Abstract
The effect of different grazing regimes on pasture vegetation was studied during the intensive grazing of heifers in the Jizerské hory mountains during 1993–1997. The vegetation was monitored in 3 pairs of permanent 1×1 m plots using a continuous grid of nine 0.33 × 0.33 m subplots. We applied continuous stocking and rotational grazing. Vegetation varied as a result of time and differences between treatments. Several prostrate dicotyledonous species (Trifolium repens, Taraxacum sp.,Bellis perennis andLeontodon autumnalis) increased under continuous stocking. This treatment also promoted the growth of the perennial grassLolium perenne, which was able to cope with frequent defoliation. Tall grasses sensitive to frequent defoliation (Poa trivialis, Holcus mollis, Alopecurus pratensis, Dactylis glomerata andElytrigia repens) were more abundant in rotationally grazed paddocks. Species diversity was not significantly influenced by the different grazing systems. The decrease in the potential sward height under continuous stocking revealed the replacing of tall dominants by lower species. Our results indicate that different grazing systems alter the composition and structure of grassland vegetation. Defining the intensity of grazing under continuous stocking or rotational grazing is complex due to the different stocking rates and the heights of sward during a grazing season. Information about pasture management should therefore involve not only grazing intensity but also the grazing system used.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Belsky A.J. (1992): Effects of grazing, competition, disturbance and fire on species composition and diversity in grassland communities.J. Veg. Sci. 3: 187–200.
Bullock J.M., Clear Hill B. &Silvertown J. (1994): Demography ofCirsium vulgare in a grazing experiment.J. Ecol. 82: 101–110.
Bullock J.M., Franklin J., Stevenson M.J. &Silvertown J. (2001): A plant trait analysis of responses to grazing in a long-term experiment.J. Appl. Ecol. 38: 253–267.
Davies H.L. &Southey I.N. (2001): Effects of grazing management and stocking rate on pasture production, ewe liveweight, ewe fertility and lamb growth on subterranean clover-based pasture in Western Australia.Australian J. Exp. Agric. Anim. Husb. 41: 161–168.
Diaz S., Noy-Meir I. &Cabido M. (2001): Can grazing of herbaceous plants be predicted from simple vegetative traits.J. Appl. Ecol. 38: 457–508.
Dostál J. (1989):Nová Květena ČSSR (New flora of the Czechoslovak Socialistic Republic). Academia, Praha.
Ernst G., Le Du Y.L.P. & Carlier L. (1980): Animal and sward production under rotational and continuous grazing management — a critical appraisal. In:Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Role of Nitrogen in Intensive Grassland Production, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp. 119–126.
Fothergill M., Davies D.A. &Morgan C.T. (2001): Extensification of grassland use in the Welsh uplands: sheep performance in years 1–6.Grass Forage Sci. 56: 105–117.
Frame J. (1992):Improved grassland management. Farming Press Books, Ipswich.
Gibb M.J. &Baker R.D. (1989): Effect of changing grazing severity on the composition of perennial ryegrass/white clover swards stocked with beef cattle.Grass Forage Sci. 44: 329–334.
Grime J.P., Hodgson J.G. &Hunt R. (1988):Comparative plant ecology. Unwin Hyman, London.
Harvey A., Parsons A.J., Rook A.J., Penning P.D. &Orr R.J. (2000): Dietary preference of sheep for perennial ryegrass and white clover at contrasting sward surface heights.Grass Forage Sci. 55: 242–252.
Hodgson J. (1979): Nomenclature and definitions in grazing studies.Grass Forage Sci. 34: 11–18.
Hofmann N., Kowarsch N., Bonn S. &Isselstein J. (2001): Management for biodiversity and consequences for grassland productivity.Grassland Sci. Eur. 6: 113–116.
Hunt W. F. (1989): Grazing management effects on perennial ryegrass and white clover tiller populations. In:Proceedings of the XVI. International Grassland Congress, Nice, France, pp. 1055–1056.
Klesnil A., Regal V., Štráfelda J., Turek F. &Velich J. (1982):Pícninářství II.(Forage production II.). Agricultural University, Prague.
Krahulec F., Skálová H., Herben T. &Hadincová V. (2001): Vegetation changes following sheep grazing in abandoned mountain meadows.Appl. Veg. Sci. 4: 97–102.
Královec J. &Rais I. (1991): Kvalita pastevní píce při stoupajících dávkách dusíku (Quality of pasture forage under increasing doses of nitrogen).Rostl. Výroba 37: 427–434.
Laidlaw A.S., Withers J.A. &Toal L.G. (1995): The effect of surface height of swards continuously stocked with cattle on herbage production and clover content over four years.Grass Forage Sci. 50: 48–54.
Lepš J. (1999): Nutrient status, disturbance and competition: an experimental test of relationships in a wet meadow.J. Veg. Sci. 10: 219–230.
Mitchley J. (1988): Control of relative abundance of perenials in chalk grassland in southern England: II. Vertical canopy structure.J. Ecol. 76: 341–350.
Moravec J. [ed.] (1995):Rostlinná společenstva České republiky a jejich ohro ení (Red list of plant communities of the Czech Republic and their endangerment). Severočeskou přírodou, Litoměřice.
Parsons A.J., Harvey A. &Johnson I.R. (1991): Plant-animal interactions in a continuously grazed mixture. II. The role of differences in the physiology of plant growth and of selective grazing on the performance and stability of species in a mixture.J. Appl. Ecol. 28: 635–658.
Rais I. &Královec J. (1989): Vliv pastvy v rychlé rotaci na výnos a kvalitu píce u různých typů porostů (The influence of short-rotation grazing on the yield and quality of forage in different types of grassland).Rostl. Výroba 35: 1175–1180.
Rothmaler W., Jäger E.J., Schubert R. &Werner K. (1987):Exkursionsflora für die Gebiete der DDR und der BDR. Kritischer Band. Volk und Wissen Volkseigener Verlag, Berlin.
Sanderson M.A., Taube F., Tracy B. &Wachendorf M. (2002): Plant species diversity relationships in grassland of northeastern USA and northern Germany.Grassland Sci. Eur. 7: 842–843.
Schlepers H. &Lantiga E. A. (1985): Comparison of net pasture yield with continuous and rotational grazing at a high level of nitrogen fertilization.Netherlands J. Agric. Sci. 33: 429–432.
Sibbald A.R., Maxwell T.J., Dalziel A.J.I. &Agnew R.D.M. (2002): The implications of controlling grazed sward height for the operation and productivity of upland sheep systems in the UK. 5. The effect of stocking rate and reduced levels of nitrogen fertilizer.Grass Forage Sci. 57: 33–47.
Smith R.S. &Rushton S.P. (1994): The effects of grazing management on the vegetation of mesotrophic (meadow) grassland in northern England.J. Appl. Ecol. 31: 13–24.
ter Braak C.J.F. &Šmilauer P. (1998):CANOCO Release 4. Reference manual and user’s guide to Canoco for Widows: Software for canonical community ordination. Microcomputer Power, Ithaca.
ter Heerdt G.N.J., Bakker J.P. &de Leeuw J. (1991): Seasonal and spatial variation in living and dead plant material in a grazed grasslands as related to plant species diversity.J. Appl. Ecol. 28: 120–127.
Thórhallsdottir T.E. (1990): The dynamics of five grasses and white clover in a simulated mosaic sward.J. Ecol. 78: 909–923.
Wang S.P., Wang Y.F., Chen Z.Z. &Schnug E. (2001): The influence of different grazing systems on plant diversity of anArtemisia frigida community in the Inner Mongolia steppe, China.Grassland Sci. Eur. 6: 123–125.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pavlů, V., Hejcman, M., Pavlů, L. et al. Effect of rotational and continuous grazing on vegetation of an upland grassland in the Jizerské hory Mts., Czech Republic. Folia Geobot 38, 21–34 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803125
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803125