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ARS Home » Plains Area » El Reno, Oklahoma » Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center » Livestock, Forage and Pasture Management Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #366562
Research Project: Integrated Agroecosystem Research to Enhance Forage and Food Production in the Southern Great Plains

Location: Livestock, Forage and Pasture Management Research Unit

Title: Variability in gross primary productivity of native and managed pastures to climatic variability and management practices

Author
item BAJGAIN, RAJEN - University Of Oklahoma
item XIAO, XIANGMING - University Of Oklahoma
item BASARA, JEFFREY - University Of Oklahoma
item DOUGHTY, RUSSEL - University Of Oklahoma
item WU, XIAOCUI - University Of Oklahoma
item Wagle, Pradeep
item ZHOU, YUTING - Oklahoma State University
item Gowda, Prasanna
item STEINER, JEAN - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: American Geophysical Union
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/2/2019
Publication Date: 12/11/2019
Citation: Bajgain, R., Xiao, X., Basara, J.B., Doughty, R., Wu, X., Wagle, P., Zhou, Y., Gowda, P.H., Steiner, J.L. 2019. Variability in gross primary productivity of native and managed pastures to climatic variability and management practices [abstract]. American Geophysical Union. Available at: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm19/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/595544.

Interpretive Summary: Abstract only

Technical Abstract: Future climates in Southern Plains of the United States are expected to have larger variability in weather elements specially rainfall, but the degree and timing of climate variability that impacts productivity of pasture managed differently have not been well studied. We compared the impacts of climate variability and interaction effects of management factors on grassland productivity between native (NP) and managed (MP) pastures in Oklahoma using 17 years of gross primary productivity (GPP) data. The MP showed greater variability of GPP than did NP, particularly with reduced GPP in drought years, suggesting the resiliency of native grasses under unfavorable climate extremes as evident by the lower GPP anomalies in NP than MP during the 2011 and 2012 droughts. Although both pastures experienced the same degree of climate variability, the critical window affecting GPP was significantly different due to the modulating effect of management practices on the responses of MP. Not only the range but also the timing of the critical window was different between NP and MP as MP was more responsive to the spring temperature and fall rainfall. Our findings warrant for the incorporation of managed pasture as a different commodity while accounting the ecosystem response to climate variability in global climate models.