Satellite Symposium 3: Pastoral Systems
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Publication Date
2005
Location
Dublin Ireland
Citation
Hodgkinson, K. C. and Muller, W. J., "Mortality Model for a Perennial Grass in Australian Semi-Arid Wooded Grasslands Grazed by Sheep" (2005). IGC Proceedings (1985-2023). 9.
(URL: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/20/satellitesymposium3/9)
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Mortality Model for a Perennial Grass in Australian Semi-Arid Wooded Grasslands Grazed by Sheep
Dublin Ireland
Speaker's Bio
Grazing of sheep in marginal semi-arid environments is risky because grazing appears to predispose grass plants, especially palatable species, to sudden death (Hodgkinson, 1994; 1995). These early observations were based on a preliminary analysis of perennial grass survival in a single drought and supported the concept of tactical grazing proposed by Westoby et al. (1989) as a preferred management. Later this idea was developed by suggesting the existence of critical thresholds for perennial grass survival, which when crossed, collapses grass populations (Hodgkinson, 1994). Here we examine the relationship between mortality of a palatable perennial grass, Thyridolepis mitchelliana, and a number of variables measured during a 10-year period.