Effects of grazing on fodder quality of some introduced woody species in a semi-arid grassland during the summer period

Fodder quality in relation to the effect of grazing by sheep was studied for the woody species Robinia pseudoacacia, Gleditsia triacanthos, Amorpha fruticosa and Morus alba. The study was conducted in a semi arid grassland with poor sandy soil in Northern Greece. Proper grazing was applied twice in the summer period (early July and late August) of 1992, 1993 and 1994. Crude protein content of forage production was maintained by grazing, while neutral and acid detergent fiber content was decreased significantly. Crude protein content in Robinia and Amorpha was significantly higher than the other species. Τhere was a tendency for an increased in vitro digestibility for the grazing treatment in comparison to control (56% and 53.1% respectively).