Effects of gyttja applications on hay yield and quality of a rangeland in the Mediterranean region

Natural rangelands play a key role in grazing in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Unfortunately, unqualified rangelands need improvement, and also the improvement costs should be low in terms of sustainability and efficiency. It is thought that gyttja applications in the rangelands will increase this because it is a low-cost and completely organic fertilizer. The present study was carried out on some characteristics of rangeland plants in a randomized complete block design of 7 treatments and three replications between 2016 and 2018 in the Türkoğlu district of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey. Results showed that hay yield, crude protein yield, grazing capacity, relative feed value, and digestible dry matter yield were increased by using gyttja. However, gyttja applications decreased neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber ratio compared to those of control. Hay yield, crude protein yield, relative feed value, and digestible dry matter yield were found to be 56%, 56%, 65%, and 48% higher, respectively, when S40 gyttja application was compared to control. In addition, while the ratio of grass and legumes increased in terms of hay yield in all gyttja applications, the ratio of plants belonging to other families decreased.