The effects of frequency and severity of grazing by cattle on the yield of irrigated pasture

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Abstract
The effects on yield of grazing sprinkler-irrigated pasture by cattle at intervals of 21 days and 10–11 days, to levels of 1–2 in. and 3–4 in., were compared in a factorial manner over a period of five years. The longer interval between grazings led to an immediate and sustained superiority in yield, averaging 60% over the duration of the experiment. Grazing to 1–2 in. initially produced higher yields than grazing to 3–4 in., but the trend changed after about two years. During the last two-and-a-half years of the experiment, the latter practice showed a 17% advantage over the former. The grazing height had the greater effect on botanical composition. In the later stages of the experiment grazing to 1–2 in. reduced the proportion of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and encouraged white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and Poa annua L.

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