Grazing effects on the nutritive value of dominant species in steppe grasslands of northern China

• Published in: BMC ecology 2018-09, Vol.18 (1), p.30-30, Article 30
• Main Authors: Zhai, Xiajie, Zhang, Yingjun, Wang, Kun, Chen, Qian, Li, Shuiyan, Huang, Ding
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Analysis; Animal culture; Animal Husbandry; Animals; Annual variations; Artemisia - physiology; Autumn; Biomass; Breeding of animals; Calcium; Carex duriuscula; Carex Plant - physiology; Cattle; China; Dominant species; Ecosystem management; Ecosystems; Environmental aspects; Forage; Forage plants; Grassland; Grassland management; Grasslands; Grazing; Herbivory; Livestock; Livestock nutrition; Marketing; Nutrient content; Nutrition; Nutritive Value; Pasture management; Poaceae - physiology; Pressure; Proteins; Quality; Seasons; Sheep - physiology; Spring (season); Steppes; Strategic management; Summer; Sustainable development; Vegetation
• ISSN: 1472-6785; 1472-6785
• DOI: 10.1186/s12898-018-0186-8

Forage nutritive value plays an important role in livestock nutrition and maintaining sustainable grassland ecosystems, and grazing management can affect the quality of forage. In this study, we investigated the effects of different grazing intensities on the nutritive values of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvelev, Artemisia spp. and Carex duriuscula C. A. Mey in the steppes of China during the growing seasons from 2011 to 2013. Five grazing management treatments were implemented: (1) rest grazing in spring, heavy grazing in summer and moderate grazing in autumn (RHM), (2) rest grazing in spring, moderate grazing in summer and heavy grazing in autumn (RMH), (3) heavy grazing though all seasons (HHH), (4) heavy grazing in spring and summer and moderate grazing in autumn (HHM) and (5) continuous moderate grazing in all seasons (MMM). There were significant effects of year, season, treatment, and year × season and year × treatment interactions only on the crude protein of L. chinensis (P