We use cookies to enable you to make the best possible use of our website. Only cookies that are necessary for the operation of the site are set. Details in our privacy policy.
Data Protection Declaration
Imprint
Green topping: Establishment and evaluation of regionally adapted seed mixtures to increase the multifunctionality of moderately intensively managed grassland (Green-Topping II)
Project
Project code: A/20/05
Contract period: 01.09.2020
- 31.08.2023
Budget: 385,415 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: diversity, productive grassland, autochthonous seeds, forage quality
Thanks to its ecological diversity combined with good agricultural suitability, grassland offers excellent opportunities for achieving national and international biodiversity targets. For a long time, the primary function of grassland was to make a decisive contribution to milk and meat production through optimised roughage production using standardised seed mixtures with few components. Future functions of grassland relate to biodiversity conservation and adaptation to climate change. The corresponding ecosystem services are supported by the increasing availability of locally adapted seed, although further research is needed into the large-scale application of species-rich forage and grassland mixtures with regional specialisation. As a result, regional grassland enables a qualitative enhancement due to the plant species it contains and their constituents. At the same time, the carbon footprint of agriculture can be improved through roughage, which leads to lower methane emissions from ruminants. However, there is a lack of specific knowledge regarding the use of additional herbaceous species in intensively managed grassland and field forage systems. The aim of this project is to develop and apply a species mixture that maintains silage suitability despite changes in forage quality and can be integrated into farm operations without special conditions. Furthermore, the changes in crude protein and crude fibre content are to be kept within limits that allow them to be easily integrated into specific areas of farming, such as dry cow feeding or heifer rearing. As part of the project proposed here, agricultural practitioners will therefore be provided with tools and methods to specifically expand the species diversity of medium-intensity grassland systems and to utilise them in an economically viable, multifunctional manner for balanced feeding and positive environmental impacts. These objectives will be pursued through factorial sowing trials in species-poor grassland in various regions of Bavaria, in close cooperation with partners from the field.
Section overview
Subjects
- Grassland
- Animal nutrition
