Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)
Conference paper - Peer-reviewed, 2015

Establishing trampling-resistant mixed swards: a comparison of four seed mixtures

Nilsdotter-Linde, Nilla; Salomon, E.; Adolfsson, Niklas; Spörndly, Eva

Abstract

Increasing herd size often brings major challenges in maintaining dense swards, especially near cow houses. High-quality, trampling-resistant swards are crucial for grazing management, animal welfare and environmental protection. A field experiment initiated in July 2012 (triplicate plots) at Uppsala, Sweden, is comparing four seed mixtures with regard to establishment rate, resistance to trampling and grazing behaviour. The mixtures comprise forage and amenity cultivars of smooth meadow-grass (Poa pratensis) and red fescue (Festuca rubra), with/without inclusions of white clover (Trifolium repens), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Degree of ground cover was evaluated by spatial analysis of Unmanned Aircraft System photographs (taken May, July, Sept. 2013, April 2014) and field measurements (plants m-2) (August 2012, May 2013). Botanical composition was determined in May 2014. The seed mixture with tall fescue (35% cv. Borneo) established significantly more slowly than other mixtures (P<0.05), but by September 2013 had the highest ground cover (70%) due to a high proportion of white clover. In May 2014, all four mixtures had sufficient ground cover after winter (~86%). Next, the treatments will be intensively grazed and trampling resistance and grazing behaviour analysed.

Keywords

seed mixture, establishment, ground cover, spatial analysis, pasture

Published in

Grassland Science in Europe
2015, Volume: 20, pages: 277–279
Title: Grassland and forages in high output dairy farming systems. Proceedings of the 18th Symposium of the European Grassland Federation Wageningen, the Netherlands 15-17 June 2015
ISBN: 9789090289618
Publisher: European Grassland Federation, EGF

Conference

18th Symposium of the European Grassland Federation