Seasonal changes characteristics in the forage quality and quantity of the pseudoalpine and low grasslands

The grasslands of Greece constitute vital forage resources for the grazing animals since they provide green herbage in different seasons. Forage production of the grasslands of middle and low elevations zone produce vegetation inappropriate for grazing during summer period. On the contrary for the same period, the herbage production of the pseudoalpine grasslands covers the grazing animal needs. The knowledge of the quantitative and qualitative features of grasslands in specific environments and the understanding of how they can be influenced by seasonal as well as yearly changes in climatic variables could be a useful tool for their rational management. In this paper, the effects of edaphic and climatic factors on species composition and the quantity and quality of forage pseudoalpine and low elevation grasslands are presented. Data on soil characteristics, species composition, monthly changes in the forage quantity and quality were collected. Results show that seasonal and yearly changes in forage production of grasslands depend mainly on the amount and the distribution of rainfall. June was the month for peak production of the pseudoalpine and May for the low grassland. Forage quantity of the low grassland was influenced by the rainfall of the months October and November, while the production of the pseudoalpine grassland was influenced by the rainfall during the growing season (March to May).