A grassland seasonal diversified cattle and sheep mixed rotational grazing method

Abstract

The present application relates to the grassland grazing technology field, and particularly relates to a grassland seasonal diversification cattle and sheep mixed rotation grazing method, the grassland is divided into several grazing small areas, and cattle and sheep are mixed and rotated in different small areas; based on the grassland yield and community composition change characteristics in different seasons, the mixed proportion of cattle and sheep and the rotation frequency are flexibly adjusted, which can effectively solve the problems of low grassland space utilization efficiency, low forage conversion efficiency and reduced grassland biodiversity caused by the single fixed rotation grazing mode in the current grassland zoning rotation grazing management, and is expected to greatly improve the grazing livestock production efficiency and the grassland ecological function, and is also helpful to truly realize the grass-livestock balance.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of pasture grazing technology, in particular to a seasonal diversified mixed grazing method of cattle and sheep in grassland. BACKGROUND

[0002] As the largest terrestrial ecosystem in the world, grassland is not only the production base of animal husbandry, which continuously provides high-quality animal products such as meat, milk, skin and fur, but also the ecological barrier of farmland and city, which plays an irreplaceable stabilizing role on the ecological environment of the pastoral area and the adjacent area. However, the increasing global change superimposed on the continuous high-intensity human activities makes the grassland appear biodiversity loss and nutritional structure simplification, and the production-ecological function of the grassland is out of balance, resulting in the phenomenon of "low production and low income" in the pastoral area, and the sustainability of social and economic development is seriously restricted. Grazing is the most economical and effective way to utilize natural grassland, and it is also the most important feasible control means for human beings to utilize grassland. The level of grazing management determines the production of grassland plants and animals, as well as the ecological stability and production efficiency. For a long time, most grassland pastoral areas mainly adopt simple and extensive free grazing method, and the increasingly prominent "grass-livestock contradiction" of the grassland is the main reason for the decline of the ecological function of the grassland, the reduction of the production benefit of livestock, and the slow improvement of the economic level of the pastoral area.

[0003] A series of grazing systems have been established at home and abroad, among which the strip-grazing technology is considered to be the most perfect and feasible grazing technology in theory. By limiting the livestock to graze in multiple small areas of grassland, the uniformity of forage utilization can be improved, and by rotating the grazing in different small areas, the forage can be guaranteed to have enough time for compensatory growth. In addition, the time of livestock walking can be reduced, the energy consumption can be reduced, and the forage conversion efficiency can be improved. However, the application of the current strip-grazing technology in most grassland pastoral areas in China is still rare, and the main reason is that the current strip-grazing technology still has the following problems in practical application: (1) the common grazing livestock sheep in the grassland has a strong feeding selectivity, and limiting it to graze in a small area of grassland during the rotation grazing cannot fully utilize the non-preferred food species, but will increase the feeding intensity of the preferred food species, resulting in the reduction of plant diversity in the grassland; (2) the common large-scale grazing livestock cattle in the grassland has a strong trampling effect on the grassland, and limiting it to graze in a small area of grassland during the rotation grazing will intensify its trampling damage to the grassland, especially in the early growing season when the plants are tender; (3) the current strip-grazing technology mostly adopts a single fixed rotation grazing method during the grazing process, which cannot adapt to the great variation of the grassland yield and community composition characteristics in different seasons, resulting in overgrazing in the early growing season, degradation of vegetation, and uneven spatial utilization of forage and large amount of labor consumption in the later period.

[0004] In view of the above defects, the present application creators have finally obtained the present application after a long time of research and practice. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to solve the problems of low grassland space utilization efficiency, low forage conversion efficiency, and reduced grassland biodiversity caused by the single and fixed rotational grazing method in the current grassland zoning and rotational grazing management, and to provide a seasonal and diversified mixed cattle and sheep rotational grazing method for grasslands.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this invention discloses a method for seasonal and diversified mixed rotational grazing of cattle and sheep on grasslands, comprising the following steps:

[0007] S1, determine the rest period and grazing period;

[0008] S2, determine the yield of edible forage grass in the grassland;

[0009] S3, determine the ratio of mixed grazing for cattle and sheep;

[0010] S4, determine the number of cattle and sheep to graze;

[0011] S5, determine the frequency of mixed rotational grazing of cattle and sheep.

[0012] Determining the rest period in step S1 specifically includes the following steps:

[0013] S111. Determine the spring grazing rest period. The spring grazing rest period is selected during the spring plant greening and seedling growth period. Different grassland types determine the spring grazing rest time according to the different phenological stages of plants. The start of the greening of the main local herbaceous plants is used as a reference indicator. It starts in early April each year. The specific time can be adjusted according to the grassland conditions and climate characteristics of each region.

[0014] S112. Determine the autumn grazing rest period. The autumn grazing rest period is selected during the fruiting period of autumn plants. Different grassland types determine the autumn grazing rest time according to the different phenological stages of plants. It starts in late summer or early autumn, with the main reference indicator being the peak flowering period of the local major herbaceous plants. The specific time can be adjusted according to the grassland conditions and climate characteristics of each region.

[0015] Determining the grazing period in step S1 specifically includes the following steps:

[0016] S121. Determine the warm-season grazing period, which is from the beginning of spring grazing to the fallow period in autumn. The beginning of grazing is determined by the growth and development of the dominant forage grasses of different grassland types. For grasslands dominated by grasses, it should be when the grasses begin to shoot and joint; for grasslands dominated by leguminous and miscellaneous grasses, it should be when axillary buds or lateral branches appear. The specific time can be adjusted according to the grassland conditions and climate characteristics in different regions. The grazing time for warm-season grasslands is from May to August.

[0017] S122, determine the cold season grazing period, the cold season grazing period is from the dry and yellow period to the next spring resting period, according to the grassland situation and climate characteristics, the specific time can be adjusted, the cold season grassland grazing time is from September to the next April.

[0018] The step S2 of determining the edible forage yield of the grassland is specifically as follows: calculating the edible forage yield EF of the grassland:

[0019] EF=AxFx50%

[0020] Wherein, A represents the grassland area, and F represents the unit area yield.

[0021] The step S3 of determining the mixed ratio of cattle and sheep is specifically as follows:

[0022] S31, determine the mixed ratio of cattle and sheep in the warm season grazing early stage, at this time, the nutrient content of forage is high, the foraging selectivity of cattle and sheep is low, but the trampling of large-sized cattle is harmful to the vegetation, therefore, the proportion of large-sized cattle in the mixed grazing livestock combination should be reduced, that is, the foraging amount ratio of cattle and sheep is 1:2 (the foraging amount ratio of cattle R C =1 / 3, and the foraging amount ratio of sheep R S =2 / 3);

[0023] S32, determine the mixed ratio of cattle and sheep in the warm season grazing late stage, at this time, the nutrient content of forage is reduced, and the foraging selectivity of livestock sheep is enhanced, therefore, the proportion of large-sized cattle with low foraging selectivity in the mixed grazing livestock group should be increased to uniformly utilize the forage resources, that is, the foraging amount ratio of cattle and sheep is 2:1, the foraging amount ratio of cattle R C =2 / 3, and the foraging amount ratio of sheep R S =1 / 3.

[0024] S33, determine the mixed ratio of cattle and sheep in the cold season grazing, at this time, the forage is in the dry and yellow period, the foraging amount ratio of cattle and sheep in the mixed grazing livestock group should be 1:1, the foraging amount ratio of cattle R C =1 / 2, and the foraging amount ratio of sheep R S =1 / 2, that is, the differentiated utilization of forage resources by cattle and sheep is used to increase the uniformity of forage utilization.

[0025] The step S4 of determining the grazing number of cattle and sheep is specifically as follows:

[0026] The grazing number of cattle (C) is:

[0027]

[0028] Wherein, EF is the edible forage yield of the grassland, R C represents the foraging amount ratio of cattle in the mixed grazing of cattle and sheep, and W CD represents the number of grazing days, and the daily forage intake of the cattle is 2% of the average weight of the cattle;

[0029] The number of sheep grazing (S) is:

[0030]

[0031] The number of sheep grazing (S) is:

[0032] The specific steps in the step S5 are as follows:

[0033] S51, determining the mixed cattle and sheep rotation grazing frequency, the grassland is first divided into 6-8 grazing plots on average;

[0034] S52, determining the plot rotation grazing frequency in different periods.

[0035] The plot rotation grazing frequency in different periods in the step S52 is determined, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0036] S521, determining the plot rotation grazing frequency in the early warm season grazing period, at this time, the rotation grazing should ensure that all the forage is quickly eaten to avoid quality decline and ensure forage compensatory growth, that is, a high-frequency rotation grazing mode is adopted, that is, the grazing frequency of each plot is 3 times;

[0037] S522, determining the plot rotation grazing frequency in the late warm season grazing period, at this time, the nutrient content of the forage is reduced, and the forage selection of livestock is enhanced, so the rotation grazing frequency is appropriately reduced, the grazing intensity of the rotation grazing plot per unit time is improved, the forage utilization is uniform, and the forage can also grow compensatorily, that is, the grazing frequency of each plot is 2 times;

[0038] S523, determining the plot rotation grazing frequency in the cold season, at this time, the forage is in the withering period, the rotation grazing mainly considers uniform forage utilization, and a low-frequency rotation grazing is adopted to improve the grazing intensity of the rotation grazing plot per unit time, that is, the grazing frequency of each plot is 1 time.

[0039] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0040] 1、The present application adopts the mixed cattle and sheep rotation grazing mode, and the cattle and sheep are limited to rotate grazing on multiple small-area grasslands, the complementary effect of the cattle and sheep forage can be fully utilized, the uniformity and utilization efficiency of the forage resource utilization are improved, and the production potential of the natural grassland can be better tapped.

[0041] 2、The present application can reduce the damage of large livestock to the grassland in the early growth season by flexibly adjusting the mixed ratio of cattle and sheep in different periods of rotational grazing, and can also reduce the overeating of livestock sheep which has strong food selection to partial food species, so that the plant diversity and the function of the grassland ecosystem can be better maintained.

[0042] 3、According to the changes of grassland pasture yield and community composition characteristics in different seasons, the high-frequency rotational grazing method in the early stage can ensure that all the pastures are quickly eaten by livestock, avoid the phenomenon that the pastures are not eaten in the early stage and are aged in the later stage, improve the utilization efficiency of the pastures, and also ensure that the instantaneous grazing intensity in the growing period of the pastures is low, which is beneficial to the compensation growth in the later stage; reducing the rotational grazing frequency with the gradual aging and biomass increase of the pastures can promote the uniformity of spatial utilization of the pastures, and can also reduce the labor input, and the operation is simple, so it is suitable for popularization and application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0043] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the seasonal diversified cattle and sheep mixed rotational grazing method of the present application.

[0044] Figure 2 It is a photo of cattle and sheep mixed grazing in Songnen Leymus chinensis meadow steppe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The above and other technical features and advantages of the present application will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0046] Example 1

[0047] The seasonal diversified cattle and sheep mixed rotational grazing design of Songnen Leymus chinensis meadow steppe, referring to Table 1 and Figure 1 , comprises the following steps:

[0048] Step one: determine the grazing period, specifically: first, determine the resting period, the Leymus chinensis meadow steppe is generally in early April to late May every year, and the plants are in the green period and the seedling growth period, that is, the spring resting period; the autumn resting period is generally selected in the autumn plant fruiting period from early August to early September; secondly, determine the grazing period, the Leymus chinensis meadow steppe is generally in the period when Leymus chinensis begins to tiller, that is, in late May, the warm season grazing period is from the spring grazing period to the autumn resting period, and the warm season pasture grazing time is generally from May to August; the cold season grazing period is from the autumn resting period to the next spring resting period, generally from September to the next April; the specific time can be adjusted according to the climate characteristics of each year.

[0049] Table 1: Design basis for different seasons and rotational grazing

[0050]

[0051]

[0052]

[0053] Step two: determine the edible forage yield, specifically: the grassland edible forage yield (EF):

[0054] EF = TF x 50%

[0055] Wherein, TF represents the total yield of grassland.

[0056] Step three: determine the ratio of cattle and sheep mixed grazing in different periods, specifically: in the early warm season grazing, the nutrient content of forage is high, the foraging selectivity of livestock is low, but the trampling of large livestock such as cattle is harmful to the vegetation, therefore, the proportion of cattle in the mixed grazing livestock combination should be reduced, that is, the ratio of cattle and sheep forage is 1:2; in the late warm season grazing, the nutrient content of forage decreases, the foraging selectivity of livestock increases, at this time, the ratio of cattle and sheep forage in mixed grazing livestock group should be 2:1, that is, the proportion of low foraging selectivity livestock cattle is increased to uniformly utilize forage resources; in the cold season grazing period, the forage is in the withering period, at this time, the ratio of cattle and sheep forage in mixed grazing livestock group should be 1:1, that is, through the differentiated utilization of forage resources by different livestock to increase the uniformity of utilization.

[0057] Step four: determine the number of cattle and sheep grazing in different periods, specifically:

[0058] In the early warm season, the forage intake of cattle accounts for 1 / 3 in the mixed grazing of cattle and sheep, and the forage intake of sheep accounts for 2 / 3; the daily forage intake of cattle is calculated according to 2% of its average weight, and the daily forage intake of sheep is calculated according to 4% of its average weight, that is, the number of cattle grazing in the early warm season (C N1 ):

[0059]

[0060] Wherein, EF N1 represents the edible forage yield of grassland in the early warm season, W C represents the average weight of cattle, and D N1 represents the number of grazing days in the early warm season.

[0061] The number of sheep grazing in the early warm season (S N1 ):

[0062]

[0063] Wherein, EF N1 represents the edible forage yield of grassland in the early warm season, W S represents the average weight of sheep, and D N1 represents the number of grazing days in the early warm season.

[0064] In mixed grazing of cattle and sheep during the late warm season, cattle account for 2 / 3 of the feed intake, and sheep account for 1 / 3. Daily feed intake for cattle is calculated as 2% of their average body weight, and daily feed intake for sheep is calculated as 4% of their average body weight. Therefore, the number of cattle grazing in the late warm season (C...) N2 ):

[0065]

[0066] Among them, EF N2 W represents the yield of edible forage in grasslands during the late warm season. C D represents the average weight of cattle. N2 This represents the number of days for grazing during the later part of the warm season.

[0067] Number of sheep grazing in the late warm season (S) N2 ):

[0068]

[0069] Among them, EF N2 W represents the yield of edible forage in grasslands during the late warm season. S D represents the average weight of sheep. N2 This represents the number of days for grazing during the later part of the warm season.

[0070] In mixed grazing of cattle and sheep during the cold season, the feed intake of cattle accounts for 1 / 2, and the feed intake of sheep accounts for 1 / 2; the daily feed intake of cattle is calculated as 2% of their average body weight, and the daily feed intake of sheep is calculated as 4% of their average body weight. That is, the number of cattle grazing in the cold season (C...) L ):

[0071]

[0072] Among them, EF L W represents the yield of edible forage in cool-season grasslands. C D represents the average weight of cattle. L This represents the number of days for grazing during the cold season.

[0073] Number of sheep grazed in the cold season (S) L ):

[0074]

[0075] Among them, EF L W represents the yield of edible forage in cool-season grasslands. S D represents the average weight of sheep. L This represents the number of days for grazing during the cold season.

[0076] Step five: determine the frequency of mixed grazing of cattle and sheep in different periods, specifically: first, the grassland is divided into 6 grazing plots on average; second, determine the frequency of each plot in different periods; in the early warm season, the fast grazing of all grasses should be ensured to avoid aging and quality decline, and the compensation growth of grasses should be ensured, that is, high-frequency rotation grazing is adopted, that is, the grazing frequency of each plot is 3 times; in the late warm season, the nutrient content of grasses decreases, and the selectivity of livestock increases, so the rotation grazing frequency should be appropriately reduced, the grazing intensity of the rotation plot per unit time should be increased, the utilization of grasses should be uniform, and the compensation growth can be carried out, that is, the grazing frequency of each plot is 2 times; in the cold season, the grasses are in the withering period, and the rotation grazing mainly considers uniform utilization of grasses, so low-frequency rotation grazing should be adopted, and the grazing intensity of the rotation plot per unit time should be increased, that is, the grazing frequency of each plot is 1 time.

[0077] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application, which are only illustrative but not limiting. It is understood by those skilled in the art that many changes, modifications and even equivalents can be made to the present application within the spirit and scope defined by the claims of the present application, but all will fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for seasonally diversifying the mixed grazing of cattle and sheep on grasslands, characterized by, It comprises the following steps: S1, determining the grazing period and the rest period; S2, determining the edible grass yield of the grassland; S3, determining the mixed grazing ratio of cattle and sheep; S4, determining the number of cattle and sheep for grazing; S5, determining the mixed grazing frequency of cattle and sheep; The step S1 of determining the rest period specifically comprises the following steps: S111, determining the spring rest period, which is selected in the spring plant greening and seedling growth period. Different grassland types determine the spring rest time according to the different plant phenological periods, taking the beginning of the local main grasses greening as the reference index, starting in early April every year; S112, determining the autumn rest period, which is selected in the autumn plant ripening period. Different grassland types determine the autumn rest time according to the different plant phenological periods, starting in late summer or early autumn, taking the main local grasses entering the full bloom period as the main reference index; The step S1 of determining the grazing period specifically comprises the following steps: S121, determining the warm-season grazing period, which is from the spring grazing starting period to the autumn rest period. The starting grazing period is determined according to the growth and development of the dominant forage grasses in different grassland types. For the grassland dominated by gramineous forage grasses, the grazing should start when the gramineous forage grasses begin to grow stems and nodes. For the grassland dominated by leguminous and miscellaneous forage grasses, the grazing should start when the axillary buds or lateral branches occur. The warm-season grassland grazing time is from May to August; S122, determining the cold-season grazing period, which is from the dry and yellow period to the next spring rest period. The cold-season grassland grazing time is from September to the next April; The step S3 of determining the mixed ratio of cattle and sheep specifically comprises the following steps: S31, determining the mixed ratio of cattle and sheep in the early warm-season grazing period. At this time, the forage grasses have high nutritional content, and the feeding selectivity of both cattle and sheep is low. However, the trampling of large-sized cattle on the vegetation is more harmful. Therefore, the proportion of large-sized cattle in the mixed grazing livestock group should be reduced. The proportion of cattle forage grass consumption is 1 / 3, and the proportion of sheep forage grass consumption is 2 / 3; S32, determining the mixed ratio of cattle and sheep in the late warm-season grazing period. At this time, the forage grasses have low nutritional content, and the feeding selectivity of sheep is enhanced. Therefore, the proportion of large-sized cattle with low feeding selectivity in the mixed grazing livestock group should be increased to uniformly utilize the forage grass resources. The proportion of cattle forage grass consumption is 2 / 3, and the proportion of sheep forage grass consumption is 1 / 3; S33, determining the mixed ratio of cattle and sheep in the cold-season grazing period. At this time, the forage grasses are in the dry and yellow period. The proportion of cattle forage grass consumption in the mixed grazing livestock group is 1 / 2, and the proportion of sheep forage grass consumption is 1 / 2; The specific steps in the step S5 are as follows: S51, determining the mixed grazing frequency of cattle and sheep. The grassland is first divided into 6-8 grazing small areas on average; S52, determining the small area grazing frequency in different periods; The step S52 of determining the small area grazing frequency in different periods specifically comprises the following steps: S521, determining the small area grazing frequency in the early warm-season grazing period. At this time, the grazing should ensure that all forage grasses are quickly consumed to avoid aging and quality decline, and ensure forage grass compensatory growth, that is, high-frequency grazing is adopted, that is, the grazing frequency of each small area is 3 times; S522, determine the rotation grazing frequency in the late warm season, at this time, the nutritional content of the forage is reduced, and the forage selection of the livestock is enhanced, thus the rotation grazing frequency is appropriately reduced, the grazing intensity of the rotation grazing plot per unit time is increased, the forage is uniformly utilized, and the compensation growth is performed, that is, the grazing frequency of each plot is 2 times; S523, determine the rotation grazing frequency in the cold season, at this time, the forage is in the withering period, the rotation grazing mainly considers that the forage is uniformly utilized, the low-frequency rotation grazing is adopted, and the grazing intensity of the rotation grazing plot per unit time is increased, that is, the grazing frequency of each plot is 1 time.

2. A method for seasonal multiple grazing of cattle and sheep in grassland according to claim 1, wherein The determination of the edible forage yield of the grassland in the step S2 is specifically as follows: calculating the edible forage yield EF of the grassland: EF=AxFx50% Wherein, A represents the grassland area, and F represents the grass yield per unit area.

3. A method for seasonal multiple grazing of cattle and sheep in grassland according to claim 1, wherein The determination of the number of cattle and sheep for grazing in the step S4 is specifically as follows: The number of cattle for grazing (C): where EF is the yield of edible forage in the pasture, R C represents the proportion of the intake of cattle in the mixed grazing of cattle and sheep, W C represents the average weight of cattle, D represents the number of days of grazing, and the daily intake of cattle is 2% of the average weight; The number of sheep for grazing (S): Wherein, EF is the edible forage yield of the grassland, Rs represents the forage intake proportion of the sheep in the mixed grazing of cattle and sheep, Ws represents the average weight of the sheep, D represents the number of grazing days, and the daily forage intake of the sheep is 4% of the average weight.

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