干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Most of the rangelands of and and semiarid zones of Argentina show, some form of deterioration. The conformation of cow-cat(production agroecosystems on the basis of perennial pastures such as weeping lovegrass [Eragrostis curvula (Shrad) Nees] and rangelands has been postulated as one of the means to revert this situation. The purposes of the present study are: (a) to characterize the status of degradation of particular zones in which weeping lovegrass (WL) is cultivated in these regions: (b) to evaluate the impact of the strategic utilization of WL in the process of range improvement and rehabilitation; and (c) to assess the economic feasibility of WL seeding in the Monte rangelands as a case study. Published studies were reviewed for assessing the degradation status. The economic feasibility of WL seeding was examined varying the WL yield (0.8 to 2.4 Mg DM ha(-1) year(-1)), the carrying capacity of the rangelands (10 to 18 ha per head of cattle per year, AUY(-1)) and the cost of prohibited grazing (with and without grazing value) it-here the pasture was established. The rain use efficiency factor for most of the rangelands of these regions was less than 3.0, indicating that rangelands are degraded. Weeping lovegrass seeding it-as profitable (internal rate of return greater than 12%) under most of the analyzed scenarios. The study demonstrated the ecological and economic viability of WL in the rehabilitation of degraded rangelands in the calden forest and the Monte phytogeographic province in Argentina.