The long-term effect on cow's milk quality of methods for improving subalpine grasslands

摘要

In Romania, during the summer, the subalpine grasslands located above the upper limit of spruce forests, are an important source of fodder for ruminants feeding. Economic situations, such as decreased wool price in the last 25 years, have led to significantly increased numbers of dairy cows grazing these surfaces. In this paper we present the effects on productivity and quality of cow milk of improved methods, applied since 1995 on degraded grassland (Nardetum strictae montanum association). The research was carried out at the Mountain Grasslands Research Centre (MGRC) from the Bucegi Plateau on gently sloping land situated at the base of Blana Peak (1,875 m altitude). The data presented in this paper refer to results achieved in the period 2014-2016, 20 years after the establishment of the experimental field. Chemical and organic fertilizations, liming and reseeding have been applied as variants of improvement. Of the factors tested, liming leads to a significant increase of milk production by 25-29% and of milk protein content by 4-5%.