Seasonal changes in the forage quality and quantity of the low elevation grassland in the Thessaly region

Grasslands of Greece constitute vital forage resources with multiple uses. More specifically, grasslands of the low and middle elevation zones ensure forage production for domestic and wild animals by grazing in different seasons of year. In this paper, the results of research relative to the seasonal and yearly changes of quantity and quality in forage production of grasslands of the low elevation zone are presented. Results show that May was the month for peak production of the low grassland, that depends mainly no the amount and the distribution of rainfall and temperature. Forage had highest content in crude protein during March, whereas, species diversity was not affected by grazing.