Can Litter (Dead Herbage) Management Affect the Production and Composition of a Desert Steppe Community?

Jing Wang (), Zhen Wang, Jianqing Yang, Zhongwu Wang, Zhiguo Li and Mengli Zhao
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Jing Wang: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation Processing and High Efficient Utilization (MOARA), Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China
Zhen Wang: Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration, Ministry of Agriculture, Hohhot 010011, China
Jianqing Yang: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation Processing and High Efficient Utilization (MOARA), Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China
Zhongwu Wang: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation Processing and High Efficient Utilization (MOARA), Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China
Zhiguo Li: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation Processing and High Efficient Utilization (MOARA), Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China
Mengli Zhao: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation Processing and High Efficient Utilization (MOARA), Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: To examine the effect of litter on ANPP and species composition (using ground cover) in a Desert Steppe community by removing or adding litter, during plant dormancy, in a single event in either fall or spring. Litter was removed or added in three intensity treatments (heavy, moderate, control—undisturbed) as the main plot and season (fall or spring) as the secondary treatment in a split-plot design with five replications. The experiments were repeated in each of 5 years while three of those were resampled twice. The year effect was analyzed by classifying them into high or low precipitation categories and including those in the statistical model. We found few treatment effects one year after treatment and no persistent effect. Therefore, we focus our examination on the first year only. The total ANPP of individual plant types, or their proportions, were not affected by litter treatment or its interaction with season of treatment or precipitation category. Only the ground cover of selected species was influenced by the treatment. The ground cover of Stipa breviflora was greater with heavy litter removal in fall but unaffected by litter removal in spring while Neopallasia pectinata had a greater cover with moderate or heavy removal in years when precipitation was low. Litter addition resulted in a greater ground cover of Neopallasia pectinata and reduced the cover of Convolvulus ammannii in years of low precipitation. The marginal effectiveness of litter treatments on the plan community in the Desert Steppe suggests that it need not be a factor for consideration in grazing management.

Keywords: litter; addition; remove; production; composition; desert steppe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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