Evolution of hay meadows between 1956, 1986, and 2016 and its relation to the characteristics and location of the parcels in the valley of the river Esera (Pyrenees, Spain)

The uses of the agricultural surface of hay meadows and crops of the mountain areas of the Spanish central Pyrenees are subject to constant transformations. This paper addresses the changes produced in the hay meadows of the Ésera river valley of the central Pyrenees (Spain) regarding the surface and the agronomic and topographic characteristics of the parcels between 1956-1986 and 1986-2016. The cartographed area is 5226 hectares, of which 1941 hectares correspond to 6416 polygons that have been mowed or cultivated on one of the three reference dates. In the period 1956-1986, there is a reduction in the agricultural area of meadows and crops (13.59%) in favor of pastures, forest, urbanized land, and water reservoirs. The surface of the meadows increases to 301.58%, to the detriment of the crops, until almost their disappearance. Between 1986 and 2016, the area of meadows is reduced to 59.11%, and the area of pastures, forests, and urbanized land increases. The topographic characteristics of the parcels with respect to surface, altitude, slope, width, and terracing and distance to the communication routes determine mechanized access and management and discriminate the transformation to pasture and forest

Nutritional quality of plant species in Pyrenean hay meadows of high diversity

The feed quality of 34 species (27 dicotyledonous and 7 grasses) present in the vegetation of the Pyrenean mountain hay meadows rich in species subject to extensive management is analyzed in this paper. For this, just before mowing, samples were taken in the field and their organic and mineral components were determined in the laboratory. The results indicate that some species, such as Taraxacum officinale, Sanguisorba minor, Chaerophyllum aureum, and Lotus corniculatus, are outstanding in their forage feed value and, in the cases of T. officinale and C. aureum, also for their mineral content. The non-leguminous forbs studied presented quality comparable to legumes and higher than grasses, which provide worse nutritional values in this type of late-cut meadow. The forbs are shown to have higher content than grasses and legumes in Mg, K, and Na, as well as intermediate Ca content. All species present suitable mineral content for animal nutrition, except in the case of P, which is low. The Ca:P ratio is higher than adequate in half of the species analyzed, while the K:(Ca + Mg) ratio is appropriate for all species. The ratios between the elements N, P, and K indicate that most of the species studied grow under N-limited conditions, which are adequate for their conservation in the meadows

Shepherds view of large carnivore recovery in the Pyrenees, Spain

The studied farms are small family businesses, and so, in more than half of the cases, their continuity is not guaranteed. Livestock management is typical of a mountain system, in which the animals graze throughout the year in cultivated fields, sown meadows, forests near the farms, and mountain pastures during the three summer months. The herds always have the constant surveillance of a shepherd. Farmers consider the current infrastructure present in mountain grasslands insufficient to facilitate the management and care of their herd. Their activity conflicts with various species of wildlife, such as the wild boar, Sus scrofa, roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, or griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, and large carnivores such as the brown bear, Ursus arctos, or the grey wolf Canis lupus, despite all of them taking preventive measures to defend their herds from predators. The most widely used prevention measures are the presence of mastiff dogs, Canis lupus familiaris, next to the herds and the use of electric fencing to lock up livestock at night. Farmers reject the presence of bears and wolves in their area, considering it a real threat to the continuity of their economic activity, which presents a high degree of vulnerability

Servicios ecosistémicos del ganado ovino extensivo en la pedanía de Santa Cruz de Juarros (Burgos).

La ganadería ovina extensiva es un sector de la actividad agraria que con el paso de las décadas se ha visto afectado por los nuevos modelos de producción que han ido apareciendo y por los importantes cambios de mercado a los que se han tenido que enfrentar. Estos cambios han supuesto un gran descenso tanto del número de explotaciones, como del número de cabezas de ganado. La poca rentabilidad de este tipo de explotaciones comparadas con las intensivas, las pocas ayudas que reciben los ganaderos, el escaso relevo generacional por la dureza del trabajo y el abandono de las zonas rurales son los principales causantes de la casi desaparición de este tipo de ganadería. Sin embargo esta actividad es muy importante para el mantenimiento de los ecosistemas y de sus servicios ecosistémicos, con las diversas funciones que estos aportan a la sociedad. La actividad ganadera extensiva se encuentra íntimamente ligada al medio natural, dando como resultado un equilibrio entre la producción y el mantenimiento del ecosistema. En este trabajo se ha desarrollado la relación entre el ganado ovino extensivo y los servicios ecosistémicos. Para ello se ha trabajado sobre un caso real, la explotación ganadera de la pedanía de Santa Cruz de Juarros. Mediante la realización de una entrevista al ganadero de la explotación, se dan a conocer las características de la explotación y del medio natural en el que se encuentra, analizando los servicios ecosistémicos que aporta dicha actividad. Una vez conocida la relación, se lleva a cabo una encuesta sobre los mismos a dos grupos de población, un grupo representa a la población de ámbito rural y el otro a la población de ámbito urbano. Los servicios ecosistémicos más valorados son, aparte del de aprovisionamiento de carne, los agrupados bajo la denominación de culturales. La percepción sobre los servicios ecosistémicos no es diferente en el ambiente rural y el urbano

The management of extensive livestock systems and its relationship with greenhouse gas emissions

During food fermentation, the digestive system of bovines generates methane gas as agricultural waste. Considering this, this study intended to evaluate different relationships between production type and management technologies, with enteric methane and nitrous oxide emissions, from beef cattle systems in the southern region of the San Luis province. To achieve this objective, 30 semi-structured surveys were conducted with regional producers. The producers were generally characterized, and the emissions were estimated through the application of the IPCC Level 2 protocols. Then, considering various techniques for technology management and adoption, these emissions were analyzed and compared. The production systems resulted to be heterogeneous in area, number of cattle, rodeo management, livestock unit, production, and other aspects. The estimated emission values were also variable depending on the form of expression, the management strategy adopted, and the production system applied. From a reductionist perspective of the aspects that characterize the extensive livestock systems evaluated, greenhouse gases emission values (GHG) are relative to the interaction of some predictive variables with the key factors of the production system and management techniques applied. Thus, when considering the emissions per kg sold, cow-calf+backgrounding or backgrounding systems, are environmentally more friendly than those of cow-calf, being the bull category the most sensitive to gas emissions. However, moderate or very good management in the cow-calf systems, tend to reduce them. Since the characteristics of the systems are so diverse, even for the same region, a broader and more integrated view is proposed for the expression of emissions, given by the set of variables that reflect the integral behavior of the system

Diseño de una explotación de arándanos en el T.M de Aragües del Puerto (Huesca)

El presente proyecto explica las características de cultivo del arándano, desde los requerimientos climáticos, edáficos hasta la poda, fertilización o comercialización. Además se incluyen estudios de suelo, agua y clima precisos para valorar la viabilidad de plantar arándano en la parcela. También se diseña el riego por goteo de la parcela que es de 1 ha, además de los planos de la misma

The management of extensive livestock systems and its relationship with greenhouse gas emissions

During food fermentation, the digestive system of bovines generates methane gas as agricultural waste. Considering this, this study intended to evaluate different relationships between production type and management technologies, with enteric methane and nitrous oxide emissions, from beef cattle systems in the southern region of the San Luis province. To achieve this objective, 30 semi-structured surveys were conducted with regional producers. The producers were generally characterized, and the emissions were estimated through the application of the IPCC Level 2 protocols. Then, considering various techniques for technology management and adoption, these emissions were analyzed and compared. The production systems resulted to be heterogeneous in area, number of cattle, rodeo management, livestock unit, production, and other aspects. The estimated emission values were also variable depending on the form of expression, the management strategy adopted, and the production system applied. From a reductionist perspective of the aspects that characterize the extensive livestock systems evaluated, greenhouse gases emission values (GHG) are relative to the interaction of some predictive variables with the key factors of the production system and management techniques applied. Thus, when considering the emissions per kg sold, cow-calf+backgrounding or backgrounding systems, are environmentally more friendly than those of cow-calf, being the bull category the most sensitive to gas emissions. However, moderate or very good management in the cow-calf systems, tend to reduce them. Since the characteristics of the systems are so diverse, even for the same region, a broader and more integrated view is proposed for the expression of emissions, given by the set of variables that reflect the integral behavior of the system.Los bovinos, dado su sistema digestivo, generan gas metano como residuo durante la fermentación del alimento consumido. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar relaciones entre tipo de producción y tecnologías de manejo con las emisiones de metano entérico y óxido nitroso generado por el ganado bovino en sistemas extensivos del sur de San Luis. Para ello, se realizaron 30 encuestas semiestructuradas a productores de la región. Se realizó una caracterización general de los productores, se estimaron las emisiones mediante la aplicación de los protocolos del Nivel 2 del IPCC y se analizaron y relacionaron las emisiones teniendo en cuenta diversas técnicas de adopción y manejo de tecnologías. Se trata de sistemas productivos heterogéneos en sus distintas dimen-siones (superficie, cantidad de ganado, manejo del rodeo, carga animal, producción etc.). Los valores de las emisiones estimadas también fueron variables dependiendo de la forma de expresión, el manejo adoptado y el sistema productivo aplicado. Desde una mirada reduccionista de los aspectos que caracterizan los sistemas ganaderos exten-sivos evaluados, los valores de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) son relativos a la interacción de algunas variables predictivas con los factores tipo de sistema de producción y técnicas de manejo aplicadas. Así, al considerar las emisiones por kg vendido, los sistemas cría+recría o recría resultan más amigables con el ambiente que los de cría, siendo la categoría toro la más sensible a las emisiones de gases. Sin embargo, un manejo moderado o muy buen manejo en los sistemas de cría conduce a reducirlas. Al ser tan diversas las características de los sistemas, aún para una misma región, se propone una visión más amplia e integrada para la expresión de las emisiones, dada por el conjunto de variables que reflejan el comportamiento integral del sistema.EEA CatamarcaFil: Nieto, Maria Isabel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Catamarca; ArgentinaFil: Frigerio, Karina Laura. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Reiné, Ramón. Universidad de Zaragoza. Escuela Politécnica Superior. Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural; EspañaFil: Barrantes, Olivia. Universidad de Zaragoza. Facultad de Veterinaria. Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural; España. Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón; EspañaFil: Privitello, Liliana. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Agropecuarias. Departamento de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentin

Pyrenean meadows in Natura 2000 network: grass production and plant biodiversity conservation

In semi-natural mountain meadows, yield and forage quality must be reconciled with plant biodiversity conservation. This study was performed to analyze the relationships between these three parameters. To quantify plant biodiversity and pastoral value (PV), phytosociological inventories were performed in 104 semi-natural meadows in the Central Spanish Pyrenees included in the Natura 2000 network. Forage yields were calculated and forage samples were analyzed for relative feed value (RFV). We identified two main types of meadows: (i) those that had"more intensive management," relatively close to farm buildings, with little or no slope, dominated by grasses, with low plant biodiversity, high PV and yield, but low forage quality and (ii) those that had"less intensive management," distant from farm buildings, on slopes, richer in"other forbs", with high plant biodiversity and forage quality, but low PV and yield. Conservation policies should emphasize less intensive management practices to maintain plant diversity in the semi-natural meadows in the Pyrenees. The widespread view that"other forbs" have low nutritional value should be revised in future research. These species often are undervalued by the PV method, because their nutritional quality, digestibility and intake are poorly understood. Additional key words: phytosociological inventories; botanical composition; Shannon index; pastoral value; Ellenberg indices; relative feed value;"other forbs"

Análisis comparativo de explotaciones de vacuno de leche especializadas y mixtas en Aragón.

publishedTomo I . Sección: Sistemas Ganaderos-Economía y Gestión. Sesión: Producción de leche. Ponencia nº 2