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INTERACTIONS OF GRAZING AND BURNING ON HEATHER MOORS
Author(s) -
Grant Sheila A.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
grass and forage science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1365-2494
pISSN - 0142-5242
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1971.tb00660.x
Subject(s) - grazing , environmental science , zoology , agronomy , ecology , biology , geography
Standing crops on plots of 5‐ to 11‐year‐oId heather subjected to six different grazing regimes ranged from 2400–10,000 kg/ha. Stand development of heather was greatly influenced by grazing management. Distribution of DM among the five fractions, flowers, current season's growth, older green material, wood and dead material, was significantly affected by both age and grazing regime and by the interaction of these two factors. Annual DM production ranged from about 1000 to 2000 kg/ha and there was no evidence of any impairment in the productive capacity of the heather plant with the levels of utilization which resulted from the six grazing regimes used. Factors involved in the evaluation of heather as a source of feed for ruminants are discussed briefly, as also are the problems of relating levels of utilization to grazing management.