Qualitative and quantitative biomass production of improved Mediterranean pasture on phytocoenoses and body growing in young buffalo heifers until puberty

Abstract

Herbage of Mediterranean pastures in the last decade weakened the production with a consequences on livestock and landscape. Fertilizer application was used for improve soil fertility in two pastures of Mediterranen environment located at Gioi (Salerno) and Monterotondo (Roma) in the region of Campania and Lazio, respectively. The effect of treatment increased, in the period March-June, the content of natural pasture parameter: dry matter (53% at Gioi and 27% at Monterotondo), nutritive value of herbage (0.016 MFU at both environments), flora composition (mean over locations, Gramineae was higher 22.4 and Leguminosae and miscellaneous group both lower 15 point of percentage than the content of the flora of the natural pasture) and body gain of buffalo heifers (0.421 and 0.581 g day-1, respectively in the pasture of Gioi and Monterotondo). The grass of sward was browsed by a group of 27 heifers during the period September 2005 to November 2006.

Keywords

• Buffaloes heifers, Mediterranean pastures improvement, Nutritive values of herbage, Sward floristic composition