Across the US Coastal Plain, native grasses and legumes may provide viable alternatives to monoculture pastures of introduced sod‐forming grasses, which require recurring costly inputs. Some available cultivars mostly from neighboring regions, have potential combine forage production for grazing livestock with enhanced habitat, especially grassland birds. A few legume species enhance ecosystem ...

Question: What are the physical and chemical effects of plant litter on annual grassland community composition, aboveground net primary production (ANPP), and density? Location: California annual grassland. Methods: We manipulated litter and light levels independently and in concert. Litter removal and litter addition treatments tested both the physical and chemical impacts of litter’s presence...

Root- and shoot-feeding herbivores have the capacity to influence one another by modifying the chemistry of the shared host plant. This can alter rates of nutrient mineralization and uptake by neighboring plants and influence plant-plant competition, particularly in mixtures combining grasses and legumes. Root herbivory-induced exudation of nitrogen (N) from legume roots, for example, may incre...

This paper reviews the current use of self-regenerating pasture legumes in the farming systems of southern Europe. Annual legumes are mainly the base for the improvement of low quality native pastures in extensive farming systems. Traditional pasture legumes such as subterranean clovers and annual medics are the base plants of Mediterranean pastures, and are essential for pasture improvement of...

A silage inoculant [Biomin® BioStabil Plus, BSP, a blend of Enterococcus faecium (DSM 3530), Lactobacillus brevis (DSM 19456) and Lactobacillus plantarum (DSM 19457)], was used on legume-grass silage [32% of dry matter (DM)] vs. an untreated control silage (CT). The material had mean crude protein (CP) and water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentrations of 174 and 88 g/kg,respectively. BSP resu...

erates frequent defoliation in monoculture (Peterson et al., 1994) or in binary mixture with grass (Kim, 1996) Improved dry matter (DM) production of cool-season grass monoand is suitable for hay or pasture production in this cultures may result from either N fertilization or the addition of legumes such as kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.) or birdsregion (Sheaffer and Marten, 1991; She...

Fibrous green crops can be separated by mechanical methods into two fractions: a highquality fibrous feedstuff for ruminants and a liquid rich in protein, sugars and minerals for non-ruminants. The yields of crude protein (CP) (nitrogenx6.~5) which can be obtained from grasses and legume crops are substantially greater than for other methods of crop or animal production (Davys, 1973) (Table I),...

This study presents the results of some options to restore pastures with low productivity in arid steppes Kostanay region northern Kazakhstan, describing effects associated grass-legume mixtures. The mixtures, contribution preservation and maintenance pasture forage crops, were discussed. Mixtures grasses legumes selected that are promising crops for regions.The plant density its condition dete...

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is probably the most drought tolerant legume crop and it is also resistant to moderate salinity. In drought prone areas the plant is considered an insurance crop for subsistence farmers. During drought-triggered famines, grass pea can be the only food available and a lifesaver. In addition, grass pea is valuable for its abundant nutrients, especially protein and ...