کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
2414758 1103929 2011 5 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
Impact on sward composition and stock performance of grazing Molinia-dominant grassland
موضوعات مرتبط
علوم زیستی و بیوفناوری علوم کشاورزی و بیولوژیک علوم زراعت و اصلاح نباتات
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
Impact on sward composition and stock performance of grazing Molinia-dominant grassland
چکیده انگلیسی

A comparative experiment was conducted to test the extent to which grazing of rank Molinia caerulea-dominated grassland increases botanical diversity and improves animal performance. The study was carried out on an area of under-grazed Molinia-dominant pasture that had not been stocked for 20 years. Three treatments were compared from 2001 until 2008: (1) no grazing, (2) grazing by Welsh Mountain sheep and (3) grazing by Welsh Black heifers. Patterns of change in sward surface composition across the grazing season were consistent with greater consumption of Molinia by the cattle, but there was little evidence of management regime influencing changes in sward composition year-on-year. There was a significant effect of year on animal performance (P < 0.001). Although the growth rates of the heifers improved over the course of the first three years of the experiment, this performance was not sustained. In contrast, any weight changes for the sheep were positive. The results highlight the slow pace of change within upland swards, and the need to develop site-specific grazing guidelines.


► Utilisation of Molinia was greater on cattle- than sheep-grazed swards.
► Grazing had little impact on sward botanical composition regardless of stock type.
► The associated performance of growing heifers was more variable than that of mature ewes.

ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment - Volume 144, Issue 1, November 2011, Pages 102–106
نویسندگان
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