Can Sheep Control Invasive Forbs Without Compromising Efforts to Restore Native Plants?

Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are increasingly being used to control non-native invasive plants in areas where restoration is a management goal. However, the efficacy of sheep grazing depends on both its potential for controlling undesirable plants and its ability to promote natives. To date, few studies have investigated impacts of sheep grazing on native forb recovery in North American grasslands. We assessed the impact of sheep on forbs by measuring the number of stems grazed before and after sheep foraged in western Montana, United States. Sheep grazed a higher percentage of non-native than native forbs (70% vs. 23%, respectively), and number of stems grazed was six times higher for non-natives than natives (48 vs. 5, respectively). Sheep preferentially selected the non-native forbs sulphur cinquefoil and yellow salsify over leafy spurge (fi = 2.075; fi = 0.969; fi = 0.969, respectively), as well as the native forbs white prairie aster (fi = 1.090) and blanketflower (fi = 1.000). Selection of native forbs was positively correlated with their pregrazing abundance and increased over the grazing period. Our findings indicate that when using sheep to control invasive forbs, appropriate timing and monitoring of grazing are critical for reducing nontarget impacts to native vegetation.     

Saving Genetic Resources of Native Pigs in Occidental and Oriental Countries — Practical Examples of the Characterization and Utilization of Native Pigs in Hungary and Laos

Worldwide, only a few “fatty” pig breeds exist with different and/or regional utilization. Using the Hungarian Mangalica, which almost went extinct in Europe and the Lao Moo Lat pig, which still has a large population in South-East Asia as exemples, we wanted to demonstrate that indigenous (fatty) pig breeds may represent both national value and tremendous economic potential. Since these less prolific and less productive breeds cannot contribute to mass production, new market roles and methods should be established for them in the premium segment of pork trading. Thus their preservation and propagation needs the comprehensive collaboration of commercial, governmental actors and researchers. Briefly summarizing the history, we report the current results of reproductive physiology research. The commercial renaissance of Mangalica pigs is indebted to the enthusiastic efforts of basic scientists, pig breeding experts and dedicated Mangalica producers. Scientific achievements were applied to practical breeding and production of delicious pork and processed products, which ultimately made the economic success in the Mangalica sector possible. Both, research on and utilization of endangered (pig) breeds maintain not only breed diversities, but also may improve the livelihood of farmers worldwide.     

Can Targeted Grazing Reduce Abundance of Invasive Perennial Grass (Kentucky Bluegrass) on Native Mixed-Grass Prairie?

The rapid increase of Poa pratensis L. (Kentucky bluegrass) on North Dakota grasslands during the past 30 yr has negatively impacted ecological services. Kentucky bluegrass grows earlier in the spring than many native grasses, which provides an opportunity to use targeted grazing to reduce Kentucky bluegrass and increase native grasses. A 5 year replicated study used 10 cow-calf pairs or pregnant cows to graze 3-ha paddocks in early to mid-May, early spring, (EARLY) until 30% of the native species were grazed. After 1 June, late spring−early summer, five cow-calf pairs were grazed on 3-ha paddocks (LATE) for twice as long as the EARLY treatment. Biomass was clipped inside and outside of cages after each grazing event and outside cages in the fall. In each paddock, a hundred 10-point frames were taken to determine percent native grass, Kentucky bluegrass, Bromus inermis Leyss. (smooth bromegrass), native forbs, and introduced forbs. After 5 yr, native grass abundance in the EARLY paddocks was 26% greater than in the LATE paddocks. Kentucky bluegrass abundance only differed the second year of the study when the EARLY paddocks had 32% less Kentucky bluegrass than the LATE paddocks. Total biomass was greater in the EARLY paddocks than LATE paddocks in year 2 of the study (886 ± 74 g m⁻² vs. 608 ± 28 g m⁻² for EARLY and LATE, respectively). Targeted grazing by cattle in early spring can increase native grass abundance and, depending on the year, decrease abundance of Kentucky bluegrass. Early spring targeted grazing should be used as a tool in adaptive management programs focusing on reduction of Kentucky bluegrass.