Varnamkhasti measured the effects of long-term grazing history (ungrazed, light, heavy), current year defoliation (clipped, unclipped), and water availability (normal, wet) on primary production and rain use efficiency. In general, water availability had the greatest effects, previous grazing history was intermediate, and current year defoliation had the least effects. Several interactions were present in the data analysis, suggesting that responses were quite variable, depending on the tested combination of the three treatments. Further research is required to understand the mechanisms driving these interactions in this complex system.
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