Description
Height corresponding to the critical leaf area index (LAI) has been successfully used to define pre-grazing management targets in pastures subjected to intermittent stocking. However, studies on short/stoloniferous grasses have demonstrated that it is possible to manage pastures at heights below those corresponding to the critical LAI (with a threshold grazing height of approximately 65% of those corresponding to the critical LAI) and achieve a similar forage yield, provided that the severity of defoliation does not exceed 50 percent of the pre-grazing height. In this study, we hypothesized that in tall tussock grasses (such as elephant grass), the amplitude of grazing height required to maintain the same forage yield is lower than that generally observed in small/stoloniferous grasses. Pennisetum purpureum Schum. BRS Kurumi's elephant grass pastures were grazed at three different heights (50, 65, and 80 cm), leaving residual heights of 25, 32, and 40 cm. Our preliminary results suggest that under moderate defoliation and no nutrient limitations, tall tussock-forming grasses exhibit forage accumulation flexibility in the same range of management heights as grasses of smaller size and growth habits. In the present study, elephant grass cv. Kurumi these heights corresponded to a pre-grazing height range of 50 to 80 cm.
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Forage Production is Not Changed in Dwarf Elephantgrass Swards Managed in a Wide Range of Pre-Grazing Canopy Heights
Height corresponding to the critical leaf area index (LAI) has been successfully used to define pre-grazing management targets in pastures subjected to intermittent stocking. However, studies on short/stoloniferous grasses have demonstrated that it is possible to manage pastures at heights below those corresponding to the critical LAI (with a threshold grazing height of approximately 65% of those corresponding to the critical LAI) and achieve a similar forage yield, provided that the severity of defoliation does not exceed 50 percent of the pre-grazing height. In this study, we hypothesized that in tall tussock grasses (such as elephant grass), the amplitude of grazing height required to maintain the same forage yield is lower than that generally observed in small/stoloniferous grasses. Pennisetum purpureum Schum. BRS Kurumi's elephant grass pastures were grazed at three different heights (50, 65, and 80 cm), leaving residual heights of 25, 32, and 40 cm. Our preliminary results suggest that under moderate defoliation and no nutrient limitations, tall tussock-forming grasses exhibit forage accumulation flexibility in the same range of management heights as grasses of smaller size and growth habits. In the present study, elephant grass cv. Kurumi these heights corresponded to a pre-grazing height range of 50 to 80 cm.
