Mineral elements in grasses growing in contrasting environmental conditions in southern Patagonia

Abstract

The importance of grasses and graminoids for sheep nutrition in Argentinian Patagonia is widely recognized. Focusing on sheep nutrition, we assessed the concentration of mineral elements in grasses growing in three ecological areas of southern Patagonia, representing a vegetation and climate gradient. With the aim of establishing potential relationships, tissue concentrations of several essential and non-essential elements for plants were determined; soil properties were also analysed. Soil and plant tissue mineral element concentrations varied between ecological areas. The results obtained provide new information about the nutritional characteristics of the main feeding source for sheep in southern Patagonia, but further trials will be required to improve understanding of mineral element nutrition in relation to sheep production.