Effect of timing and intensity of grazing on the
herbage quality of a Mediterranean rangeland

Henkin, Zalmen; Landau, S.; Ungar, Eugene D.; Perevolotsky, Avi; Yehuda, Y.; Sternberg, Marcelo

doi:10.22358/jafs/74517/2007

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The dry sample data consisted of 235 vegetation samples from the pasture area that were obtained from the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO) archives at the Volcani Center, Israel (courtesy of Serge Yan Landau [26,44,45]). The samples had been collected during the grazing season in the years 2002-2011 from the natural pasture area in Patish basin and from sown pasture in experimental farms (Migda and Karei-Deshe', located in the northern Negev and eastern Galilee, respectively) in Israel.…”

Section: Data Collection and Spectral Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Then spectral measurements and chemical analysis of CP and NDF were performed. The samples were scanned using a Foss NIRS system model 5000 NIR reflectance monochromator spectrometer (Hoganas, Sweden) at 1104-2492 nm in 2-nm increments (700 bands), set to collect NIR spectra as log (1/R) where R is the reflectance [44]. Each spectral measurement represented an average of 25 spectral readings.…”

Section: Data Collection and Spectral Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimating Pasture Quality of Fresh Vegetation Based on Spectral Slope of Mixed Data of Dry and Fresh Vegetation—Method Development

et al. 2015

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Abstract:The main objective of the present study was to apply a slope-based spectral method to both dry and fresh pasture vegetation. Differences in eight spectral ranges were identified across the near infrared-shortwave infrared (NIR-SWIR) that were indicative of changes in chemical properties. Slopes across these ranges were calculated and a partial least squares (PLS) analytical model was constructed for the slopes vs. crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) contents. Different datasets with different numbers of fresh/dry samples were constructed to predict CP and NDF contents. When using a mixed-sample dataset with dry-to-fresh ratios of 85%:15% and 75%:25%, the correlations of CP (R 2 = 0.95, in both) and NDF (R 2 = 0.84 and 0.82, respectively) were almost as high as when using only dry samples (0.97 and 0.85, respectively). Furthermore, satisfactory correlations were obtained with a dry-to-fresh ratio of 50%:50% for CP (R 2 = 0.92). The OPEN ACCESSRemote Sens. 2015, 7 8046 results of our study are especially encouraging because CP and NDF contents could be predicted even though some of the selected spectral regions were directly affected by atmospheric water vapor or water in the plants.

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Section: Data Collection and Spectral Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Collection and Spectral Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating Pasture Quality of Fresh Vegetation Based on Spectral Slope of Mixed Data of Dry and Fresh Vegetation—Method Development

et al. 2015

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“…The samples had been collected during the grazing season in the years 2002-2011 from the natural pasture area in Patish basin and from sown pasture in experimental farms (Migda and Karei-Deshe', located in the northern Negev and eastern Galilee, respectively) in Israel [44][45][46]. The samples were collected from the vegetative bulk of each species.…”

Section: In-situ Sample Collection and Spectral Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectral Slope as an Indicator of Pasture Quality

et al. 2014

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Abstract:In this study, we develop a spectral method for assessment of pasture quality based only on the spectral information obtained with a small number of wavelengths. First, differences in spectral behavior were identified across the near infrared-shortwave infrared spectral range that were indicative of changes in chemical properties. Then, slopes across different spectral ranges were calculated and correlated with the changes in crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and metabolic energy concentration (MEC). Finally, partial least squares (PLS) regression analysis was applied to identify the optimal spectral ranges for accurate assessment of CP, NDF and MEC. Six spectral domains and a set of slope criteria for real-time evaluation of pasture quality were suggested. The evaluation of three level categories (low, medium, high) for these three parameters showed a success rate of: 73%-96% for CP, 72%-87% for NDF and 60%-85% for MEC. Moreover, only one spectral range, 1748-1764 nm, was needed to provide a good estimation of CP, NDF and MEC. Importantly, five of the six selected spectral regions were not affected by water absorbance. With some OPEN ACCESSRemote Sens. 2015, 7 257 modifications, this rationale can be applied to further analyses of pasture quality from airborne sensors.

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“…The variegated limestones of the MesozoicÐ Palaeogene series, although they form deeper soils, tend to lack the minerals which create good grazing, so that although the grazing may be seasonally plentiful it is not of very good quality (Henkin et al, 2007). The finer-grained limestones, mostly from earlier in the Mesozoic sequence, are better in this respect although soils are thin; but the pockets of terra rossa soils typically derived from them are relatively good at providing phosphates in soluble form in certain seasons.…”

Section: Relative Edaphics In the Carmel-galilee-golan Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They would follow the growth on such limestone areas as were available, for example, the easier ground south of Carmel between the coastal plain and the Jezreel valley, eastwards towards the more phosphate-rich basaltic soils. Henkin et al (2007) stress that the first flush of new forage is the most nutritious, and here altitudinal differences would give large herbivores an incentive to follow the new forage at higher altitudes as it became available. The low-lying basalt soils of the eastern Galilee would be the earliest, and the animals would then move into the Golan, crossing the Jordan valley where they could.…”

Section: The Essential Pattern ð Eastwards In Spring Westwards In Aumentioning

confidence: 99%

Hominin reactions to herbivore distribution in the Lower Palaeolithic of the Southern Levant

Dévès

Sturdy²,

Godet³

et al. 2014

Quaternary Science Reviews

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We explore the relationship between the edaphic potential of soils and the mineral properties of the underlying geology as a means of mapping the differential productivity of different areas of the Pleistocene landscape for large herbivores. These factors strongly control the health of grazing animals irrespective of the particular types of vegetation growing on them, but they have generally been neglected in palaeoanthropological studies in favour of a more general emphasis on water and vegetation, which provide an incomplete picture. Taking the Carmel-Galilee-Golan region as an example, we show how an understanding of edaphic potential provides insight into how animals might have exploited the environment. In order to simplify the analysis, we concentrate on the Lower Palaeolithic period and the very large animals that dominate the archaeofaunal assemblages of this period. Topography and the ability of soils to retain water also contribute to the differential productivity and accessibility of different regions and to patterns of seasonal movements of the animals, which are essential to ensure a supply of healthy fodder throughout the year, especially for large animals such as elephants, which require substantial regions of good grazing and browsing. Other animals migrating in groups have similar needs. The complex topography of the Southern Levant with frequent sudden and severe changes in gradient, and a wide variety of landforms including rocky outcrops, cliffs, gorges, and ridges, places major limits on these patterns of seasonal movements. We develop methods of mapping these variables, based on the geology and our substantial field experience, in order to create a framework of landscape variation that can be compared with the locations and contents of archaeological sites to suggest ways in which early hominins used the variable features of the landscape to target animal prey, and extend the analysis to the consideration of smaller mammals that were exploited more intensively after the disappearance of the elephants. We consider some of the ways in which this regional-scale approach can be further tested and refined, and advocate the development of such studies as an essential contribution to understanding the wider pattern of hominin dispersal.

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Effect of timing and intensity of grazing on the herbage quality of a Mediterranean rangeland

Cited by 12 publications

References 8 publications

Estimating Pasture Quality of Fresh Vegetation Based on Spectral Slope of Mixed Data of Dry and Fresh Vegetation—Method Development

Estimating Pasture Quality of Fresh Vegetation Based on Spectral Slope of Mixed Data of Dry and Fresh Vegetation—Method Development

Spectral Slope as an Indicator of Pasture Quality

Hominin reactions to herbivore distribution in the Lower Palaeolithic of the Southern Levant

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