Instalación de Paspalum notatum bajo métodos contrastantes de pastoreo ovino en un área de restauración de campo natural

The experiment was carried out in the Sheep Unit of the Centro Regional Sur, experimental station of the Faculty of Agronomy, located at km 35 of Camino Folle in Progreso, in the department of Canelones. The paddock N°3 was made in an area of ​​approximately 1 hectare. The evaluation period was from 03/18/2021 to 03/26/2021. The objective of this study was to evaluate how sheep selectivity is affected in a natural range restoration area, under two contrasting grazing methods, rotational and continuous. Specifically, it is proposed to determine the frequency and intensity of defoliation of a native species, Paspalum notatum, which was introduced in the study area from clods from virgin fields. The treatments then were continuous grazing and rotational grazing, in 3 repetitions each. The variables analyzed were number of leaves per tiller, number of tillers per clod, average plot height, average plot dry matter, Paspalum notatum defoliation frequency, Paspalum notatum defoliation intensity, clod and boundary cell defoliation intensity. As results of the experiment, it was obtained that both Paspalum notatum and Cynodon dactylon were more present on the clod and on the border cell, respectively. The type of grazing did not influence the number of leaves per tiller or the number of tillers per clod. It did influence the average heights of the plots, where the initial and final height of the rotary was higher than those of the continuous one. Furthermore, within each grazing method significant differences were found between the initial and final heights. The average DM of the plots did not vary within the treatments for the initial and final measurements. Between the plots of the continuous and rotational treatments, significant differences were found between the availability of DM for the mentioned measurements. The intensity of defoliation of the clods under study was greater than the intensity of defoliation for the border cell, regardless of the type of grazing. When comparing the treatments, the intensity of defoliation of the clods was higher for rotational grazing than in continuous grazing, however, in the neighboring cells there were no significant differences in the intensity of defoliation. The frequency of defoliation of Paspalum notatum tillers was higher in rotational grazing than in continuous grazing, for the three measurement dates. The intensity of defoliation of Paspalum notatum was higher in rotational grazing than in continuous grazing, for the three measurement dates.