Cutting height effects on wetland meadow forage yield and quality
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Authors: R. L. Dovel
Date: 1996
Journal: Journal of Range Management
Volume: 49
Number: 2
Pages: 151-156
Summary of Methods: The effect of clipping height on forage quality and yield of three meadow communities (bluegrass-clover, grass-sedge and sedge) was examined on an unfertilized meadow in Southern Klamath County, Oregon. Grazing was excluded for the duration of the study. Three clipping treatments (5, 10 and 15 cm stubble height) were applied to each community. Forage quality and quantity measurements were made throughout the summer.
Article Summary / Main Points: Overall, forage yields increased as clipping heights decreased. Highest forage yield, regrowth following clipping, and overall forage quality were obtained at the 5 cm clipping height in all associations. Clipping date had a greater effect on quality than did height. The 5 cm clipping height did not appear to reduce stand vigor or persistence as indicated by high forage yields in the third year of the study. In short-duration high-intensity grazing system, grazing to a 5 cm stubble height would produce the highest forage yield with no decrease in forage quality, forage availability, or stand vigor.
Vegetation Types: Riparian and Wetlands
MLRA Ecoregions: 21 Klamath and Shasta Valleys and Basins
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Grazing
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: sedge, carex, bluegrass, poa, tufted hairgrass, deschampsia caespitosa
Annotation: Even though the study was conducted in a meadow in Oregon the findings can be widely applied to any riparian area. Effectiveness of a short-duration high-intensity grazing system is dependent on the ability of the livestock producer or herder and even palatability across plant associations.
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