Plant Regrowth following Selective Horse and Sheep Grazing and Clipping in an Indian Central Himalayan Alpine Meadow

Abstract

Animal (horse and sheep) grazing behavior and regrowth of three important forage species subsequent to clipping and grazing were recorded in an alpine meadow of Central Himalaya. Of a total of 28 plant species, only 14 were grazed and contributed 0.9 to 14.8% to the animal diet. Forbs contributed significantly more (P < 0.01) to the animal diet than grasses and sedges. A regrowth experiment performed in an enclosure indicated that the height at which plants were grazed was positively related to initial plant height, but the correlation was significant (P < 0.05) only in the case of sheep. Regrowth after 30 d of single-grazing (P < 0.05) and double-grazing (P < 0.01) was positively correlated with height at which plants were grazed by both animal species. Analysis of variance showed that regrowth was significantly faster (P < 0.05) in horse-grazed plants than in sheep-grazed plants. This difference may be largely related to deeper grazing by sheep than by horse. For forbs, regrowth was better in grazed plants than in clipped plants; for the grass the effect was reverse.