Change in productivity of swards of different forage legume and grass species monocultures and combinations in the semi-arid region of Xinjiang Province

doi:10.11686/cyxb2019314

Abstract

Abstract: The inter-species competitive and mutualistic relationships in mixed-species grassland are important to grassland productivity and stability. Ultimately, the cumulative effect of such factors is expressed by indicators such as yield and change in botanical composition in mixed-species grassland. In this study, monocultures of four most commonly sown forage species, smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis), orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata), sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) and red clover (Trifolium pratense), were established as controls, and the forage yields and changes in species composition of two-species combinations (one legume and one grass) and three-species combinations were monitored for three years, and changes in productivity and factors affecting sward stability were analysed. For both monoculture and mixed-species swards, the biomass as hay was higher in 2017 than in 2018. The grazing biomass yields of mixed-species grassland were also significantly higher in 2018 than in 2017 and 2016, except for mixed-species swards of orchard grass and red clover. From 2016 to 2018, the proportion of biomass and density of smooth bromegrass increased significantly, and the proportion of biomass and density of orchard grass and red clover decreased significantly. The proportion of biomass and density of sainfoin gradually increased when sown with smooth bromegrass, but it gradually decreased when sown with orchard grass. In mixed-species swards of three forages, the proportions of biomass and density of smooth bromegrass and sainfoin increased significantly, while those of red clover and orchard grass decreased significantly. In summary, the variation of biomass over three years in mixed-species grassland in the arid conditions of this experiment was found to depend mainly on the annual average rainfall and the adaptability of the species present. From the changes in biomass and density observed in mixed-species swards, over time, smooth bromegrass and sainfoin gradually dominated while orchard grass and red clover were gradually lost and may disappear entirely in the longer term when included in mixed-species sowings in this region.

Key words: mixed-culture grassland, productivity, protein yield, legume, grass

XIE Kai-yun, CAO Kai, WAN Jiang-chun, WANG Yu-xiang, ZHAO Yun, ZHU Jin-zhong. Change in productivity of swards of different forage legume and grass species monocultures and combinations in the semi-arid region of Xinjiang Province[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2020, 29(4): 29-40.

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