THE EFFECTS OF CUTTING AND GRAZING SYSTEMS ON HERBAGE PRODUCTION FROM GRASS SWARDS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Studies were made on two perennial ryegrass–dominant swards of the effects of cutting and grazing systems of herbage production. A motor scythe was used for cutting and sheep in small enclosures for grazing. In both systems, herbage production was measured by a ground‐level sampling technique, using sheep shears, and the difference between pre‐treatment and post‐treatment herbage was expressed as ‘utilized yield’. Correction for soil contamination is ensured by quoting all results on an organic‐matter basis. Grazing treatments averaged 14–16% more organic matter and 36–45% more crude protein than cutting treatments in both experiments. These differences were ascribed to recycling of N under grazing. Infrequent defoliation gave higher yields than frequent, and severe defoliation higher yields than lenient under both cutting and grazing systems. The trends shown by cutting and grazing intensities are comparable and can be quantified. There is need to examine closely the relationships between the effects of cutting and grazing techniques on herbage production, since such knowledge would allow a more accurate prediction of the relevance to the grazing situation of results obtained under cutting.