Trade-offs between stocking rate , forage properties and livestock performance in a Mediterranean grassland
2014
Henkin, Z | Perevolotsky, A | Ungar, E D | Landau, S Y | Sternberg, M | Seligman, NG
Livestock management on Mediterranean rangelands is commonly determined by a combination of trial and error, accumulated experience and standards adopted by the herder. High grazing pressure cre- ates a complex management challenge not only on the forage quality and range performance, but also on the economic consequences of the herder. The constantly changing availability and quality of the pasture that determines both the nutritional intake of the grazing animals and the role of supplementary feeding, create trade-offs between the multiple responses of the vegetation, the livestock and the cost/benefit ratio of the grazing enterprise. The aim of this study was to improve economic and environmental grazing management while quantifying the trade-offs of the system that can contribute to accomplish this goal. A long-term grazing trial was conducted on a Mediterranean species-rich hemicryptophytic grassland. Two stocking rates includ- ing moderate (M, 0.55 cows ha-1) and high (H, 1.1 cows ha-1) and two management protocols, continuous and split were examined. Heavier stocking reduced both standing biomass at the end of the growing season and grazing duration during the subsequent dry season but increased the weaned live-weight production per unit area, the amount of supplementary feed consumed, and the number of grazing days per unit area. Quantification of these trade-offs can guide the management of stocking rate and grazing protocol of the herd within the economic context of the grassland-livestock system. Keywords.
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