Inicio  /  Environments  /  Vol: 2 Núm: 2 Par: June (2015)  /  Artículo
ARTÍCULO
TITULO

Harvesting Effects on Species Composition and Distribution of Cover Attributes in Mixed Native Warm-Season Grass Stands

Vitalis W. Temu    
Brian S. Baldwin    
K. Raja Reddy and Samuel K. Riffell    

Resumen

Managing grasslands for forage and ground-nesting bird habitat requires appropriate defoliation strategies. Subsequent early-summer species composition in mixed stands of native warm-season grasses (Indiangrass (IG, Sorghastrum nutans), big bluestem (BB, Andropogon gerardii) and little bluestem (LB, Schizachyrium scoparium)) responding to harvest intervals (treatments, 30, 40, 60, 90 or 120 d) and durations (years in production) was assessed. Over three years, phased May harvestings were initiated on sets of randomized plots, =90 cm apart, in five replications (blocks) to produce one-, two- and three-year-old stands. Two weeks after harvest, the frequencies of occurrence of plant species, litter and bare ground, diagonally across each plot (line intercept), were compared. Harvest intervals did not influence proportions of dominant plant species, occurrence of major plant types or litter, but increased that of bare ground patches. Harvest duration increased the occurrence of herbaceous forbs and bare ground patches, decreased that of tall-growing forbs and litter, but without affecting that of perennial grasses, following a year with more September rainfall. Data suggest that one- or two-year full-season forage harvesting may not compromise subsequent breeding habitat for bobwhites and other ground-nesting birds in similar stands. It may take longer than a year?s rest for similar stands to recover from such changes in species composition.

 Artículos similares

       
 
Keshav Bhattarai and Ambika P. Adhikari    
This paper responds to the research question, ?can urban farming in Nepal help create sustainable cities?? Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, urban residents have begun to realize that food transported from long distances is not always reliable. Urb... ver más
Revista: Urban Science

 
Khadijeh Alibabaei, Eduardo Assunção, Pedro D. Gaspar, Vasco N. G. J. Soares and João M. L. P. Caldeira    
The concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) in agriculture is associated with the use of high-tech devices such as robots and sensors that are interconnected to assess or monitor conditions on a particular plot of land and then deploy the various factors... ver más
Revista: Future Internet

 
Yoganand Korgaonkar, David Phillip Guertin, Thomas Meixner and David C Goodrich    
Green Infrastructure (GI) practices are being implemented in numerous cities to tackle stormwater management issues and achieve co-benefits such as mitigating heat island effects and air pollution, as well as water augmentation, health, and economic bene... ver más

 
Matthew C. LaFevor and Carlos E. Ramos-Scharrón    
Concerns over freshwater scarcity for agriculture, ecosystems, and human consumption are driving the construction of infiltration trenches in many mountain protected areas. This study examines the effectiveness of infiltration trenches in a subalpine for... ver más
Revista: Hydrology

 
Janith Dissanayake and Mooyoung Han    
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has attracted global attention as a solution for the urban water crisis; however, the water quality can be impacted by particulate matter and soluble contaminants. Therefore, the inlet and outlet configurations of the storage t... ver más
Revista: Water