Publication Date

1985

Location

Kyoto Japan

Description

The program of loosening soil to improve grassland has been extensively studied for six years in the semiarid part of central Mongolia, especially on fringed sagebrush (Artemisia frigida Willd.) grassland which had already been deteriorated by beef cattle grazing. A detailed program was carried out from 1978 to 1984 involving the measurement of soil volume weight, soil water content, vegetative succession as well as forage production after soil loosened. It was shown that after six years study, the vegetation had changed from fringed sagebrush grassland to steppe grassland dominated by Stipa spp., and Agropyron cristatum. Forage yield increased by 86% in the first year after soil loosened and the yield increased steadily until the sixth year when the forage yield of improved pasture was 27% higher than the check. The proportion of the forage yield that was contributed by grasses increased from 28% in the first year to 70% in the third year. The change of vegetation was associated with that of soil water content and soil porosity. The effectiveness of loosening soil may be six years.

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The Results on Loosening Soil to Improve Fringed Sagebrush Grassland in Inner Mongolia

Kyoto Japan

The program of loosening soil to improve grassland has been extensively studied for six years in the semiarid part of central Mongolia, especially on fringed sagebrush (Artemisia frigida Willd.) grassland which had already been deteriorated by beef cattle grazing. A detailed program was carried out from 1978 to 1984 involving the measurement of soil volume weight, soil water content, vegetative succession as well as forage production after soil loosened. It was shown that after six years study, the vegetation had changed from fringed sagebrush grassland to steppe grassland dominated by Stipa spp., and Agropyron cristatum. Forage yield increased by 86% in the first year after soil loosened and the yield increased steadily until the sixth year when the forage yield of improved pasture was 27% higher than the check. The proportion of the forage yield that was contributed by grasses increased from 28% in the first year to 70% in the third year. The change of vegetation was associated with that of soil water content and soil porosity. The effectiveness of loosening soil may be six years.