02147naa a2200289 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200140006002400270007410000170010124501270011826000090024550003120025452010180056665300180158465300230160265300230162565300210164865300100166965300170167970000140169670000150171070000180172570000170174370000220176077300750178210626422022-01-18       2021    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a0142-52427 a10.1111/gfs.125562DOI1 aMOOJEN, F.G.  aHerbage allowance and stocking method effect on grazing systemsbResults of a long-term experiment.h[electronic resource]  c2021  aArticle history: Received 12 October 2020; Revised 25 September 2021; Accepted 28 October 2021; First published 23 November 2021. Corresponding author: Moojen, F.G.; Grazing Ecology Research Group, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul - Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; email:femoojen@hotmail.com  aABSTRACT. - Sward management is critical for animal performance in pastoral environments. We evaluated the performance of sheep grazing Italian ryegrass pastures under factorial combinations of two stocking methods (SM) (continuous and rotational) and two herbage allowances (HA) (10% and 20% of LWT) over 9 years. Average daily gain (ADG) was greater in continuous than in rotational stocking (p <.001) and in HA-20% when compared with HA-10% (p =.002). Weight gain per hectare was greater in HA-10% than HA-20% (p <.001). HA and total herbage production were the most important factors determining live weight (LW) gain per hectare, whilst sheep ADG relies upon sward parameters (i.e., sward height). Moreover, to increase sheep LW production per hectare in grazing systems, the amount of herbage production and its availability to animals is more important than the SM. These outcomes provide the basis to build sound grazing systems through the optimization of sward management. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.  aDecision tree  aGrazing management  aHerbage production  aItalian ryegrass  aSheep  aSward height1 aBREMM, C.1 aLACA, E.A.1 aMACHADO, D.R.1 aSAVIAN, J.V.1 aCARVALHO P.C.D.F.  tGrass and Forage Science, 2021. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/gfs.12556