Response of Shortgrass Plains Vegetation to Clipping, Precipitation, and Soil Water

Abstract

Clipping shortgrass range in Texas at 2-week intervals gave 94% more forage yield than fall harvest. Clipping treatments had little effect on ground cover and plant composition. Yield was shown to be a function of current season precipitation, while plant composition and ground cover were more closely related to previous season precipitation. In the one of seven seasons when stored soil water was available at the beginning of the growing season (4.91 inches of plant-available water), it was depleted by June 15.