Annals of the University of Craiova - Agriculture, Montanology, Cadastre Series
Abstract
Number of cattle in Serbia during two decades of the 21st century shows the tendency of decreasing. The main source for sustainable livestock production in Serbia are grasslands. Permanent grasslands occupy approximately 30% of agricultural land in Serbia, thereby playing an important role in forage production and ecosystem services. The majority of natural meadows and pastures are located in hilly-mountainous regions. The general characteristics of grasslands in the central Balkans are low production and insufficient quality. The yield of permanent grasslands in Serbia is influenced very strongly by climatic conditions, type of grassland and level of organic and mineral fertilization. On areas that are not managed by mowing and fertilizing, forbs make up over half of the plant production.This paper presents some recent experiences and results in livestock feed production obtained from permanent and sown meadows and pastures in Serbia. There is survey of permanent grassland botanical composition and productivity with special emphasis on importance of preserving legume species. Also, recent trials assessed the benefits of mineral and organic fertilizers application in terms of forage production, testing whether the mineral or organic sources improves the stability of the grassland and evaluated response patterns over a large environmental gradient. Nutrient availability in permanent grasslands has a strong influence on plant species biodiversity, plant cover, and species’ dominance in the vegetation canopy. Dry matter yield is very low with high variation in crude protein content, which confirms that grasslands need to be maintained through fertilizer application, with special emphasis being given to the new role of manure enriched by zeolite. The above-stated lead to poor production potential of these grasslands for livestock production, nonetheless offering sustainable means of soil and biodiversity protection in the area
