Influence of cutting regime and fertilizer application on the botanical composition, yield and nutritive value of herbage of wet grasslands in Central Europe

Abstract

The changes in dry matter (DM) yield, botanical composition and nutritive value of herbage to ruminants of two wet grasslands, Arrhenatherum elatius grassland (Experiment 1) and a Molinia caerulea fen meadow (Experiment 2), in which a range of cutting and fertilizer treatments were imposed in 1999, were assessed after 4-7 years of treatment imposition. Both experiments had a split-plot design with four replicates. In Experiment 1 the three main-plot cutting treatments were two cuts with a delayed first cut, three cuts and four cuts during the growing season of each year. In Experiment 2 the cutting treatments were two cuts with a traditional harvest time, two cuts with a delayed first cut and three cuts. The four sub-plot fertilizer treatments were an unfertilized control, application of a phosphorus and potassium (PK) fertilizer, application of a nitrogen (N) and PK fertilizer to the first cut only (N 1 PK) and application of PK plus N applied to each of two, three or four cuts (N C C PK). Application of fertilizer influenced yield and botanical composition of herbage more than the cutting treatments while the opposite occurred for nutritive value of the herbage. Application of fertilizer increased the proportion of tall grasses in Experiment 1 and forbs in Experiment 2. The proportion of Equisetum palustre, present only in Experiment 1, was reduced from 0AE33 to less than 0AE01 by increased cutting frequency together with the NPK fertilizer treatments. In Experiment 1 diversity of vascular plants was negatively affected only by the four-cuts treatment while on both wet grasslands other cutting and fertilizer application treatments had no effect. Changes in DM yield of herbage caused by the cutting and fertilizer application treatments were similar for both vegetation types with DM yield increased significantly by fertilizer application but only slightly or not reduced by increasing the cutting frequency. Nutritive value of herbage was positively correlated with cutting frequency and was most influenced at the first cut.

Effects of cattle slurry application on plant species composition of moderately moist Arrhenatherion grassland

“…In respect of total species richness and number of short forbs, similar trend in S0-S2 was obvious, hence, this type of grassland with low availability of P responded to nutrient inputs without detrimental effect on species richness up to application of 120 kg N/ha/year (Čop et al 2009(Čop et al , Chytrý et al 2009). Contrary, Zechmeister et al (2003) reported meadows with > 90 kg N/ha/year differed in species richness significantly from those with lower levels of fertilizer application.…”

“…Decline of tall forbs was given by their low tolerance to frequent defoliation (Gaisler et al 2013) because, as strong competitors, they do not tolerate frequent disturbance (Pavlů et al 2011a). Decline of short forbs was given by an increase of tall grasses because of N addition , Kramberger and Kaligaric 2008, Čop et al 2009). Short forbs in S0 and short graminoids in S0, S1, and S2 …”

Community Seasonal Development Enables Late Defoliation Without Loss of Forage Quality in Semi-natural Grasslands

“…Stable forage quality in Cynosurion and Violion contrasted with frequently reported declines in forage quality in the case of postponed defoliation in species-poor intensive grasslands (Bruinenberg et al 2002). Cynosurion and Violion could manifest such forage quality patterns due to their long grazing histories with early spring defoliation, which enabled the coexistence of slower developing species and also supported more digestible species occurring often in frequently defoliated sites (Louault et al 2005;Čop et al 2009). Differences in OMD between low altitude Bromion and upland Cynosurion could be partly because the lignification of cell wall material increases at high temperatures and accumulation of digestible storage products is greater at low temperatures (Gibson 2009).…”

“…For these reasons, research of agronomic characteristics of semi-natural species-rich grasslands has received little attention, although such information is vital for the planning of grazing or cutting management in agri-environmental measures (Bokdam and Wallis De Vries 1992). Biomass production of particular vegetation units has been seldom investigated (Oomes and Mooi 1981;Schino et al 2003;Hrevušová et al 2009;Heinsoo et al 2010), and forage quality in semi-natural grasslands obtained from late harvesting has also received little attention (Bruinenberg et al 2003;Fiems et al 2004;Bovolenta et al 2008;Hessle et al 2008;Čop et al 2009). The studies that were conducted generally concluded that forage quality was low and only suitable for low-performing animals.…”

Effects of grazing on seasonal variation of aboveground biomass quality in calcareous grasslands

“…Differences in soil nutrients were hardly reflected by nutrient concentrations and fibre contents in the aboveground biomass. However, productivity of the relatively nutrient-rich plateau sites was significantly enhanced so that a higher amount of nutrients was stored in a higher biomass quantity of the same quality (Smits et al 2008;Č op et al 2009a). As indicated by mean nutrient ratios, the studied grasslands seemed to be NP co-limited (Olde Venterink et al 2003;Güsewell 2004).…”