Rangeland and steer responses to grazing in the Southern Plains
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Authors: P. L. Sims, and R. L. Gillen
Date: 1999
Journal: Journal of Range Management
Volume: 52
Number: 6
Pages: 651-660
Summary of Methods: The response of mixed-grass prairie vegetation to continuous grazing at varying stocking rates was measured on pastures that had a long history of overgrazing in this 10 year study. Species composition and vegetative basal cover improved at all applied stocking rates, most likely because even the heavy stocking rate was lower than the previously used stocking rate on these pastures. Species composition varied slightly among stocking rates; cover of perennial grasses, fall switchgrass (Digitaria cognata), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia) were greater in pastures with heavy stocking rates while cover of Texas bluegrass (Poa arachnifera), and forb species were greater in pastures with low or moderate stocking rates. The authors concluded that all stocking rates used in this study were acceptable for use on Oklahoma mixed-grass prairies, however, they also cautioned that favorable levels of precipitation during this study and the intense grazing history of the pastures may have affected the results by minimizing the vegetative response to the different stocking rates.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: beef cattle, efficiency, mixed prairie, basal cover, gain per hectare, average daily gain, climate
Annotation: 2 replicate pastures of each of 3 stocking rates were investigated. The stocking rates were about 41, 53, and 82 AUD/ha for the light, moderate, and heavy grazing intensities, respectively.
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