Publication Date
1997
Description
Botanical diversity in species rich grasslands re-created on restored opencast coal sites may be threatened by aggressive growth from the legume component. A previous study indicated that this aggressive legume growth may be suppressed by spring grazing with sheep. A detailed study was conducted to determine the effect of spring grazing on the two most abundant legumes within the community; white clover (Trifolium repens) and lesser trefoil (Trifolium dubium). The results obtained suggested that the control of legumes was apparently mediated principally through the suppression of white clover, with lesser trefoil growth actually being increased by grazing. Spring grazing was also accompanied by an increased abundance of associated grasses. These results suggest that any improvement in the community’s botanical composition that followed spring grazing was due in the main to suppression of the aggressive white clover.
Citation
Chapman, R and Younger, A, "Spring Grazing to Manipulate the Composition of a Re-Created Species Rich Grassland Habitat" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 4.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1997/session16/4
Included in
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Spring Grazing to Manipulate the Composition of a Re-Created Species Rich Grassland Habitat
Botanical diversity in species rich grasslands re-created on restored opencast coal sites may be threatened by aggressive growth from the legume component. A previous study indicated that this aggressive legume growth may be suppressed by spring grazing with sheep. A detailed study was conducted to determine the effect of spring grazing on the two most abundant legumes within the community; white clover (Trifolium repens) and lesser trefoil (Trifolium dubium). The results obtained suggested that the control of legumes was apparently mediated principally through the suppression of white clover, with lesser trefoil growth actually being increased by grazing. Spring grazing was also accompanied by an increased abundance of associated grasses. These results suggest that any improvement in the community’s botanical composition that followed spring grazing was due in the main to suppression of the aggressive white clover.
