PJB-2019-609
Effects and Mechanism of Mowing on Grassland Vegetation: A Review
Nazim Hassan
Abstract
Due to modernization, magnification of agricultural practices and human influence has led to a significant loss to semi-natural grasslands vegetation and ecosystem services. To overcome this, management by mowing or grazing is needed. However, limited studies have focused the effect of mowing on semi-natural grasslands vegetation. Therefore, the aim of this review was to collect as much data as possible from available literature and evaluate them to study the effects of mowing on semi natural grassland vegetation i.e. plant community diversity, productivity, density, genetic diversity and reproductive phenology, plant and soil nutrient stoichiometry, physiology and conservation. Total 201 data sets based on effects of mowing on grassland vegetation were identified. We found dissimilar effects of mowing on grassland vegetation, as some where the effects were positive (35%) negative (52%) and neutral (13%). Most of studies have favoured short term and annual mowing (59%) as compared to long term up to some extent, but there is still ambiguity in this regard. It was observed that, these dissimilar effects of mowing on grassland vegetation depends on mowing intensity, timing, biomass removal, utilization of energy, grassland type, environmental gradients, climate, habitat resources availability, litter removal and community-level, soil type, specie pool, vegetation type, inter specific competition, litter accumulation, light intensity, site productivity, soil moisture, physiological barriers and precipitation. Beside this very few studies have documented the effects and mechanism of mowing based on conservation of grassland ecosystem. Our study suggests that it is of dire need to install multi locational research studies in different parts of the globe at same time for same duration as this phenomenon is still in ambiguity, based on mowing intensity, timing, frequency, specie pool, site climatic condition and soil type etc
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