Defoliation Strategies in Pastures Submitted to Intermittent Stocking Method: Underlying Mechanisms Buffering Forage Accumulation over a Range of Grazing Heights

Sbrissia, André Fischer; Duchini, Paulo Gonçalves; Zanini, Guilherme Doneda; Santos, Gabriela Trevisan; Padilha, Deisy Andrade; Schmitt, Daniel

doi:10.2135/cropsci2017.07.0447

Cited by 56 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…However, that cannot be interpreted as advantageous in terms of forage production, since the forage accumulation was equivalent in pastures managed between 15-25 cm (Sbrissia et al, 2018) and the values were similar to those observed in literature (García, Islam, Clark, & Martin, 2014;Swanepoel, Habig, Preez, Snyman, & Botha, 2017). The morphological composition of the grazing layer was similar among treatments, and the average values for leaves and stems proportion were 85% and 7% of DM, respectively.…”

Section: Experiments IIsupporting

confidence: 75%

Chemical composition of two warm‐season perennial grasses subjected to proportions of defoliation

et al. 2019

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Two experiments were conducted to assess the effect of pre‐grazing heights and proportions of defoliation on morphological and chemical composition of the grazing layer of two warm‐season perennial grasses of contrasting structures (tall tufted grass—elephant grass, Exp. I; small size stoloniferous grass—kikuyu grass, Exp. II) under intermittent stocking management. The treatments were as follows: Exp. I—factorial arrangement between two pre‐grazing heights (90 and 120 cm) and two proportions of defoliation (removal of 50% or 70% of the initial pre‐grazing heights); Exp. II—four pre‐grazing heights (10, 15, 20 and 25 cm) combined with the same proportion of defoliation (50% of the initial pre‐grazing heights). Forage samples were collected at pre‐grazing heights and clipped into the grazing layer (cutting heights defined by treatments). The following variables were analyzed: (a) forage mass; (b) proportion of leaves, stems, and dead material; (c) crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber contents. In a general way, there were no significant differences in morphological and chemical composition of the grazing layer of treatments with proportions of defoliation of 50%. Although the treatments of 70% (Exp. I) and 10 cm (Exp. II) showed some differences, both targets impaired the grazing process and were considered as unpractical under field situations. It was concluded that forage chemical composition of warm‐season perennial grasses does not change in the upper half of the sward within a range of pre‐grazing heights, provided moderate proportions of defoliation (around 50%) are used.

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Section: Experiments IIsupporting

confidence: 75%

Chemical composition of two warm‐season perennial grasses subjected to proportions of defoliation

et al. 2019

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“…However, the higher-tiller birth rates observed in lower-height pastures were also associated with the lower-tiller survival rates. This higher mortality in the lower treatment can be explained by the greater pull over of tillers resulting from the higher-grazing intensity, which was also observed by Sbrissia et al (2018), in their work on kikuyu grass pastures. The population stability index allows of an integrated analysis of population changes, by considering the birth and survival rates of tillers together (Bahmani et al, 2003).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 56%

Grazing height management does not change the persistence pathway of Andropogon lateralis in a natural pasture

Giustina

Zanella

Baldissera

et al. 2019

Pesq. agropec. bras.

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The objective of this work was to evaluate tiller dynamics and population stability of Andropogon lateralis in a natural pasture subjected to grazing height management under intermittent stocking method. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with four treatments and four replicates, in 16 experimental units of 875 m² each. The treatments consisted of four pre-grazing heights of A. lateralis (12, 20, 28, and 36 cm), which was grazed until its initial height was reduced by 40%. Dynamics of tiller birth and death were evaluated using the marked tiller technique over a period of 18 months, from October 2015 to March 2017. The results indicate that the use of different heights for the management of natural pastures does not affect the stability of the tiller population of A. lateralis and that, regardless of the management strategy, the persistent pathway of this species is mainly based on the maintenance of high-tiller survival rates.

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“…At the same time, the decline in vegetation vigor in degraded grasslands is also reflected in the decrease of the canopy leaf area index. This is highly relevant, since the leaf area index is one of the main controllers of the primary production through its role in the photosynthesis [69][70][71]. On the other hand, the decrease in vigor of the vegetation could be accompanied by the substitution of high forage quality species for low forage quality ones [8,31,35,67].…”

Section: Energy Fluxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers, Process, and Consequences of Native Grassland Degradation: Insights from a Literature Review and a Survey in Río de la Plata Grasslands

2019

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Natural grasslands are being progressively degraded around the world due to human-induced action (e.g., overgrazing), but there is neither a widely accepted conceptual framework to approach degradation studies nor a clear definition of what “grassland degradation” is. Most of the drivers, processes, and consequences related to grassland degradation are widespread and are usually separately quoted in the literature. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive framework with different conceptual categories, for monitoring grassland degradation, and a new definition based on current ones. We provide a conceptual update of grassland degradation based on a literature review and an expert survey, focused on the Río de la Plata grasslands (RPG). We identified “drivers” as external forces or changes that cause degradation; “processes” as measurable changes in grasslands conditions that can be evaluated using indicators; and “consequences” as the impacts or results of the process of grassland degradation. We expect that this conceptual framework will contribute to monitoring programs, to support management decisions, to design conservation measures, and to communicate the importance of grasslands conservation and the different concepts involved. Particularly for RPG, we expect that this paper will contribute to promote sustainable management practices in this important and often neglected ecosystem.

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Defoliation Strategies in Pastures Submitted to Intermittent Stocking Method: Underlying Mechanisms Buffering Forage Accumulation over a Range of Grazing Heights

Cited by 56 publications

References 50 publications

Chemical composition of two warm‐season perennial grasses subjected to proportions of defoliation

Chemical composition of two warm‐season perennial grasses subjected to proportions of defoliation

Grazing height management does not change the persistence pathway of Andropogon lateralis in a natural pasture

Drivers, Process, and Consequences of Native Grassland Degradation: Insights from a Literature Review and a Survey in Río de la Plata Grasslands

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