THE EFFECT OF SOIL NUTRIENTS AND ANIMAL EXCRETA ON GRASSLAND BIODIVERSITY IMPROVEMENT

The topsoil is one of the most important components in grassland and sustains the sward physically, chemically and biologically. Farmers often refer to the soil-sward-animal complex or interrelations to underline the fact that the proper functionings of all three are inextricably linked. Grazing has a favourable effect on animals - however, grazing also has a major effect on the plant stock of pastured grasslands. Sheep do not feed plants from urine patches, which may result in a change in the diversity of plants on the pasture. One of the aims of our research was to examine the effect of animal excreta coverage on grassland biodiversity improvement. The research took place on nature conservation grassland areas, pasturing ewes. We analyzed the effect of urine induced lush patches on sustaining the diversity of plant species. Results showed that lush patches were grazed unevenly. The outer circle, app. 15% of the patches has been grazed, a further 15-20% has been somewhat grazed, while the middle of the patch, 60-70% remained ungrazed. In the first growth, grass species in the middle of the lush patch seed heads (40-150 patch(-1)) while on the outer edge of the patch, rhizomatous plants advanced.. The diversity of species on grasslands can be sustained by grazing. Nongrazed area and generative tiller number indicate that grazed nature conservation pastures are able to renew themselves through a generative way, as an indirect effect of grazing.