Abstract
Grazing land is defined as a land unit consisting mostly of grass and herbage where animals graze (Fig. 13.1). In this Chapter, pasturelands, grasslands, meadows, and rangelands are all considered an integral component of grazing lands. These ecosystems differ in their management, plant species composition, and distribution, and are of vital importance to soil and water conservation. Depending on their life cycle duration, plant species used for grazing can be annuals if they complete their life cycle in ≤1 yr, biannuals if they complete in two years, and perennials if they live ≥2 yr. Annuals often reproduce from seeds and can grow at different times during the year (Guretzky et al., 2005). For example, summer annuals emerge in spring and die before winter, whereas winter annuals sprout in fall and complete their life cycle in summer of the next year. Biannuals are not as common as annuals or perennials. They develop their root system in the first year, and produce seeds in the second.
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Blanco-Canqui, H., Lal, R. (2010). Erosion on Grazing Lands. In: Principles of Soil Conservation and Management. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8709-7_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8709-7_13
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