1. The Effect of Kurzrasen and Strip-Grazing on Grassland Performance and Soil Quality of a Peat Meadow
- Author
-
René Schils, Kees van Reenen, Bert Philipsen, Nick van Eekeren, Nyncke J. Hoekstra, G. Holshof, and Karel van Houwelingen
- Subjects
Peat ,Animal Nutrition ,Nutritional value ,Land Use and Food Security ,lcsh:TJ807-830 ,Geography, Planning and Development ,lcsh:Renewable energy sources ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,Grassland ,Dierenwelzijn en gezondheid ,Stocking ,Grazing ,root density ,Dry matter ,Animal Health & Welfare ,lcsh:Environmental sciences ,grazing systems ,lcsh:GE1-350 ,Load bearing capacity ,nutritional value ,Grazing systems ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,swards ,Boerderijen ASG ,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment ,lcsh:Environmental effects of industries and plants ,load bearing capacity ,0402 animal and dairy science ,Landgebruik en Voedselzekerheid ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,Diervoeding ,040201 dairy & animal science ,Soil quality ,lcsh:TD194-195 ,Agronomy ,Soil water ,WIAS ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,Environmental science ,Swards ,Root density - Abstract
Due to the increased herd size in the Netherlands, there is need to assess the performance of different grazing systems at high stocking densities. The objective of the current experiment was to assess the effect of two extreme grazing systems, kurzrasen (continuous grazing at 3&ndash, 5 cm sward height) and strip-grazing at a high stocking rate, on grass production and quality, grass morphology and sward density, root development and load bearing capacity on peat soil. To this end, a two-year grazing trial with four herds of 15 cows on 2 ha each was conducted. Kurzrasen showed 18% lower herbage dry matter production on average compared to strip-grazing. The yield penalty of using a shorter regrowth period under kurzrasen was limited due to the strong response in grass morphology, resulting in a dense and lamina-rich sward. There was a small decline in root density at 10 cm soil depth, but no evidence of a lower root density at 20 cm soil depth for kurzrasen compared to strip-grazing. Sward density was higher for kurzrasen compared to strip-grazing, which had a positive impact on load bearing capacity. This is an important feature on peat soils, where load bearing capacity is often limited. more...
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF