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Medicinal Pastures

Pasture plants that promote health in animals as well as providing nutrition are being developed by DSIR Grasslands plant breeder Dr Bill Rumball.

The new research programme hopes to develop a built-in means of preventing stock disorders, rather than relying on the usual range of dietary supplements, drenches and vaccinations.

"We want more from pasture than the normal ryegrass/clover mixtures that already supply high yields of nutritional forage," says Rumball. "These plants are bred mostly for their growth. We are now trying to decide which species are likely to improve stock health."

Rumball has identified over 50 useful species with a "healthy" reputation, from the lowly dandelion through to more classical herbs such as garlic and plantain.

"Bloat and mineral deficiency are two stock disorders we'll be working on initially when selecting healthy plant types, as the available material is most promising for relieving these conditions," says Rumball.

Rumball predicts that problems such as internal parasites could also be solved by using selected plant types in a grazing system.