Floral Composition and Productivity of Leys and Permanent Grasslands in Baltic Livestock Farms

Agricultural reforms, land consolidation, and the abandonment of livestock farming effects grassland ecosystems worldwide. Utilising data from four medium-sized livestock farms across different regions in Lithuania, we assess floristic composition, productivity, and grass quality in both permanent g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agriculture (Basel) 2024-12, Vol.14 (12), p.2115
Main Authors: Živatkauskienė, Vilma, Petrauskas, Giedrius, Kemešytė, Vilma, Statkevičiūtė, Gražina, Stukonis, Vaclovas, Norkevičienė, Eglė
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural ecosystems
agricultural impact
Agricultural production
Agriculture
Biodiversity
Biological diversity
Composition
Dairy cattle
Drought
Dry matter
Ecosystem services
Ecosystems
Farmers
Farms
Flora
Flowers & plants
Grasses
Grasslands
Legumes
Livestock
Livestock farming
Livestock farms
Precipitation
Productivity
Species composition
Species diversity
species richness
sustainability
Variance analysis
Winter
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Summary:Agricultural reforms, land consolidation, and the abandonment of livestock farming effects grassland ecosystems worldwide. Utilising data from four medium-sized livestock farms across different regions in Lithuania, we assess floristic composition, productivity, and grass quality in both permanent grasslands and leys. Our findings reveal significant differences in flora diversity, with 120 species identified in permanent grasslands compared to only 20 in leys. Additionally, dry matter yield was notably higher in leys (13.97 t ha−1) than in permanent grasslands (5.66 t ha−1), underscoring the productivity potential of leys. The crude protein levels remained stable across both types, but leys demonstrated significantly lower neutral detergent fibre content, indicating better forage quality. However, the high biodiversity of permanent grasslands supports ecosystem services.
ISSN:2077-0472
2077-0472
DOI:10.3390/agriculture14122115