Offered Papers Theme C: Delivering the Benefits from Grassland
Description
In Germany, grassland covers some 30% of the agriculturally used land. It forms the basis of forage production in dairy and beef cattle husbandry as well as sheep and horse feeding. The intensification of grassland farming during the last fifty years was made possible through extended basic and applied research in all fields of grassland management. This included the improvement of forage species and varieties by plant breeding, the adaptation of botanical knowledge for the control of the botanical composition of permanent grass swards, the application of regular fertilisation, the improvement of the grazing management, the increased frequency of utilisation or herbage conservation by ensiling. In addition to the general improvement of forage production, the refinement of production measures in animal husbandry has led to a marked increase of efficiency in dairy and beef cattle farming. Production-orientated research was well funded until the late 1980's. Since then, the awareness of adverse side effects of the intensification of grassland farming, such as the loss of biodiversity, the pollution of the environment mainly by excess nitrogen and phosphorus, and the emission of greenhouse gases has grown. In addition, with the reform of the European Union Agricultural Policy in 1992, the rental costs for grassland decreased as did the stocking rates. On marginal sites, grassland is now at risk of being abandoned from agricultural use. Thus, increasing forage production and refining production measures have lost priority in grassland research and multiple function grasslands have become the main target of research.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Institutions, Structures and Topics of Grassland Research in Germany - From Science to Practice
In Germany, grassland covers some 30% of the agriculturally used land. It forms the basis of forage production in dairy and beef cattle husbandry as well as sheep and horse feeding. The intensification of grassland farming during the last fifty years was made possible through extended basic and applied research in all fields of grassland management. This included the improvement of forage species and varieties by plant breeding, the adaptation of botanical knowledge for the control of the botanical composition of permanent grass swards, the application of regular fertilisation, the improvement of the grazing management, the increased frequency of utilisation or herbage conservation by ensiling. In addition to the general improvement of forage production, the refinement of production measures in animal husbandry has led to a marked increase of efficiency in dairy and beef cattle farming. Production-orientated research was well funded until the late 1980's. Since then, the awareness of adverse side effects of the intensification of grassland farming, such as the loss of biodiversity, the pollution of the environment mainly by excess nitrogen and phosphorus, and the emission of greenhouse gases has grown. In addition, with the reform of the European Union Agricultural Policy in 1992, the rental costs for grassland decreased as did the stocking rates. On marginal sites, grassland is now at risk of being abandoned from agricultural use. Thus, increasing forage production and refining production measures have lost priority in grassland research and multiple function grasslands have become the main target of research.
