Holistic versus continuous grazing in Patagonia: A station-scale case study of plant and animal production
We compared animal and vegetation responses of a 13 600-ha area under holistic grazing management (HGM) with a similar area under continuous grazing (CGM) in a Patagonian station. Limitations were a dry 2012 −2016 experimental period, poorer soils, and grazing of native guanacos (Lama guanicoe) in t...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Elsevier
2021
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| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/8743 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550742420301196 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2020.09.006 |
| _version_ | 1855484259185197056 |
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| author | Oliva, Gabriel Esteban Ferrante, Daniela Cepeda, Carla Tamara Humano, Gervasio Puig, Silvina |
| author_browse | Cepeda, Carla Tamara Ferrante, Daniela Humano, Gervasio Oliva, Gabriel Esteban Puig, Silvina |
| author_facet | Oliva, Gabriel Esteban Ferrante, Daniela Cepeda, Carla Tamara Humano, Gervasio Puig, Silvina |
| author_sort | Oliva, Gabriel Esteban |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | We compared animal and vegetation responses of a 13 600-ha area under holistic grazing management (HGM) with a similar area under continuous grazing (CGM) in a Patagonian station. Limitations were a dry 2012 −2016 experimental period, poorer soils, and grazing of native guanacos (Lama guanicoe) in the HGM area. Forage standing crop in this area before the experience was lower and remained so during the study: (194 ±31 HGM vs. 244 ±33 kg dry matter . ha −1 CGM). Six monitoring sites showed similar and remarkable (though mostly nonsignificant) vegetation improvements in total cover (10.6% HGM vs. 10.9% CGM) and cover of short palatable grasses (21.4% vs. 23.9%, respectively). Species richness showed small changes ( −1 vs. −6%), bare soil interpatches decreased ( −11.9 vs. −5.4%), and land function indicators of Stability (5.4% vs. 9.9%), Infiltration (12.4% vs. 12.0%), and Nutrient recycling (4.2% vs. 20.6%) increased. Tussock cover changed significantly with grazing management, as it decreased −6% (ns) in HGM and grew 42% ( P = 0.03) under CGM, probably due to coarse tussock forage consumption in HGM. Sheep under HGM were 15% lighter (43.9 ±0.5 HGM vs. 51.7 ±0.5 kg . ewe −1 CGM P < 0.001), ewes scored 28% lower body condition (1.60 vs. 2.25, P < 0.001), and lambing rates were 36% lower (48.3 ±2.1% vs . 74.2 ±1.9%). Rotation ended in 2015 as a consequence of low lambing rates, and sheep body condition and reproductive rates recovered to similar values in both areas. Positive vegetation changes in both areas may be driven by residual effects of destocking 3 decades ago and show that improvement is possible using moderate stocking rates. Although it could be argued that rest periods of HGM may be positive in the long term, its negative effects on animal production should be addressed, and fast regeneration using intense management in these severely restricted habitats should not be expected. Slow, persistent progress under careful management seems achievable under both grazing systems. |
| format | Artículo |
| id | INTA8743 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| publisherStr | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA87432021-02-25T11:27:56Z Holistic versus continuous grazing in Patagonia: A station-scale case study of plant and animal production Oliva, Gabriel Esteban Ferrante, Daniela Cepeda, Carla Tamara Humano, Gervasio Puig, Silvina Grazing Biodiversity Grassland Management Livestock Management Grazing Systems Continuous Grazing Rotational Grazing Semiarid Zones Sheep Vegetation Pastoreo Biodiversidad Manejo de Praderas Manejo del Ganado Sistemas de Pastoreo Pastoreo Continuo Pastoreo Rotacional Zonas Semiáridas Ovinos Lama guanicoe Guanaco Vegetación Santa Cruz (Argentina) Holistic Grazing Pastoreo Holístico Región Patagónica We compared animal and vegetation responses of a 13 600-ha area under holistic grazing management (HGM) with a similar area under continuous grazing (CGM) in a Patagonian station. Limitations were a dry 2012 −2016 experimental period, poorer soils, and grazing of native guanacos (Lama guanicoe) in the HGM area. Forage standing crop in this area before the experience was lower and remained so during the study: (194 ±31 HGM vs. 244 ±33 kg dry matter . ha −1 CGM). Six monitoring sites showed similar and remarkable (though mostly nonsignificant) vegetation improvements in total cover (10.6% HGM vs. 10.9% CGM) and cover of short palatable grasses (21.4% vs. 23.9%, respectively). Species richness showed small changes ( −1 vs. −6%), bare soil interpatches decreased ( −11.9 vs. −5.4%), and land function indicators of Stability (5.4% vs. 9.9%), Infiltration (12.4% vs. 12.0%), and Nutrient recycling (4.2% vs. 20.6%) increased. Tussock cover changed significantly with grazing management, as it decreased −6% (ns) in HGM and grew 42% ( P = 0.03) under CGM, probably due to coarse tussock forage consumption in HGM. Sheep under HGM were 15% lighter (43.9 ±0.5 HGM vs. 51.7 ±0.5 kg . ewe −1 CGM P < 0.001), ewes scored 28% lower body condition (1.60 vs. 2.25, P < 0.001), and lambing rates were 36% lower (48.3 ±2.1% vs . 74.2 ±1.9%). Rotation ended in 2015 as a consequence of low lambing rates, and sheep body condition and reproductive rates recovered to similar values in both areas. Positive vegetation changes in both areas may be driven by residual effects of destocking 3 decades ago and show that improvement is possible using moderate stocking rates. Although it could be argued that rest periods of HGM may be positive in the long term, its negative effects on animal production should be addressed, and fast regeneration using intense management in these severely restricted habitats should not be expected. Slow, persistent progress under careful management seems achievable under both grazing systems. EEA Santa Cruz Fil: Oliva, Gabriel Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil: Oliva, Gabriel Esteban. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina. Fil: Ferrante, Daniela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil: Ferrante, Daniela. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina. Fil: Cepeda, Carla Tamara. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil: Humano, Gervasio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Fil: Puig, Silvina. Actividad Privada. Estancia Los Pozos. Santa Cruz; Argentina 2021-02-25T11:09:24Z 2021-02-25T11:09:24Z 2021-01 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/8743 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550742420301196 Gabriel Oliva, Daniela Ferrante, Carla Cepeda, Gervasio Humano, Silvina Puig, Holistic versus continuous grazing in Patagonia: A station-scale case study of plant and animal production, Rangeland Ecology & Management, Volume 74, 2021, Pages 63-71, ISSN 1550-7424, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2020.09.006. 1550-7424 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2020.09.006 eng info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/PNPA-1126074/AR./Desarrollo, Integración y transferencia de tecnologías para manejo sustentable de servicios de la vegetación natural para fines ganaderos. info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Elsevier Rangeland Ecology & Management 74 : 63-71. (2021) |
| spellingShingle | Grazing Biodiversity Grassland Management Livestock Management Grazing Systems Continuous Grazing Rotational Grazing Semiarid Zones Sheep Vegetation Pastoreo Biodiversidad Manejo de Praderas Manejo del Ganado Sistemas de Pastoreo Pastoreo Continuo Pastoreo Rotacional Zonas Semiáridas Ovinos Lama guanicoe Guanaco Vegetación Santa Cruz (Argentina) Holistic Grazing Pastoreo Holístico Región Patagónica Oliva, Gabriel Esteban Ferrante, Daniela Cepeda, Carla Tamara Humano, Gervasio Puig, Silvina Holistic versus continuous grazing in Patagonia: A station-scale case study of plant and animal production |
| title | Holistic versus continuous grazing in Patagonia: A station-scale case study of plant and animal production |
| title_full | Holistic versus continuous grazing in Patagonia: A station-scale case study of plant and animal production |
| title_fullStr | Holistic versus continuous grazing in Patagonia: A station-scale case study of plant and animal production |
| title_full_unstemmed | Holistic versus continuous grazing in Patagonia: A station-scale case study of plant and animal production |
| title_short | Holistic versus continuous grazing in Patagonia: A station-scale case study of plant and animal production |
| title_sort | holistic versus continuous grazing in patagonia a station scale case study of plant and animal production |
| topic | Grazing Biodiversity Grassland Management Livestock Management Grazing Systems Continuous Grazing Rotational Grazing Semiarid Zones Sheep Vegetation Pastoreo Biodiversidad Manejo de Praderas Manejo del Ganado Sistemas de Pastoreo Pastoreo Continuo Pastoreo Rotacional Zonas Semiáridas Ovinos Lama guanicoe Guanaco Vegetación Santa Cruz (Argentina) Holistic Grazing Pastoreo Holístico Región Patagónica |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/8743 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550742420301196 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2020.09.006 |
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