EFFECT OF CUTTING FREQUENCY OF LEAVINGS ON PERFORMANCE AND UTILIZATION OF PASTURE SWARD

The aim of the research carried out on the environmental was to assess an impact of mowing the pasture leavings (cultivation measures) on productivity, botanical composition and use of legume-grass sward in organic condition. The field experiment was carried out in 2009-2012 at RZD IUNG-PIB Grabow (Poland, province Mazowieckie, 51°21’N; 21°40’E), on a grey-brown podsolic soil (lessive) that was rated as a very good rye complex (4). A monofactorial experiment was laid out as a mirror image design. Test factor consisted in four mowing dates of leavings in the sward legumegrass mixtures: 1 – left uncut, 2cut after the first grazing event, 3 – cut after the last grazing event, 4 – cut after each grazing event. Irrespective whether you were mowing the leavings once a season or after each cow grazing, utilization of sward mix increased and yield of forage for grazing decreased and was significantly lower than in the building without cutting leavings. High proportion of legumes in the sward mixtures was recorded on the subject of mowing leavings after each grazing.