Herbage Productivity and Botanical Composition of Hill Pasture as a Function of Clipping and Site Features
Complex topography and varied soil of hill-land pastures create microsite conditions that support an array of floristic associations and herbage production patterns. This complicates management for forage and livestock production because the seasonal distribution and quantity of forage vary. Our objective was to determine herbage production and floristic composition of a hill pasture as a function of site characteristics and canopy management. An existing 3-ha hill pasture watershed was oversown with white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and orchard-grass (Dactylis glomerata L.) and fertilized with reactive phosphate (PO 4 ) rock (PR). Replicated plots on each of four sites were clipped once (stockpiled), twice (hay harvest), or three times (long rotation) annually. Site had a significant impact on cumulative herbage production, whereas the influence of clipping was mixed. The least (1.9 Mg ha -1 ) amount of herbage production in a given season occurred on a northeast (NE)-facing site and the greatest (4.6 Mg ha -1 ) in a natural drainage area (ND) traversing the pasture. Herbage production increased by about 80% with overseeding and PR, but the relative ranking of production among sites stayed the same. Botanical composition was also strongly influenced by site, with velvetgrass (Holcus lanatus L.) predominating in ND and red fescue (Festuca rubra L.) occurring primarily on the NE site. The stockpiled treatments became dominated by grasses and weeds 4 yr after treatments were imposed, regardless of site, and were similar to the least productive site (NE-facing) in the pasture. Our results suggest that application of amendments to the more productive portions of a site are likely to have greater return.
EFFECT OF APPLICATION OF AGROTECHNICAL MEASURES IN UNUSED NATURAL MEADOWS AND PASTURES IN SMOLYAN REGION
During the period 2010–2012, two experiments were carried out in unused natural meadows and pastures at altitude of 1100 m and 1530 m, with sample plot size of 10 m2. Five agro technical measures were studied in the following variants: In natural meadows: 1. without application of measures (control); 2. cleaning of plots from trees, shrubs and stones, cutting and harvesting; 3. cleaning of plots from trees, shrubs and stones, nitrogen–phosphorus fertilization with 80 kg N ha –1 , 90 kg P2O5 ha –1 active matter, cutting and harvesting; 4. cleaning of plots from trees, shrubs and stones, organic–mineral fertilization with manure–7 t ha –1 , 60 kg N ha –1 and the 70 kg P2O5 ha –1 , cutting and harvesting; 5. cleaning of plots from trees, shrubs and stones, application of organic fertilizer Humustim–400ml/ha, cutting and harvesting. In natural pastures: 1. without application of measures (control); 2. grazing; 3. grazing and cutting of the forbs ungrazed by the animals; 4. nitrogen–phosphorus fertilization with 75 kg N ha –1 , 85 kg P2O5 ha –1 and grazing; 5. organic–mineral fertilization with manure–10 t ha –1 , 50 kg N ha –1 , 60 kg P2O5 ha –1 active matter and grazing. It was established that as a result of the cleaning of plots in combination with nitrogen (80 kg N ha –1 ) and phosphorus (90 kg P2O5 ha –1 ) fertilization and respectively with organic–mineral fertilization–manure 7 t ha –1 , 60 kg N ha –1 and 70 kg P2O5 ha –1 contributed to the increase of the grass stands productivity of unused natural meadows in the highest degree. Average for the period of investigation, more green and dry mass were obtained, exceeding the control with 69.9 and 120.5% and with 54.0 and 74.0%, richer in the crude protein, the crude fat and the calcium. Grazing of the old grass cover of unused natural pastures combined with application of mineral fertilizers 75 kg N ha –1 , 85 P2O5 kg ha –1 and respectively with organic–mineral fertilization–manure 10 t ha –1 , 50 kg N ha –1 , 60 kg P2O5 ha –1 led to an acceleration of growth and development of the grass plants and increase the productivity of grass stands. The resulting green mass (12.2–13.2 t ha –1 ) was higher than the control and with higher nutritive value. The applied measures contributed to increase the share of grasses in the grass stand. The fertilization with organic and mineral fertilizers contributed to increase the content of crude protein in the forage and decrease the crude fibre. Keyword: natural meadows and pastures, fertilization, productivity, botanical composition, chemical composition.
Assessment of some agro-technological parameters of cactus pear fruit ( Opuntia ficus-indica Mill . ) in Morocco cultivars
Cactaceae had always attracted attention by their strange shapes and important adaptability supporting extreme conditions. For this reasons, Fruit traits were measured on 13 cultivars growing in different locations in Morocco. Results show significant differences between the cultivars. The source of this variation was probably genetic without excluding the geographic effects. The Tamri, Berkan, Ait Baha cultivars showed small fruit dimensions and weight. In contrast, Sidi-Ifni M, Nador, Mohammedia and Ben Guerir were greater than 100 g by fruit. Sidi-Ifni M, Hoceima, Mohammedia and Nador, although larger, contained few seeds, about 200 seeds per fruit; while Tamri, Ait Baha, Safi, Meknes and Tafraout contained over than 230 seeds per fruit. High levels of juice about 62 ml/100 g pulp were obtained with Sidi-Ifni M, Nador, Mohammedia and Ben Guerir cultivars. Total sugars of the 13 cultivars were quite similar and pH was low in Tamri and close to neutrality in the rest of cultivars. Therefore, oil extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica seeds constituted 13.6% of the whole seed. Thin-layer chromatography in conjunction with gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed a relatively high degree of unsaturation, 83.32% and 16% for saturated fatty acid, with a linoleic acid content of 63.66% followed by oleic 18.34%, palmitic 12.84% and stearic acid 2.81%. Based on these results, O. ficus-indica seed oil appears to be a good potential source of edible oil for human and (or) animal consumption. Our investigation describes that Tamri and Tafraout cultivars are not really a commercial viable fruit due to low total soluble solids value and highest seeds number per fruit. Against Mohammedia, Sidi Ifni M and Nador cultivars proved to have the highest fruit weight, very good total soluble solids value and low number of seeds, these cultivars can therefore be planted for both fruit production and for harvesting of cladodes for animal feed.