cycle, and in particular differences in winter activity; stomatal closure in warm, wet conditions; rooting front development; and nutritive value) were updated. The revised lucerne model was tested against 7 experimental data sets from across Australia that were chosen for their data quality. The testing revealed a number of limitations of the new lucerne model, but overall it is a considerable improvement over the previous version and it will be released for wider use in both research and decision support.
When: 24 May 2013 to 13 February 2015
Contact: Andrew Smith and Andrew Moore
Collaborator: CSIRO
More information
For more details, please read the final report summary and download the final report (B.DSS.0008) (PDF, 779.9KB) from Meat & Livestock Australia.
