Impact of grazing intensity and grazing system on herbage quality and performance of sheep in the Inner Mongolian steppe, China

In Inner Mongolia, China, grassland degradation due to overgrazing reduces grassland and animal productivity and leads to desertification with ecological and economical consequences. A grazing experiment with six different grazing intensities and two different grazing treatments – a continuously 24 h versus the common daytime grazing system - was conducted in the vegetation period of 2005, 2006, and 2007 to analyse herbage mass and quality as well as quality of ingested herbage, feed intake and animal performance influenced by grazing intensity and grazing system.