BENEFITS OF FORAGE SPECIES DIVERSITY IN GRAZING SYSTEMS IN PENNSYLVANIA
Open Access
- Author:
- Deak, Atila
- Graduate Program:
- Agronomy
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 15, 2007
- Committee Members:
- Marvin H Hall, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Matt A Sanderson, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Gregory Wayne Roth, Committee Member
Harold William Harpster, Committee Member
Clarence Alan Rotz, Committee Member - Keywords:
- DIVERISTY
PASTURES
GRAZING
WEED SUPRESSION
GRAZING ECONOMIC ANALYIS - Abstract:
- Management-intensive rotational grazing has been increasing in the northeast USA because of an increase in net profits as a result of decreasing feeding and harvest costs. However, sustainability of forage production in the region is negatively affected by variability in soils and climate. The use of complex mixtures (mixtures composed by more than three species) is presented as a solution to increase yield and sustain forage production while decreasing weed invasion and ultimately improving farm profitability and economical sustainability. The objectives of the studies presented here were to evaluate: i) weed suppression, ii) forage production, iii) forage nutritive value, and iv) the economic impact of complex forage mixtures compared to simple forage mixtures and pure grass stands commonly used in the Northeast USA, and to develop grazing guidelines for complex mixtures. These studies demonstrated that the addition of chicory or a combination of all three FEFS studied (chicory, red clover, and perennial ryegrass) in a low proportion (≤12.5%) of the seeding mixture helps decrease weed invasion and increase forage yield at the first harvest. Additionally forage nutritive value, DM yield, and overall net return are optimized by grazing forages based on canopy height. The use of complex mixtures can be an alternative to drought prone environments where consistency in DM production is more important than top forage productivity. Complex mixtures are a useful alternative for pastures in dairy farms to manage forage production risks in dry years and thereby increase and stabilize annual net returns.