THE EFFECT OF INTENSIVE SHEEP STOCKING OVER A FIVE‐YEAR PERIOD ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION OF THE SWARD

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Abstract
A study of a sward sown to Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens was made so that the inter‐relationship of the plant and animal communities might be more fully understood within the context of a sheep husbandry experiment. At the higher of 2 stocking rates intensive grazing induced the grass species to assume a prostrate growth habit in the first year: at the lower rate of stocking this condition was less prevalent. The only species to invade the sward and make progress over the 5 years were Poa annua, P. trivialis. and Agrostis stolonifera. Some control of A. stohnifera was gained when grazed swards were cut for silage. The Poa species eventually made up about 50% of the ground cover of all swards.