A comparative analysis of functional traits in semi-natural grasslands under different grazing intensities

S. Targetti¹, A. Messeri², G. Argenti²* and N. Staglianò²

¹University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Economics, Feistmantelstrasse 4, AT1180 Wien, Austria
²University of Florence, Department of Agri-Food Production and Environmental Sciences, P.le delle Cascine 18, IT50100 Florence, Italy
*Correspondence: giovanni.argenti@unifi.it

Abstract:

The reduction of traditional management practices is a major threat for the conservation of permanent grasslands in many European marginal areas. The ecological importance of grasslands is acknowledged by the European Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC (1992) which includes many natural or semi-natural grassland types, and by the growing attention of society towards functions and services provided by these ecosystems. Nonetheless, the efficiency of conservation policies is questioned also for the lack of local-scale information on trends and state of grasslands hampers the definition of local-tailored schemes. The main objective of this work is to assess the potential of a set of functional traits in discriminating between different management intensities and their capacity to describe the dynamics occurring in semi-natural grasslands. The research was carried out in a hilly area of Tuscany (Italy) on four grassland sites characterized by similar environmental features (soil, climate, topography), and by different management practices for 10 or more years. The survey concerned collection and analysis of different functional traits related to foliar features, litter and botanical composition. The functional traits were able to differentiate the four sites under different management practices, but their effectiveness was different. Results support the possibility to perform a rapid appraisal of grassland successional stages based on leaf functional traits of dominant species and by the assessment of presence of a reduced number of species among those occurring in the community.

Key words:

leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen concentration, life forms, litter, Specific leaf area

Canopy traits in rye, triticale and wheat under varying N supply

K. Sieling*, U. Böttcher and H. Kage

Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Institute of Crop Science and Plant Breeding, Hermann-Rodewald-Strasse 9, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
*Correspondence: sieling@pflanzenbau.uni-kiel.de

Abstract:

Information on growth of rye (Secale cereale L.) and triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmark) are scarce. In 2007/08 and 2008/09, winter rye, winter triticale and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were simultaneously grown in combination with 4 nitrogen (N) treatments (0/0, 40/40, 80/80 and 120/120 kg N ha-1) at the Hohenschulen Experimental Farm in northern Germany allowing for a comparison of the resource capture and biomass accumulation during spring growth. Several canopy traits (e.g. green area index (GAI), specific leaf area (SLA), light use efficiency (LUE)) as well as N dilution curves of the whole shoots, leaves and stems were determined.
Triticale achieved highest GAI in throughout both growth periods. An extended growth period of wheat partly compensated for a lower GAI, thus the differences in the amount of intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (Q) between the crops remained small. In general, rye leaves were thinner (higher SLA) compared to wheat and triticale showing similar SLA, except at ear emergence in both years. Total above-ground dry matter accumulation at dough ripening was lowest in wheat mainly due to a lower LUE which in turn may be the result of a lower specific leaf area. The N dilution curves revealed a clear reduction of stem N concentration with increasing dry matter accumulation, whereas leaf N concentration only slightly decreased presumably in order to maintain optimal photosynthesis. The presented results enhance the understanding of the growth of rye and triticale and allow improving crop growth modeling of both crops.

Key words: