Recovery of Tropical Pasture Systems

Abandonment of sugar cane in Hawaii left nutrient-depleted soils exposed to wind and soil erosion that threatened nearby coastal areas and streams. Cattle producer Dwayne Cypriano, who raises 47 breeding cows on 100 acres on the Hamakua Coast of the Island of Hawaii, plans to use his Western SARE grant to assess nutrient cycling. He will incorporate nitrogen-fixing legumes, plant grass and graze cattle in a rotation system. Cypriano will evaluate plant and cattle performance as well as the economics of the system comparing two parcels of former sugar cane land, control and improved, each fenced into three paddocks. The project is designed to reinforce the holistic resource management concepts of nutrient-mineral cycling, soil conservation and water cycling and conservation.