Water use by lucerne and effect on crops in the Victorian Wimmera

Abstract

The effect of the perennial legume lucerne on the soil water regime of a farming system in the Victorian Wimmera was investigated by a combination of direct field measurements and the use of simulation modelling. In the field, soil profiles under lucerne-based pastures (also containing annual medic and Wimmera ryegrass) remained consistently drier throughout the year compared with continuous annual cropping. The amount of plant-available soil water (0