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Grassland Introduction - Coggle Diagram
Grassland Introduction
Key Terms
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Dry Matter Digestibility
(DMD), % of DM that can be fully digested by the animal
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Grassland Categories
Rough/Hill Grazing
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Botanical composition varies greatly, poor grass heather & gorse
Production levels, poor grasses lead to low LWG
Stocking rate, low nutrition leads to low stocking rate
Permanent Grassland
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Can be fertilized, improves quality & productivity
Botanical Composition, variable & poor
Production Levels, Can be improved with lime or fert
Stocking Rate improved grazing, improves stocking rates
Leys
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Temporary in nature, reseeded regularly
Botanical Composition, one or two productive grasses, clover dominate
Production Levels, productive grasses used, High LWG
Stocking Rate, High nutrition, high stocking rate
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Growth Cycle of Grass
Vegetative
Tillers produced, leafy grass with lots of sugar and protein
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Reproduction
Seed head emerges (heading out) and stems hardens to support the extra length, produces more fiber
Digestibility
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Decreasing as growth continues, Sugar and Protein
Increases as growth continues, Fiber and cellulose
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Types of Grass
Perennial Ryegrass
Well drained soils, pH 6 or higher
High productivity, palatability and digestibility
Long growing season, reducing winter costs
High stocking rates, high productivity
Good tillering, leads to high production
Italian Ryegrass
Well drained soils, pH 6 or higher
Biennial (growth >2 yrs), suitable for short term leys (2-3 yrs)
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Clover
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Have root nodules which contain nitrogen fixing bacteria that fixes atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia
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Seed Mixtures
A seed mixture is a mixture of either different species of grass, often with clover
Both PRG and IRG can be categorized as early, intermediate or late verities based in how far into the growing season the heads emerge
Grazing, PRG varieties with different heading out dates with white clover
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Silage, IRG varieties with similar heading outdates with red clover
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Food Production
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Productivity and digestibility of a species affects the production levels of a grassland, in turn effects stocking rates and LWG/Milk production