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Pasture production on the North West slopes - Answers
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Choose a site and gather the climatic data for a region.
Month Mean Daily Max. Temp
( °C)Mean Daily Min. Temp
( °C)Mean Rainfall January 31.7 18.7 89.9 February 30.9 18.6 71.6 March 29.2 16.6 42.5 April 25.1 12.6 41.1 May 20.2 8.9 49.8 June 16.6 6.1 37.8 July 16.1 4.7 43.2 August 17.8 5.8 36.4 September 21.1 8.5 39.7 October 24.8 12.1 62.1 November 27.9 14.7 66.3 December 31.1 12.1 64.8 -
Draw a graph presenting the climatic average data.
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Draw a graph of estimated growth rate of pastures on the North West Slopes.
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Compare the graph presenting the climatic average data with the graph showing the estimated growth rate of pastures on
the North West Slopes.
The North West Slopes don't experience temperatures as low as those of the Northern tablelands, nor are the winters as long. For these reasons the pasture growth is not as depressed during the winter months as that of the Northern Tablelands.
Pasture growth does decline during the winter months, with all species showing depressed growth rates from May through to August. Oats is the species providing the largest amount of dry matter during the winter months. Oats is an annual pasture species, not showing any dry matter gains until April.
Medics and subterranean clover responds very quickly as the temperatures rise from August on, providing good spring feed, before they decline in the heat of summer. Summers on the North West Slopes are hot and fairly dry, so the summer grasses provide the bulk of livestock feed as the other species tend to decline.
The heat and limited rainfall are the most significant climatic effects upon pasture growth on the North West Slopes.
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