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• Possibilities of restoration of natural or seminatural grasslands: Papers of the „Challenges and Aspects in Grassland Management” conference held on 22-23 May 2008.

  19-27

  Andras Horvath

  Laszlo Szeman

  Sandor Bartha

  Klara Viragh

  Janos Boloni

  Gyula Fulop

  Szilvia Rev

  Views:

  82

  The number of natural grassland restoration projects increased in the last decade in Hungary, and probably the area of restored grasslands will be significantly extended in the next years due to New National Rural Development Program. To contribute to the success of this activity, in this paper we review the most important theoretical and practical aspects of natural grassland restoration methods. In the course of grassland restoration, habitats dominated by grasses and/or sedges have been restored in place of arable lands. In order to perform “natural” restoration, we should consider the ecological conditions of the landscape, and reconstruct natural or seminatural grasslands including of native plant species. Essentially, rehabilitation of natural landscape is supported also by creating new seminatural grassland patches. The basic principles of the natural grassland restoration are:

  1. When a spontaneous secondary succession starts to proceed on an abandoned field without invasion of any alien plant species, the re-ploughing of the abandoned field has to be ignored.

  2. Generally, the old fields surrounded by species-rich natural or seminatural grassland pathes can succesfully be restorated. Then, as a consequence of newly restored vegetation patches the recovery of the whole landscape can be accelerated. Furthermore, by restoring isolated grassland patches surrounded by arable lands a more diverse landscape pattern could be developed.

  3. Spontaneous secondary succession of grasslands should be assisted.

  4. The development of typical species composition of a seminatural grassland can be promoted by methods of spreaded hay. For successful process the hay has to be cut in a habitat type similar to ones that will be restored.

  5. Applying seed-mix for sowing can be useful to prevent spreading weeds drastically in the early stages of succession.

  6. Ideally, the seed-mix is originated from own harvesting or gathering from similar (or the same) habitats. If it is not possible, commercially available seed-mix can be applied, in which the dominant species is the same as in the restored habitat, with similar proportion.

  7. Seed-mix consists of alien species has to be avoided.

  8. If the composition or structure of the restored grassland is not appropriate after some years, the renewal of the grassland could be necessary. During the improvement process the reploughing of the restored grassland is avoided, but spreading seeds or hay, and direct sowing can be applied.

  9. The loading of nutrient is not necessary in any stages of grassland restoration.

  10. Applying chemicals is avoided; any herbicides can be used only when extensive invasion of alien plant species occurs.

  11. The mechanical intrusions on soil are also avoided.

  12. The restored grasslands is required regular or continuous management, which could be a preserving mowing or moderate grazing. The aspects of nature conservation should be considered.

• Homoki gyepek spontán regenerációja kiskunsági parlagokon

  5-12

  Views:

  42

  Bár a spontán szekunder szukcessziós folyamatok vizsgálata kiemelt téma az ökológiában, mégis kevés publikáció vizsgálja a módszer alkalmazhatóságát a gyeprekonstrukcióban. Jelen vizsgálatban, kiskunsági homoki parlagokon gyepek spontán vegetációfejlődését tér-idő-helyettesítéses módszerrel vizsgálva az alábbi kérdésekre kerestük a választ:

          Hogyan változik a különböző funkcionális csoportok aránya a szukcesszió során?

          Milyen célfajok települnek be sikeresen a parlagokra?

          Megadható-e a spontán gyepregeneráció sebessége és értékelhető-e a sikeressége?

  A Kiskunságban összesen 12 homoki parlagot  vizsgáltunk. A parlagokat három korcsoportba soroltuk:

  10 év alatti (fiatal)

  10-20 éves (középkorú)

  20-40 éves (idős) parlagok.

  Korcsoportonként négy parlag növényzetét mértük fel. Referenciának három nyílt és három zárt homokpuszta gyepet választottunk. A növényfajok százalékos borításbecslését öt darab 2×2 m nagyságú kvadrátban végeztük egy kora májusi és késő júniusi időpontban, 2012-ben. Kimutattuk, hogy a szukcesszió folyamán az évelő lágyszárúak borítása növekedett, míg a rövidéletű fajok borítása csökkent. Az invazív fajok borítása szignifikánsan nagyobb volt a fiatal parlagokon, mint az idősebb korcsoportokban. A célfajok többsége már a fiatal és középkorú parlagokon is megtelepedett kisebb borításértékekkel, de szignifikánsan nagyobb borításuk az idősebb parlagokon volt. Megállapíthatjuk, hogy a kiskunsági homoki parlagok esetében viszonylag gyors és sikeres spontán gyepesedésre számíthatunk, a homoki gyepek fajkészlete már a szukcesszió első 10-20 évében regenerálódhat. Számos célfaj spontán betelepülése azonban még a rendelkezésre álló magforrások mellett is csak korlátozott. Ilyen esetben a célfajok megtelepedéséhez célzott propagulumbevitelre is szükség lehet. A spontán szukcesszió akkor lehet a legsikeresebb, amikor a célfajok már a szukcesszió első néhány évében megtelepednek a felhagyott szántókon. 

• Felhagyott jószágállások növényzetének vizsgálata a Hortobágyi Nemzeti Parkban

  21-27

  Views:

  46

  Extensive grazing, especially sheep grazing is the most important land use type in alkali grasslands of the Hortobágy National Park. Extensive grazing systems rely on some basic infrastructure, such as sheep corrals, wells and stables. Sheep corrals are characterised by intensive land use: grazing, trampling and manuring is concentrated in these places, thus the vegetation of actively used corrals is markedly different from the vegetation of extensively grazed grasslands. I studied the vegetation composition of eight-year-old and sixty-year-old abandoned sheep corrals and extensively grazed pastures in Hortobágy National Park. I recorded the percentage cover of vascular plants in twenty 2×2-m plots. The cluster analysis showed that the vegetation of abandoned sheep corrals was different from pastures. I found that the cover of annual and biennial species was higher, while the cover of perennials was lower in abandoned sheep corrals compared to the pastures. Due to the intensive land use in the past, the proportion of nitrophilous species was higher in sheep corrals, than in the pastures. The cover of competitors was lower, while the cover of disturbance tolerants, weeds and ruderal competitors was higher in sheep corrals than in the pastures. The results suggest that even grassland regeneration started in the sheep corrals and several target species established in the vegetation, the recovery of grasslands similar to extensively grazed pastures takes longer time. 

• Long-term mowing on biomass composition in Pannonian dry grasslands in the Western-Cserhát

  35-38

  Judit Hazi

  Views:

  56

  This study is focusing on the vegetation of seminatural dry grasslands. Those loess grasslands are valuable with large biodiversity; however their long-term preservation requires regular conservation management. The report demonstrates the results of mowing experiment, designed to suppress the spread of unpalatable grass species, Calamagrostis epigeios. The study site is located in mid-successional loss grasslands, in the Western-Cserhát, near Rád, northern Hungary.

  The study aims to the investigate the followings: Can the unpalatable Calamagrostis epigejos be suppressed by mowing? Are there possibilities to increase the diversity of sward by this? The study aims, to measure potential value-increasing effect of mowing, and to determine the carrying capacity in the aspect of grassland management.

  In 2001, Camagrostis epigeios was the species with the highest coverage rate according to the both treatment types, with an average cover value of 63%. However, as a result of mowing, a significant difference was detected in the amount of litter and legumes species as well. The number of species showed a slight increase in both types of treatment, from 15 to 37 in the mowed plots, but also from 18 to 27 in the control plots. We concluded that mowing twice a year was beneficial to modify botanical composition of a grassland. In a way it was suited well for agricultural usage, in particular grazing which can replace the expensive and time-consuming scythe. It is also a suitable management measure for controlling the native invader species as a Calamagrostis epigeios, and can significantly increase the proportion of species with higher forage values.

  Mowing has significantly increased the density of Calamagrostis epigeios, the species richness, and the diversity in the course of secondary succession. Therefore, mowing twice a year proved to be a successful management measure for controlling Calamagrostis epigeios, and for obtaining a sward composition. The treatment was effective in restoring grassland composition, although the achievement and maintenance of favourable conservation status for the grassland habitat require long-term management planning and regular treatment. According to the objectives, mowing not only promotes the control of the invasive species, but also the economic utilization of the area.