Story: Economy and the environment

For tussock-covered South Island hill country to be suitable for stock grazing, it needed to be sown with improved pasture species. Plant breeding and selection from the introduced English varieties produced clovers that could establish themselves rapidly and provide a nitrogen source for associated grasses. They ensured that a permanent, new, and more productive pasture could be established in a wide range of New Zealand environments. Here, grassland expert Bruce Levy espouses the advantages of improved pasture species over the native varieties.