Track 2-07: Climate Change Impacts on Grassland Production, Composition, Distribution and Adaptation
Description
Grass-based dairy and livestock production constitutes the most important agricultural sector in Norway in economic terms, and 60% of the agricultural land in Norway is used for grass production. Climate change may have consider-able impact on the survival and productivity of grasslands, with consequences for the local supply of forage to live-stock, farmers’ income and the supply of dairy- and livestock-based food products to the global market. Farmers can adapt to climate change by choosing different grass species or cultivars or by changing management practices such as the timing and frequency of harvests. Plant breeders select new cultivars of grasses that are better suited to a specific environment and management practices by utilizing available resources in the most optimal way. A key characteristic for grass cultivars grown in Norway is their ability to survive the winter, a characteristic that will re-main important also in the future (Thorsen and Höglind 2010). Winter hardy cultivars contribute to high and stable yields, and minimize the need for costly reseeding. Other desired traits for grass cultivars in Norway are high nutritive value of the herbage, high tolerance of the plants to frequent cutting and grazing, and good suitability for conservation through ensiling. Breeding for a new grass cultivar usually takes 15-20 years. It is difficult to predict which trait combinations will be important in the future, especially under climate change conditions. However, it is important to define breeding targets and investigate the underlying genetic and physiological mechanisms of important traits.
Process-based simulation models for grass can be used to evaluate the effects of altered plant traits under projected climate change conditions. Here we show an example with preliminary results from a study where the BASGRA model was used to evaluate the effect of modified plant characteristics on grass winter survival and yield under projected climate change conditions for Norway.
Included in
Identifying Target Traits for Forage Grass Breeding under a Changing Climate in Norway Using the BASGRA Model
Grass-based dairy and livestock production constitutes the most important agricultural sector in Norway in economic terms, and 60% of the agricultural land in Norway is used for grass production. Climate change may have consider-able impact on the survival and productivity of grasslands, with consequences for the local supply of forage to live-stock, farmers’ income and the supply of dairy- and livestock-based food products to the global market. Farmers can adapt to climate change by choosing different grass species or cultivars or by changing management practices such as the timing and frequency of harvests. Plant breeders select new cultivars of grasses that are better suited to a specific environment and management practices by utilizing available resources in the most optimal way. A key characteristic for grass cultivars grown in Norway is their ability to survive the winter, a characteristic that will re-main important also in the future (Thorsen and Höglind 2010). Winter hardy cultivars contribute to high and stable yields, and minimize the need for costly reseeding. Other desired traits for grass cultivars in Norway are high nutritive value of the herbage, high tolerance of the plants to frequent cutting and grazing, and good suitability for conservation through ensiling. Breeding for a new grass cultivar usually takes 15-20 years. It is difficult to predict which trait combinations will be important in the future, especially under climate change conditions. However, it is important to define breeding targets and investigate the underlying genetic and physiological mechanisms of important traits.
Process-based simulation models for grass can be used to evaluate the effects of altered plant traits under projected climate change conditions. Here we show an example with preliminary results from a study where the BASGRA model was used to evaluate the effect of modified plant characteristics on grass winter survival and yield under projected climate change conditions for Norway.
