Beskydy 2017, 10, 135-144
Plant species composition and potential feed value of permanent grasslands in the Sýkořská hornatina Upland
In multifunctional agriculture, permanent grasslands (PG) present an important culture which keeps the soil in the continuous production status while helping to shape the landscape and protecting biodiversity, plus it has a number of other non-productive functions. The aim of the study was to evaluate, using the “Inventory and Classification of PG” method, species composition and the feed value of fodder in permanent grasslands in a specific farming company (ZEAS Lysice, a. s.) located in the area of the Sýkořská hornatina Upland. Multivariate analysis of PCA identified three categories of sites in the area: (1) PG with a low proportion of grass species and a high proportion of other herbs (47–55 %); (2) PG with a high proportion of grass species (68–81 %); (3) PG with a medium-high proportion of grass species (50–60 %), legumes (1 %) and other herbs. Most of PG are completely lacking legumes which supply nitrogen to the vegetation and are a major improvement for fodder production and its quality. Additional seeding of grass-clover mixtures seems to be a useful way to improve the botanical composition of meadows and pastures in the area of interest.
Keywords
grassland, plant species composition, feed value, PCA analysis, Sýkořská hornatina Upland, Czech Republic.
Funding
The study was prepared under the financial support of the project MZE RO0417 “Sustainable Systems and Technologies, Improving Crop Production for Higher Quality of Production of Food, Feed, and Raw Materials, under Conditions of Changing Climate” (Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic) and research project NAZV QJ1510179 “A comprehensive soil protection technology of planting Zea mays L. within the frame of crop production re-intensification”.
