Publication Date
1985
Description
Europe's farmers are being encouraged to take land out of agriculture in order to reduce surplus cereal production. There is therefore, increasing scope for creating new species-rich swards, although guidelines for this purpose are lacking. Several reasons are advanced for encouraging species diversity and conservation, including recreational, ethical, education and resource utilisation. As leisure time increases, so public interest in conservation matters increases. Scientifically, there is a need to preserve genetic diversity and to understand the complex plant and animal relationship leading to a rich and varied community. This paper describes two experiments aimed at achieving a . highly diverse sward, either by creating niches in an existing sward, using grass suppressing herbicides, into which wild flower seeds are sown (Experiment 1), or by including wild flower seeds with a conventially established grass seed mixture (Experiment 2).
Citation
Haggar, R J. and Jones, D, "Increasing Flora Diversity in Grassland Swards" (2025). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 43.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1989/session14/43
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Increasing Flora Diversity in Grassland Swards
Europe's farmers are being encouraged to take land out of agriculture in order to reduce surplus cereal production. There is therefore, increasing scope for creating new species-rich swards, although guidelines for this purpose are lacking. Several reasons are advanced for encouraging species diversity and conservation, including recreational, ethical, education and resource utilisation. As leisure time increases, so public interest in conservation matters increases. Scientifically, there is a need to preserve genetic diversity and to understand the complex plant and animal relationship leading to a rich and varied community. This paper describes two experiments aimed at achieving a . highly diverse sward, either by creating niches in an existing sward, using grass suppressing herbicides, into which wild flower seeds are sown (Experiment 1), or by including wild flower seeds with a conventially established grass seed mixture (Experiment 2).
