Grass cover and meadow forage reservein the Cervus elaphus L. breeding

Abstract

Species composition, projective cover, frequency of occurrence, abundance and grass reserve on the out of agricultural use lands in conditions of the Western Polissia of Ukraine are characterized. For the possible formation of enclosures and red deer breeding five habitats are distinguished: fresh dry meadows, moist meadows, wet meadows, willow and cane thickets, agricultural land (arable land). The characteristic of relative eating up of the identified species of herbaceous plants by the deer is presented. For the evaluation of plants in the seasons diet of deer the method of M.N. Evtushevskyi (2009) was used. According to the methodology relative eating of plants was estimated in points: 1 – species that are eaten badly, 2 – species that are eaten weakly, 3 – species that are eaten satisfactory, 4 – species that are eaten well, 5 – species that are eaten very well and are important in the diet of deer. 71 species of vascular plants are found out within the boundaries of the former agricultural lands. The greatest number of grass species is observed on the sample areas of dry and moist meadows, respectively 27 and 25 species. There are five species of plants which dominate in dry meadows conditions. They are: Carex pilosa Scop., Achillea millefolium L. p.p., Deschampsia caespitosa (L.), Phalachroloma annuum L., Hieracium pilosella L., total projective cover of them is 53%. The dominant grasses of wet meadows are Solidago canadensis (L.), Juncus conglomeratus L., Calamagrostis epigeios (L.) Roth, Deschampsia caespitosa (L.), Phalaroides arundinacea (L.) Rausch., total projective cover of the dominant grasses is 71%. Willow thickets of crack, goat, grey willow and occasionally plum, have the lowest species diversity of herbs. Phragmites vulgaris Samp. dominates in the willow thickets, frequency of occurrence of which reaches 80%, the projective cover is 60%. Abundance of grass cover within the grassland area decreases gradually from 87% in the willow thickets to 76% in the moist meadows and 65% in the dry meadows. In close to marsh strip species diversity of summer-autumn grass consists only of 10 types with the dominance of hydrophilic plants such as Phalaroides arundinacea (L.) Rausch., Phragmites vulgaris Samp. and Eupatorium cannabinum L. In conditions of the fairly fertile site type (marsh) and wet pine forest type (wet grasslands) the largest mass of herbaceous plants is observed, respectively 2,5 kg/m2 and 1,3 kg/m2. The least mass of herbs is characteristic of the fresh meadows and willow and cane thickets – 0.45 and 1.09 kg/m2. Most species of herbaceous plants growing in different habitats of the studied meadows of the Western Polissia of Ukraine, in some degree, are eaten up by the deer and can be used to ensure their feed requirements in captive breeding. In conditions of the Western Polissia of Ukraine on lands not suitable for agriculture it is reasonable to organize farms of captive breeding of the red deer. The existing reserve of herbaceous forage plants make it possible to combine the captive breeding of the deer with the possibility of their free grazing on pastures and forage fields.

Keywords

• herbaceous plants
• plant forage
• habitats
• grass cover reserve
• relative eating up of forage plants