Effects of cattle grazing on herbage quality in a herbaceous Mediterranean rangeland

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to determine to what extent grazing pressure and timing modulate the seasonal progression of herbage quality in hilly Mediterranean grassland systems. The study was conducted during six consecutive years between 2003 and 2008 at the Karei Deshe experimental farm, in eastern Galilee, Israel, dominated by rich hemicryptophytic grassland. Treatments included two different grazing intensities, heavy and moderate, with 1AE1 and 0AE55 cows ha )1 , respectively, and management that included a continuous and a seasonal stocking system that was divided at both intensities into early and late grazing. Herbage samples were analysed for digestibility, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre contents. Significant differences in herbage quality were found between seasons and years. Herbage quality was significantly higher in paddocks grazed continuously or early in the season. Herbage quality increased with increasing grazing intensity as younger herbage and continued re-growth were maintained during the green season. The greater difference between herbage qualities was found at the peak of the growing season. The significant differences found in herbage quality emphasize the importance of the decision-making process aimed at improving cattle grazing management in Mediterranean rangelands and its consequences for the sustainability of the system.

Opportunities for Napier Grass (Pennisetum purpureum) Improvement Using Molecular Genetics

“…Nutritional quality is strongly influenced by management practices and age at harvest but, on average, Napier grass is considered to contain 9% CP, 20% DM, 70% NDF, 50% ADF, 9% ash and 6% lignin in samples taken from 10-15 week old plants [74,75]. Apart from genetics, the nutritional qualities of forages are influenced by many factors including the climate [76], soil nutrition [77], season and grazing pressure [78], management [65,79,80] and fertilizer application [81]. Consequently, great care should be taken to determine the optimum time when planning to harvest or graze Napier grass in order to maximize both yield and nutritional qualities [82].…”

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

“…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.…”

Spectral Slope as an Indicator of Pasture Quality

“…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.…”