Recruitment by seeds is essential both in vegetation dynamics and in supporting grassland biodiversity. Recruitment by seeds is feasible in suitable microsites from the seed rain and/or by establishment from persistent soil seed banks. Cessation of grassland management by grazing or mowing results in litter accumulation, which leads to the decrease of species richness by the decreased availability of open patches. Low amounts of litter are often beneficial, while high amounts of litter are detrimental for seed germination and seedling establishment of short-lived species. However, the magnitude of these effects on germination and seedling establishment in relation to litter and seed attributes are scarcely studied. This motivated us to design an indoor experiment to explore the effects of litter on seedling establishment. We germinated six short-lived Brassicaceae species (Arabidopsis thaliana, Capsella bursa-pastoris, Descurainia sophia, Erophila verna, Lepidium campestre, and Lepidium perfoliatum) with different seed mass under increasing litter cover. We found that both seed mass and litter had significant effect on germination and establishment of the sown species. Small-seeded species were significantly negatively affected by the 300 g/m2 and/or 600 g/m2 litter layers. No negative litter effect was detected for species with high seed masses (Lepidium spp.). No overall significant positive litter effect was found, although for most of the species; total seedling numbers was not the highest at the “bare soil” pots. Our results suggest that the effects of litter accumulation on the germination and establishment of short-lived species are less feasible in case of large-seeded species than on small-seeded ones.

After the millennium the utilization of the Hungarian grasslands is particularly important. We considered the priorities of the Darányi Ignácz Plan where the efficient utilization of the agricultural areas - including grasslands, pastures- by increasing the number of ruminants is the part of the rural strategy. The effective utilization of the by-product, the manure in croplands or pastures is particularly important, taking the increasing fertilizer prices within the continuously opening price scissor of the industrial-agricultural products into account. The patent of the Karcag Research Institute of CAAES RISF UD, the TERRASOL compost is a good alternative for farmers. We have already published the primary results of our grassland fertilization experiment, where we investigated the utilization of different compost doses and evaluated these from economic point of view. In this paper we examined the changes of the properties of the soil in the different treatments. We visualized our results by using GIS methods. We measured the moisture content, the penetration resistance and the CO2 emission of the soil of the four treatments. We determined that the 20 t/ha of compost dose is considered as sufficient to improve the investigated properties of the grassland soils under the droughty conditions of 2012. 

Investigations were carried out in wet – next to Tatárszentgyörgy, and dry grass pasture – next to Bugac, both located in Kiskunság, in the central region of Carpathian Basin. Recordings were taken every June of 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 from Tatárszentgyörgy – where cattle were grazed, and 1997, 2005 and 2010 from Bugac, where cattle and sheep were grazed. Coenological recordings were taken in three zones. The first zone ("A" zone) located 0-50 m near the stable, second zone ("B" zone) located 50-150 m from the stable, while the third zone ("C" zone) located farther then 150m from the stable. Analyses of ecological and environmental factors were based on Borhidi’s relative ecological indicators. Life form analyses were performed by Pignatti life form types. For statistical evaluation, R software was applied. Shannon diversity. Based on our results for both dry and wet grasslands, quadrates of "A" zone were well isolated from the rest of the zones. Overgrazing, which involves considerable trampling, vanishes differences among vegetations, thereby promotes weed and disturbance tolerant rich vegetation. The lowest species number and diversity could be found here. Recordings for "B" and "C" zones separated from recordings of "A" zone, furthermore, quadrates of wet and dry grasslands formed separate groups. From recordings of "B" and "C", zone perennial grass species (H caesp) and the emerging perennial (H wrap) species multiplied and these species were the indicators of grazing. The greatest lifeform richment were presented among "B" zone recordings. The amount of intensive grazing indicator species, such as creeping perennials (Hrep) was significant in "B" zone recordings of Tatárszentgyörgy. Grazing stabilised the local vegetation, but increased the ratio of disturbance tolerant species, which was confirmed by conservation evaluation. This is due to the conversion of grassland types, the transition from free grazing to switch grazing, which resulted in an intensive involvement of the more distant "C" zone as well. "A" zones fully converted; they changed into fully reliefs. Further located sample area vegetations were not homogenised by grazing and even helped the preservation of characteristic species. In the aspect of environmental protection, vigorous grazing led to a more valuable vegetation in "B" zone in an arid grassland (Bugac). According to the sample area, wet grasslands from the sandy areas of Kiskunság, preserve nature protection values and grass composition better moving away from stables, due to less grazing pressure. Drier backgrounds tolerate stronger grazing pressure (Bugac), while in case of wetter areas (Tatárszentgyörgy) – considering sustainability – grazing should be carried out with caution.

The present study includes coenological results of the effects of grazing with Hungarian grey cattle in saline grasslands in Dinnyési Fertő Nature Conservation Area. This kind of managment is favourable for the grazing and trampling tolerant grass species and decreases the proportion of the dicots.The classification of species based on the social behaviour types of Borhidi shows the spreading of the ruderal competitor species, mainly Cynodon dactylon with the progress of the grazing season. Grazing prefential from a bird conservation aspect increases the number of species, however, it modifies the mass relations between species in a negative way.

The yield of pastures will be impaired by the climate change as a result of reduced amount of winter and vegetation precipitation and the increasing number of hot days as well as the increase in temperature. Species composition is also due to change, however, this change will be more difficult to be determined as the increasing concentration of glasshouse gases has different impacts on the various components. Grassland is a water demanding culture; droughts reduce yield significantly and these losses should be compensated by an adaptive agricultural technology. On protected and Nature 2000 pastures, comprising giving 50% of Hungarian pastures – strict regulations prevent the application of yield increasing techniques, such as irrigation, fertilization or oversowing. The impacts of the weather may only be compensated to a certain extent by the utilization technology. The effects of 3 utilization systems and some elements of weather conditions with special regard to water supply were investigated on dry and mesic grasslands in the years 2006-2010. On the bases of the results some suggestions are set up for modifying the specifications on pasture utilization in nature conservation areas, by having the first cutting earlier and increasing utilization frequency wherever possible. On dry grasslands, yield was affected most significantly by annual precipitation, the precipitation in the vegetative period showed the second strongest correlation with yield. On mesic pastures, temperature and radiation had the strongest influence on the yield. Here, the significance level in the case of total annual precipitation was lower, whereas the correlation was not significant for precipitation in the vegetative period.

Irrigating pastures is a viable option only in a few selected areas in Hungary, even though pasture is a water demanding culture. Species composition will be impacted by the climate change, reduced winter and spring precipitation and the increasing number of hot days as well as the rise in temperature. Coverage by dicots and C4 grasses will increase, resulting in a change in feed quality. Yield losses and deteriorating quality should be compensated by an adaptive agricultural technology. We examined the impacts of 3 utilization technologies and seasonal weather conditions on dry and mesic pastures in the years 2006-2010. Results indicated a significant difference in feed quality and factors determining nutrient content caused by water supply. On the dry pasture, humidity had a significant and substantial negative impact (highest significance, highest r-value) whereas the mesic pasture was essentially affected by precipitation. On the mesic pasture, high temperatures, strong radiation and high amounts of precipitation all had negative impacts on the digestibility and metabolisable energy content of grass. Crude protein contents showed strong correlation only with annual precipitation. 

A literature review was done on the selection and utilization of grass species by beef cattle in the Limpopo province. The literature study was complimented by research done on the Towoomba Research station and the University of Limpopo, both in Limpopo Province, in South Africa. The Province is well known for its low rainfall and good quality rangeland. The main aim was to categorize the most important grass species in different utilization (palatable) classes. The thirteen grass species which were under investigation could be classified as follows: Highly palatable species: Panicum maximum and Urochloa mosambicensis; Palatable species: Digitaria eriantha, Heteropogon contortus, Schmidtia pappophoroides and Themeda triandra. Less palatable: Trachypogon spicatus and Themeda triandra and Least palatable: Eragrostis rigidior, Hyparrhenia hirta, Pogonarthria squarrosa, Melinus repens and the Aristida species.

This paper is a retrospective report on the history of communal grazing in the first half of the last century. It is based on references, personal records and blueprints of original documents. Communal grazing organizations are instructed in general in the first part of the paper. The second part of the paper the operation of a local grazing association is presented in details. Data on grazing land and animal stock, some copies of original documentations underline the high technical level of grass land management as well as the importance of grazing industry in the life of the village. 

Az ezredfordulóval kezdődő modern idők új megvilágításba helyezték a gyephasználat kérdéseit. Napjainkra számottevően bővültek a gyephasznosítási elvárások és lehetőségek:

– a legeltetés
– a szilázs készítés, mint erjesztéses tartósítás
– a szenázs készítés, mint nagyobb szárazanyag tartalmú termék erjesztéses tartósítása.
Ezeket a megoldásokat követi majd: – a szárításos szálastakarmány tartósítás különböző módszereinek alkalmazása 

30 ország több mint 200 szakemberének részvételével a Mezőgazdasági Kutató és Oktató Központban (AREC) rendezték meg az Európai Gyepgazdálkodási Szövetség (European Grassland Federation) ez évi szimpóziumát. A Szövetség alapszabálya szerint az egyik évben szimpózium, a másik évben konferencia (General Meeting) kerül megrendezésre. A szimpózium témája szűkebb témakört ölel fel, igazodva a rendező ország sajátosságaihoz. A konferenciákon pedig a gyepgazdálkodás teljes horizontja terítékre kerül. A tudományos program az ünnepélyes megnyitóval kezdődött, ahol két szakmai előadás hangzott el:
– Hegyvidéki gazdálkodás Európában (Mountainous farming in Europe)
– Az ausztriai gyepgazdálkodás – a jelenlegi helyzet és a jövőbeni kilátások (Grassland farming in Austria – status quo and future prospective)