Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Lamb Growth and Seasonal Herbage Production from Simple, Diverse, and Legume Pastures Established in an Agrivoltaic System

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/mw22vd83f

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  • Agrivoltaic systems promote dual use of land by combining solar energy and agricultural production. Grazing sheep in these systems is popular but research on intentionally designed pastures to increase production is lacking. This study seeks to compare the herbage growth and lamb production in simple, diverse, and legume pasture mixes in an agrivoltaic system over two years in Oregon. Annual herbage yield in diverse pastures (4,583 kg DM ha-1) was comparable to simple pastures (4,457 kg DM ha-1), but higher than legume pastures (P<0.05; 4,023 kg DM ha-1) for the 2020/21 growing season. Additionally, a pasture treatment × shade interaction was detected (P <0.01) for the total annual herbage yield in this year. In the 2021/22 growing season, diverse pastures had a higher yield (4,660 kg DM ha-1, P<0.05) than simple pastures (4,052 kg DM ha-1), which were similar to legume pastures (3,955 kg DM ha-1). Liveweight gain (LWG) tended (P=0.06) to be linearly increased from lambs in diverse and legume pastures compared to simple pastures in spring 2021. Despite legume pastures having high volunteer annual grass and broadleaved weeds contents, lambs grew faster on legume pastures than simple and diverse pastures in spring 2021. Liveweight production (LWP) also differed (P=0.04) between pastures during this time. Summer 2021 LWG tended to be greater in lambs grazing diverse vs simple pastures. No difference was detected in LWG in spring (P=0.42) or summer (P=0.49) 2022. LWP was similar in spring (P= 0.38) and summer (P=1.71) in 2022. Legume pastures did not support summer or fall grazing in 2021, and due to a late onset of rainfall in 2022, grazing could not commence for any pastures in fall 2022. This study experienced unusual weather extremes in both years, which in combination with the shade effect imposed by solar panels, led to strong influences on total annual dry matter production and botanical composition of pastures. Legume pastures experienced selective grazing and competition with weeds, leading to poor persistence. Therefore, despite their potential for higher LWGs, the findings of this study suggest that specialized legume pastures used for finishing lambs may not be practical in AV systems. Being able to graze pastures under solar panels in summer despite halted growth in open pastures in spring 2021 was a main highlight of the current study and demonstrates benefits from AV systems. However, to maximize herbage yield and energy production from the same land, ground mounted photovoltaic panel design and optimization is needed. It is recommended to practice robust weed management or plant cover crops prior to the establishment of pastures. Ideally, best practices would be determined and pastures suitable for producing livestock would be established before installing photovoltaic panels for agrivoltaic systems.
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  • Pending Publication
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  • 2023-01-09 to 2024-02-09

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