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Permanent grassland is the most complex natural ecosystem due to the biodiversity of the structural and functional elements that characterize the space and time unit of this ecosystem. From this point of view, in the case of this ecosystem, biodiversity is manifested by the richness of species as a result of the interactions between species and the biotope, the interspecific relations and the effects of the technology and usage applied to the improvement of these surfaces. The paper presents the results obtained in an experimental device placed on a permanent grassland of Festuca valesiaca + Festuca rupicola, from Caraş-Severin County, under conditions of mineral and organic fertilizers application (sheep manure and direct fertilization by sheep folding). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research was carried out in the Banat plain area, characterized by the uneven distribution of rainfall during the vegetation period. The experimental device applied included three types of simple mixtures (Lolium perenne 50% + Festuca pratensis 50%, Lolium perenne 50% + Trifolium repens 50%, Lolium perenne 50% + Lotus corniculatus 50%) and a complex mixture (Lolium perenne 30% + Festuca pratensis 30% + Trifolium repens 20% + Lotus corniculatus 20%) used both by mowing and grazing directly with sheep. The fertilization was carried out uniformly, at all experimental variants (200 kg/ha of complex fertilizers was applied at the establishment, and during the vegetation a dose of N150 was applied in fractions, before the vegetation started and after each mowing or grazing cycle). The grazing variants was carried out with young males sheep of Ţurcana breed. The floral composition of temporary grassland reacts differently to the valorification methods (mowing and grazing) because the morphological and ecophysical peculiarities of the grass and legume species are different. In case of simple mixtures, Lolium perenne is very competitive in blends with Festuca pratensis with a share of 52% in mowed variants, and 73% in grazing variants. Perennial grasses and legumes used for the simple and complex mixtures were: Timis 81 (Lolium perenne), Tampa (Festuca pratensis), Danitim (Trifolium repens), Dragotim (Lotus corniculatus). In the two years of production, the complex blend recorded the highest production of dry matter, in both uses, under conditions of balanced floral ratio between the component species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last three experimental years (2010-2013), the mean milk production ranged between 1140 l/ha (in the control variant) and 2556 l/ha (in the variant in which fertilisation and amendment treatments were applied during the period 1995-2007). The maximum milk production (4509 l/ha) was in 2010 in the variant fertilised, amended, and re-sowed, i.e. 3144 l/ha more than in the control variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate conditions in any land area have a direct influence on the productivity level of natural ecosystems and agroecosystems. To assess the yield per area unit, we took into account the amounts of dry matter depending on temperature (10C) and precipitations (1 mm) during vegetation. During the experimental period, the mean annual temperature during vegetation was 9430C, with variations between 7750C (1997) and 1,1750C (2012). This multiannual variation of the thermal constant also influenced the level of dry matter yield per 10C, which ranged between 2.14 kg DM/10C and 9.08 kg DM/10C. As for the amounts of precipitations, dry matter yield varied between 6.02 kg DM/1 mm (2002) and 29.11 kg DM/1 mm (2003). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the floristic composition of Nardus stricta grasslands improved through fertilisation, amendment and resowing for 18 years points out a structural change of the vegetal cover compared to the initial state of the floristic composition. During this time interval, the share of Nardus stricta dropped from 40 to 14% in the variants grazed rationally (without treatments), from 40 to 4% in the variant fertilised with NPK and grazed, and from 40% to the total disappearance of the species in the variants fertilised with NPK, amended, and re-sowed. The species Nardus stricta was replaced by high-fodder value species such as Agrostis capillaris, Poa pratensis, and Trifolium repens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nutritive value of the fodder from Nardus stricta grasslands improved through fertilisation, amendment, and resowing was pointed out by some quality indices as ADF, NDF, ADL, DDM, DMO, and DMI. The values of these nutrition indices allowed the determination of a statistic assessment index called relative fodder value (RFV). Depending on the treatments applied, RFV ranged between 109 and 123 in 2011 and between 110 and 115 in 2012. The large number of quality indices assessed allowed the study of the correlation between these indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research carried out at the Mountain Grassland Research Basis of Blana (Bucegi Mountains) aimed at improving the grassland of Nardus stricta locate 1,800 m above sea level. Research started in the year 2000 with the establishment of a trial made up of five variants: T - natural grassland (control); A - natural grassland fertilised with NPK; B - natural grassland fertilised with NPK + animal folding; C - natural grassland, amended + fertilised with NPK + animal folding. The paper presents the effect of long-term treatments (applied every single year starting with the year 1995) on dry matter production and on the floristic composition in the year 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chicory is a herbaceous, perennial, edible plant from the Genus Chicorium of the Family Asteraceae. In Romania, chicory is known mainly for its medicinal uses due to its high content of diuretic and laxative, hypoglycaemic, anti-thyroid and depurative substances. Its particular resistance to climate conditions, particularly prolonged droughts, and its high nutritive value have determined the introduction into cultivation of chicory in different fodder crop structures, particularly in moisture-deficit areas, where it is cultivated both in pure culture and in different temporary grassland mixtures. Chicory is a herbaceous, perennial, edible plant from the Genus Chicorium of the Family Asteraceae. It has been known ever since Ancient times: in Ancient Egypt, it was cultivated as a medicinal plant and was used to treat liver and bile, and kidney diseases. Nowadays, chicory root is a very popular coffee surrogate and its aerial parts are used in medicine and gastronomy (basal leaves, slightly bitter, are used in salads). Chicory is native from North Africa, Europe and Asia; it can be seen in different ecological areas, but it is spread mainly in grasslands and in haymaking fields, in uncultivated areas, from the plain area to the hill and mountain areas. In Romania, chicory is known mainly for its medicinal uses due to its high content of diuretic and laxative, hypoglycaemic, anti-thyroid and depurative substances. Though very frequent in the spontaneous flora, chicory is still very little known in Romania as a forage crop. Its particular resistance to climate conditions, particularly prolonged drought, and its high nutritive value (superior to other well-known fodder species such as alfalfa, cock's foot, and clover) determined its introduction in different fodder crop structures, particularly in moist-deficit areas, where it is cultivated both in monoculture and in different temporary grassland mixtures. The last decades, the cultivation of forage chicory has spread to all Mediterranean countries as well as to New Zealand and Australia, U.S.A. and Canada, France, Italy, India, and China (SANDERSON et al., 2001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The permanent productions in Caraş- Severin county take the second place in terms of surface on national level and represent over 70% of the county surface. The natural potential is little exploited as compared to the economic value of the products that can be obtained. The estimation of conversion capacity of permanent grassland production in animal production has been made according to some studies based on the research in the field of grasslands, on areas similar to the ones in this county. At a medium level of production, its conversion in the meat production would lead to achieving an average increase of kg/ha, at the unfertilized grassland and of 125 kg/ha, at the fertilized grassland. The efficiency in milk production would amount to 1154 l/ha, at unfertilized grasslands and to 2500 l/ha at the fertilized ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study results show that over 70% of the permanent grasslands are affected by soil acidity and moisture excess. In addition, 54% of the floristic structure of these grasslands is made up of invasive species of no value as fodder plants. Among these species, (common) bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) has spread extensively these 20 years, covering about 20% of the floristically degraded grassland areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The determination of the colonization capacity with permanent nitrogen fixating bacteria has been achieved indirectly through the method of using soil extracts, taken from the rhizosphere of leguminous species existing in the 4 types of permanent grasslands, located on different altitudinal levels (90m, 330m, 900m, 1800m). Treatments with soil extracts taken have been made at three species of legumes (Lotus corniculatus, Trifolium repens, Trifolium pratense), seeded on a sown perlite layer and grown in the growth chamber. Between the total amount of nodosities formed and the altitude of grasslands there is a negative correlation. At treatments with extracts taken from grasslands situated between 90-330m, there has been observed the highest number of nodosities formed on roots of tested leguminous species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permanent grasslands represent, all over the world, an asset that contributes to maintaining ecological balance in all other natural ecosystem, a never-ending reservoir of vegetal biomass that supplies most of the necessary food for animals and that can also be an important source of "green energy". In Romania, only 56% of the grassland area (i.e. 2,200,000 ha) would be enough to cover the necessary fibrous fodder for the cattle, while the rest of 44% (i.e. 1,700,000 ha) could be used to produce energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]