Proper grazing management practices can generate corresponding compensatory effects on plant community production, which may reduce inter-annual variability of productivity in some grassland ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how grazing influences plant community attributes and the variability of standing crop. We examined the effects of sheep grazing at four stocking rate treatments [control, 0 sheep ha(-1) month(-1); light (LG), 0.15 sheep ha(-1 )month(-1); moderate (MG), 0.30 sheep ha(-1) month(-1); and heavy (HG), 0.45 sheep ha(-1) month(-1)] on standing crop at the community level and partitioned by species and functional groups, in the desert steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized block design over a 9-year period. Standing crop was measured every August from 2004 to 2012. Peak standing crop decreased (P < 0.05) with increasing stocking rate; peak standing crop in the HG treatment decreased 40 % compared to the control. May-July precipitation explained at least 76 % of the variation in peak standing crop. MG and HG treatments resulted in a decrease (P < 0.05) in shrubs, semi-shrubs, and perennials forbs, and an increase (P < 0.05) in perennial bunchgrasses compared to the control. The coefficients of variation at plant functional group and species level in the LG and MG treatments were lower (P < 0.05) than in the control and HG treatments. Peak standing crop variability of the control and HG community were greatest, which suggested that LG and MG have greater ecosystem stability.
A field experiment was conducted in a wet season (Kharif) to study the effects of plant growthpromoting rhizobacteria(PGPR) inoculation on agronomic traits and productivity of Basmati rice (cv. 'Pusa Basmati 1401') in a randomized block with twelve treatments. We evaluated one bacterial (Providencia sp. PW5) and one cyanobacterial strain (Anabaena sp. CR3), and also a Multani mitti (Fuller's earth)-based blue-green algal biofertilizer (a composite culture of Anabaena, Nostoc, Tolypothrix and Aulosira sp.). Plant growth, yield attributes, yield and net return of rice were significantly improved due to the rhizobacterial inoculation. The highest responses were recorded from combined inocula of bacteria and cyanobacteria together with compost.
Managing the stocking rate is considered one of the most important practices influencing carbon storage on rangeland. The effects of four stocking rates consisting of a non‐grazed control (CK), light (0.15 sheep ha−1 month−1), moderate (0.30 sheep ha−1 month−1) and heavy (0.45 sheep ha−1 month−1) were evaluated for impacts on carbon storage taking place on the Desert Steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. Carbon storage was measure in aboveground vegetation, roots and soil in August of 2009, 2011 and 2013. Both aboveground biomass (AGB) and below‐ground biomass (BGB) increased significantly as stocking rate decreased. Stocking rate also had a significant effect on both the aboveground and below‐ground carbon storage in plant biomass, but had no effect on the soil carbon. Compared to the heavy stocking rate typically practiced by local herders, lower stocking rates increased the total above‐ and below‐ground biomass carbon storage by ≥ 7%. Over the 3 year study, compared to the moderate stocking rate, the rate of carbon sequestration with a light stocking rate was 0.7 Mg C ha−1 year−1. Thus, reducing stocking rate has the potential to increase C sequestration and storage, as well as maintaining animal numbers at a more sustainable level suitable for the Desert Steppe ecosystem.
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