grassland summary (1).docx

Rough Mountain/Hill Grazing: Permanent grassland on peaty, difficult-to-cultivate soil, improved by liming and reseeding. Leys: Temporary grasslands with variable botanical composition, medium stocking rates, and production levels. Grass Growth Phases: Vegetative (tillers form), Elongation (stem g...

Rough Mountain/Hill Grazing: Permanent grassland on peaty, difficult-to-cultivate soil, improved by liming and reseeding. Leys: Temporary grasslands with variable botanical composition, medium stocking rates, and production levels. Grass Growth Phases: Vegetative (tillers form), Elongation (stem growth), Reproduction (seed head emerges); growth slows in reproductive phase. Palatability: Measure of grass taste; affects grazing preference and intake. Productivity: Quantity of herbage produced; higher productivity means more available for grazing. Digestibility: Proportion of food assimilated vs. consumed; crucial for livestock nutrition. Dry Matter (DM): Remaining matter after water removal in food; impacts nutritional value. Dry Matter Digestibility (DMD): Percentage of dry matter digested by animals. Dry Matter Intake (DMI): Amount of feed consumed excluding water content. Seed Selection: Options include Perennial RyeGrass, Italian RyeGrass, White Clover, Red Clover for different grazing needs. Grazing Methods: Include Paddock Grazing, Strip Grazing, Block Grazing, Zero Grazing, Creep Grazing, Mixed Grazing, and Extended Grazing. Livestock Units (LU): Measurement for grazing needs; 1 LU = 12 tonnes of herbage annually. Silage Production: Fermentation of grass for preservation; factors like pH, DM%, and DMD% affect quality. Hay Production: Dehydration of grass for preservation; inhibits microbial activity. Steps for Silage Production: Field preparation, cutting at vegetative stage, wilting, chopping, compacting, covering with polythene.