High impact grazing as a management tool to optimize biomass growth in northern Argentinean grassland

Kurtz, Ditmar Bernardo; Asch, Folkard; Giese, Marcus; Hülsebusch, Christian; Goldfarb, María Cristina; Casco, Jose Francisco

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.10.065

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…PCA also revealed that HIG applied in summer, autumn or winter produced monocots and perennials, as opposed to the control, which was characterized by dicots, C 3 and deterrent dead material. Besides this, the PC2 found that HIG in autumn is associated with bare ground (due to the intense trampling), which, as we already demonstrated in a previous study, reduces the grassland's productivity [26]. Applied in autumn, HIG may be the least sustainable option.…”

Section: Principal Component Analysis (Pca)mentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Previous results showed that HIG as a management practice in this sub-tropical grassland was able to reduce standing dead biomass, thereby increasing the green biomass share and promoting grass growth [26]. However, these positive effects for livestock farming need to be considered with the respective interests of sustainable land use practices and diversity conservation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Due to the low year-round stocking rates in the grasslands of Northern Argentina, which are applied to adapt to the limited fodder availability during the winter, grasslands accumulate large amounts of plant material resulting from the vigorous growth of C 4 grasses during the summer growing season [26]. The surplus of standing biomass substantially decreases the amount of solar energy, as dead material shades out the sward, taller species dominate and reduce the presence of shorter species and thus biodiversity [27,28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The surplus of standing biomass substantially decreases the amount of solar energy, as dead material shades out the sward, taller species dominate and reduce the presence of shorter species and thus biodiversity [27,28]. As compared to traditional methods to reduce standing dead biomass (SDB) such as burning, ploughing and mowing, high impact grazing (HIG) was analyzed as a successful alternative management option to reduce SDB [26]. This method is based on the natural destructive impact of large and dense herds of herbivores found in natural grasslands [26,[29][30][31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As compared to traditional methods to reduce standing dead biomass (SDB) such as burning, ploughing and mowing, high impact grazing (HIG) was analyzed as a successful alternative management option to reduce SDB [26]. This method is based on the natural destructive impact of large and dense herds of herbivores found in natural grasslands [26,[29][30][31]. Although being successful in reducing SDB and even promoting the re-growth of the vegetation, the effects of HIG on plant diversity and the floristic composition of the grassland are still unclear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of High Impact Grazing on Species Diversity and Plant Functional Groups in Grasslands of Northern Argentina

et al. 2018

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High impact grazing (HIG) was proposed as a management option to reduce standing dead biomass in Northern Argentinean (Chaco) rangelands. However, the effects of HIG on grassland diversity and shifts in plant functional groups are largely unknown but essential to assess the sustainability of the impact. During a two-year grazing experiment, HIG was applied every month to analyze the seasonal effects on plant species composition and plant functional groups. The results indicate that irrespective of the season in which HIG was applied, the diversity parameters were not negatively affected. Species richness, the Shannon–Wiener diversity index and the Shannon’s equitability index did not differ from the control site within a 12-month period after HIG. While plant functional groups of dicotyledonous and annual species could not benefit from the HIG disturbance, C3-, C4-monocotyledonous and perennials increased their absolute and relative green cover. Our results suggest that HIG, if not applied in shorter frequencies than a year, neither alters diversity nor shifts the plant species composition of the grassland plant community, but instead it promotes previously established rather competitive species. HIG could therefore contribute as an alternative management practice to the sustainable land use intensification of the “Gran Chaco” grassland ecosystem and even counteract the encroachment of “low value” species.

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Section: Principal Component Analysis (Pca)mentioning

confidence: 54%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%