FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY OF GRAZING AND THEIR EFFECTS ON PASTURE PRODUCTION

Abstract

IN New Zealand, as in a number of other pastoral areas (A the world, controversy has surrounded the value of pasture management studies using indices such as dry matter production as an aid to predicting possible animal production levels per unit area. This stems from the fact that investigators studying the significance of different frequencies and intensities of grazing on pasture production and species productivity have been able to demonstrate very large differences in herbage production levels, whereas animal production studies using parameters of animal production as indices in these same environments have frequently failed to reflect such large differences. This is in spite of the fact that the extra production obtained in the pasture studies is frequently of high quality and is a very desirable feed for livestock.