Stubble Height, Basal Cover, and Herbage Production Relationships in Grasslands of Northern Greece

Abstract

Leaving an amount of mulch at the end of the grazing period, before the new growing season starts is vital in maintaining productivity in grasslands on a sustained yield basis. Mulch was expressed as stubble height at 6 levels (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 cm) and was related to basal cover and herbage production attained at the end of the growing season for 5 consecutive years. The research was conducted on 3 perennial grassland sites with a Mediterranean-type climate, representing the low, middle, and high (subalpine) ecological zones in northern Greece. Bare soil was significantly increased with nearly all stubble heights as compared to the control while mulch cover had an opposite response. There were significant changes in the absolute cover of the dominant species, especially perennial bunchgrasses, but the overall grass and forb cover was not significantly affected. Stubble heights of 12 or 15 cm at the low site and 6 to 15 cm at the other two sites produced the highest yields. These were not significantly different from the control, indicating that the middle and the high sites can withstand closer grazing than the low site.