Impact of water stress on Mediterranean oak savanna grasslands productivity: Implications for on-farm grazing management

This study analyzes the productivity of grasslands in a Mediterranean oak-savanna ecosystem, focusing on its linkages with water availability. In these water-controlled ecosystems, grassland environmental preservation and sustainable management depend on quantitatively understanding these links. Productivity and water stress were modeled in southern Spain (2001–2018), integrating meteorological information and MODIS sensor data into a light-use efficiency model and a surface energy balance. The results provided valuable insights into how grasslands behaved during droughts at different spatiotemporal scales. During the most significant droughts, 2004/2005 and 2011/2012, aerial biomass production was reduced by 42 % and 67 %, respectively. The spatial analysis identified the central east side of the region, with low slopes and moderate tree cover, as the most productive area. The biomass production time series classification identified four distinct trends, all showing shifted relationships with similar slopes between production and anomalies of relative evapotranspiration. The seasonal analysis highlighted the importance of autumn, accounting for nearly 30 % of the annual biomass production, which was essential in years with spring water deficits. The proposed methodology provides on-farm grassland production curves depending on water availability (max-mean-min range with a mean error of 15.5 %). Together with weather forecast data, this could help farmers decide on the optimal level of management intensification and stocking rate. Although the regional specificity may limit the study’s direct applicability, this scheme offers valuable metrics that could be adapted to other areas under water scarcity conditions. • Modeling pasture productivity together with water stress can aid on-farm management. • Biomass time series classification revealed different production trends. • Seasonal and monthly analyses helped to explain year variability. • Spring is vital for grassland production, as autumn is in a water-deficit year. • Farmers can use this methodology to optimize livestock management during droughts.