Impact of combined management on the newly established pasture sward

Abstract

The effect of the combined grazing and cutting management on the phytocenological characteristics was examined at the submountain paddock in the South Bohemia. The botanical scans were sampled during the five-years study (2006–2010) starting after the sowing the pasture sward in the originally arable field and 0–2 years after the beginning of the grazing (paddock A and paddock B, respectively). The paddock A was grazed all year round, whereas the paddock B was grazed in spring and autumn and cut in summer for hay. At both paddocks, Lolium perenne, Trifolium repens and Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia dominated the community of total 43 and 47 species (paddock A and B, respectively). Among the sowing species, Lolium perenne, Festuca pratensis, Poa pratensis, Festuca rubra and Trifolium repens increased its cover on both paddocks, while Phleum pratense increased its cover only at paddock B. Lolium multiflorum decreased it cover at both paddocks. Most of arable field weeds disappeared (paddock A) or decreased its cover (paddock B). The cover of herb layer was higher at paddock A than at paddock B, whereas the number of species (N), the diversity (H) and the equitability (J) was higher at paddock B than at paddock A. The cover of herb layer increased during the study at both the paddocks, while the number of species declined at paddock A and increased at paddock B.

Keywords

• grazing management
• cutting
• sowing the pasture sward
• vegetation development
• plant diversity
• sheep and cattle