Effect of grazing and phenological stage on gross energy content of herbaceous and woody forage in a silvopastoral system

Gross energy content of forage of herbaceous and woody species in relation to grazing and phenological stage was studied in a silvopastoral system. The study was conducted in a semi arid grassland with poor sandy soil in Northern Greece. Moderate grazing (1.1sheep/ha/year) was applied twice in the summer period (early July and late August) of 1992. The calorific content of the woody species forage increased during the summer period, when grazing was applied in comparison to the control (4.71 kcal/g and 4.04 kcal/g respectively). Legume species forage had higher calorific content in comparison to Morus. Gross energy of herbage was maintained stable during the summer period.