Grassland renovation has important consequences for C and N cycling and losses

Autor: Kayser, Manfred; Müller, Jürgen; Isselstein, Johannes
In:

Food and Energy Security

Bandangabe: 7
Auflage: 3
ISBN: 2048-3694
DOI: 10.1002/fes3.146
Seite: 1 - 10
Jahr: 2018

Einordung:
Institut: Professur Grünland- und Futterbauwissenschaften

Abstract:
Sward degradation is a serious threat to the functioning of agricultural grassland and the
provision of ecosystem services. Renovation measures are frequently applied to restore
degraded swards. The success is highly variable and substantial trade-offs can be related to
the process of renovation. This paper starts with a general classification of renovation
measures and then investigates the processes which are directly related to renovation and lead
to a change of botanical composition and affects soil functions and C and N fluxes. These
processes are strongly interrelated and dependent on site, climate and management condition
as well as on the time scale. The more an existing and degraded sward is deliberately
disturbed prior to a renovation measure, e.g. by ploughing, the stronger will be the change in
sward composition, and the stronger will be the potential yield and quality advantage.
However, the risk of a release of soil organic C and N emissions to the environment will also
increase. These emissions will usually decrease in time, but so will the positive effects on
sward composition. This demonstrates that the renovation of swards is normally the second
best solution and a proper and well adapted grassland utilization and management should be
adopted to avoid degradation in the first place.

Ansprechpartner

Zur Publikation: Mitarbeiter, Projekte
Weitere Publikationen im Forschungsteilschwerpunkt