Some aspects of improvement of grassland production for grazing of sheep

• Published in: Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry (Serbia) Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 283 - 294
• Main Authors: Ružić-Muslić, D., Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade - Zemun (Serbia), Bijelić, Z., Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade - Zemun (Serbia), Petrović, M.P., Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade - Zemun (Serbia), Petrović, M.M., Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade - Zemun (Serbia), Pantelić, V., Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade - Zemun (Serbia), Perišić, P., Faculty of Agriculture, Belgrade - Zemun (Serbia), Caro-Petrović, V., Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade - Zemun (Serbia)
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: ABONOS NITROGENADOS; ENGRAIS AZOTA; GRASSLANDS; GRAZING INTENSITY; GRAZING LANDS; HERBACEOUS PLANTS; HERBAGE; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_27977; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_3366; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_3368; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_3369; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_5195; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_7030; INTENSIDAD DE PASTOREO; INTENSITA DE PAOTURAGE; NITROGEN FERTILIZERS; OVIN; OVINOS; PLANTAS HERBAICEAS; PLANTE HERBACAE; PRADERAS; SHEEP; TERRE DE PAOTURAGE; TIERRAS DE PASTOREO
• ISSN: 1450-9156; 2217-7140
• DOI: 10.2298/BAH1202283R

Grasslands represent significant natural resource with important role in economy and ecology of every country. Properly cultivated and utilized grasslands provide cheap and high quality food for sheep, which they easily transfer into milk and meat. However, extensive management has caused degradation of pasture areas. Improvement of production of forage plants on pastures is achieved by using melioration measures, primarily fertilization. Fertilization is important also from the aspect of increase of yield and quality of forage plants. The effect of application of fertilizer depends on the present plant species in the mixture. Application of nitrogen mineral fertilizers in mixtures reduces the nitrogen fixating abilities of leguminous species, which leads to the diminishing of their competitive abilities and favouring of the grass component in the mixture. Use of excessive quantities of N fertilizer in plants causes the accumulation of nitrates, as a unfavourable quality parameter in plant tissues, which can have harmful effect on animal health. Therefore, attention should be focused on application of N fertilizers, which should be harmonized with the plant requirements, so that used quantities are not excessive and harmful. Objective of this paper is to point out the significance of fertilization as one of the most important melioration measures.