More Stable Productivity of Semi Natural Grasslands than Sown Pastures in a Seasonally Dry Climate

More Stable Productivity of Semi Natural Grasslands than Sown Pastures in a Seasonally Dry Climate

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In the Neotropics the predominant pathway to intensify productivity is generally thought to be to convert grasslands to sown pastures, mostly in monoculture. This article examines how above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) in seminatural grasslands and sown pastures in Central America respond...

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Main Authors: Ospina, Sonia, Rusch, Graciela M., Pezo Quevedo, Danilo, Casanoves, Fernando, Sinclair, Fergus L.
Format: Artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: 2015
Subjects:
PASPALUM
AXONOPUS
CULTIVOS DE PASTOS
TIERRAS DE PASTOS
PRODUCTIVIDAD
ESTACION SECA
PRECIPITACION ATMOSFERICA
AMERICA CENTRAL
Online Access:https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/7891
id RepoCATIE7891
record_format dspace
spelling RepoCATIE78912021-12-22T19:22:55Z More Stable Productivity of Semi Natural Grasslands than Sown Pastures in a Seasonally Dry Climate Ospina, Sonia Rusch, Graciela M. Pezo Quevedo, Danilo Casanoves, Fernando Sinclair, Fergus L. PASPALUM AXONOPUS CULTIVOS DE PASTOS TIERRAS DE PASTOS PRODUCTIVIDAD ESTACION SECA PRECIPITACION ATMOSFERICA AMERICA CENTRAL In the Neotropics the predominant pathway to intensify productivity is generally thought to be to convert grasslands to sown pastures, mostly in monoculture. This article examines how above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) in seminatural grasslands and sown pastures in Central America respond to rainfall by: (i) assessing the relationships between ANPP and accumulated rainfall and indices of rainfall distribution, (ii) evaluating the variability of ANPP between and within seasons, and (iii) estimating the temporal stability of ANPP. We conducted sequential biomass harvests during 12 periods of 22 days and related those to rainfall. There were significant relationships between ANPP and cumulative rainfall in 22-day periods for both vegetation types and a model including a linear and quadratic term explained 74% of the variation in the data. There was also a significant correlation between ANPP and the number of rainfall events for both vegetation types. Sown pastures had higher ANPP increments per unit rainfall and higher ANPP at the peak of the rainy season than seminatural grasslands. In contrast, semi-natural grasslands showed higher ANPP early in the dry season. The temporal stability of ANPP was higher in semi-natural grasslands than in the sown pastures in the dry season and over a whole annual cycle. Our results reveal that, contrary to conventional thinking amongst pasture scientists, there appears to be no increase in ANPP arising from replacing semi-natural grasslands with sown pastures under prevailing pasture management practices in seasonally dry climates, while the temporal distribution of ANPP is more even in semi-natural grasslands. Neither sown pastures nor semi-natural grasslands are productive towards the end of the dry season, indicating the potential importance of the widespread practice of retaining tree cover in pastures. 2015-11-18T06:02:23Z 2015-11-18T06:02:23Z 2013-06-11 Artículo https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/7891 en Programa Agroambiental Mesoamericano (MAP). Fase I application/pdf
institution Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza
collection Repositorio CATIE
language Inglés
topic PASPALUM
AXONOPUS
CULTIVOS DE PASTOS
TIERRAS DE PASTOS
PRODUCTIVIDAD
ESTACION SECA
PRECIPITACION ATMOSFERICA
AMERICA CENTRAL
spellingShingle PASPALUM
AXONOPUS
CULTIVOS DE PASTOS
TIERRAS DE PASTOS
PRODUCTIVIDAD
ESTACION SECA
PRECIPITACION ATMOSFERICA
AMERICA CENTRAL
Ospina, Sonia
Rusch, Graciela M.
Pezo Quevedo, Danilo
Casanoves, Fernando
Sinclair, Fergus L.
More Stable Productivity of Semi Natural Grasslands than Sown Pastures in a Seasonally Dry Climate
description In the Neotropics the predominant pathway to intensify productivity is generally thought to be to convert grasslands to sown pastures, mostly in monoculture. This article examines how above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) in seminatural grasslands and sown pastures in Central America respond to rainfall by: (i) assessing the relationships between ANPP and accumulated rainfall and indices of rainfall distribution, (ii) evaluating the variability of ANPP between and within seasons, and (iii) estimating the temporal stability of ANPP. We conducted sequential biomass harvests during 12 periods of 22 days and related those to rainfall. There were significant relationships between ANPP and cumulative rainfall in 22-day periods for both vegetation types and a model including a linear and quadratic term explained 74% of the variation in the data. There was also a significant correlation between ANPP and the number of rainfall events for both vegetation types. Sown pastures had higher ANPP increments per unit rainfall and higher ANPP at the peak of the rainy season than seminatural grasslands. In contrast, semi-natural grasslands showed higher ANPP early in the dry season. The temporal stability of ANPP was higher in semi-natural grasslands than in the sown pastures in the dry season and over a whole annual cycle. Our results reveal that, contrary to conventional thinking amongst pasture scientists, there appears to be no increase in ANPP arising from replacing semi-natural grasslands with sown pastures under prevailing pasture management practices in seasonally dry climates, while the temporal distribution of ANPP is more even in semi-natural grasslands. Neither sown pastures nor semi-natural grasslands are productive towards the end of the dry season, indicating the potential importance of the widespread practice of retaining tree cover in pastures.
format Artículo
author Ospina, Sonia
Rusch, Graciela M.
Pezo Quevedo, Danilo
Casanoves, Fernando
Sinclair, Fergus L.
author_facet Ospina, Sonia
Rusch, Graciela M.
Pezo Quevedo, Danilo
Casanoves, Fernando
Sinclair, Fergus L.
author_sort Ospina, Sonia
title More Stable Productivity of Semi Natural Grasslands than Sown Pastures in a Seasonally Dry Climate
title_short More Stable Productivity of Semi Natural Grasslands than Sown Pastures in a Seasonally Dry Climate
title_full More Stable Productivity of Semi Natural Grasslands than Sown Pastures in a Seasonally Dry Climate
title_fullStr More Stable Productivity of Semi Natural Grasslands than Sown Pastures in a Seasonally Dry Climate
title_full_unstemmed More Stable Productivity of Semi Natural Grasslands than Sown Pastures in a Seasonally Dry Climate
title_sort more stable productivity of semi natural grasslands than sown pastures in a seasonally dry climate
publishDate 2015
url https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/7891
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AT ruschgracielam morestableproductivityofseminaturalgrasslandsthansownpasturesinaseasonallydryclimate
AT pezoquevedodanilo morestableproductivityofseminaturalgrasslandsthansownpasturesinaseasonallydryclimate
AT casanovesfernando morestableproductivityofseminaturalgrasslandsthansownpasturesinaseasonallydryclimate
AT sinclairfergusl morestableproductivityofseminaturalgrasslandsthansownpasturesinaseasonallydryclimate
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