Management practices and plant composition are changing due to rising temperatures, longer growing seasons, increasing drought stress, and more frequent heavy rainfall. All these changes impact our grassland. Traditional grazing and cutting dates no longer align with stand development. Spring forage growth is increasing, while summer yield depression is significantly more pronounced in most years than before. Conversely, late summer and autumn forage growth is considerably higher. This puts pressure on the plant composition, leading to changes. Generally, the proportion of water-demanding, shallow-rooted, valuable forage grasses is declining. This creates gaps in the stand, which are filled by deep-rooted herbs and legumes, including critical species such as daisy and broadleaf dock. Open, patchy stands also promote grub damage. All of this negatively impacts forage yield and quality if countermeasures are not taken in time. The goal is a dense, well-structured plant stand with a high proportion of drought-tolerant grasses and legumes. Depending on the intensity of use and location, well-known drought-tolerant species such as orchardgrass, tall oatgrass, alfalfa, bird's-foot trefoil, and red clover are suitable. However, there are also other species with good drought tolerance, such as tall fescue or meadow fescue. The performance of these new species, which varieties of commercially available species are particularly well-suited to the aforementioned stresses, and the breeding of climate-resistant red clover are currently the subject of several research projects at the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein. The feasibility of using deep-rooting herbs in grassland seed mixtures (e.g., cultivated varieties of ribwort plantain and chicory) is also being investigated. Climate-tolerant meadows: What can farmers do? If the possibilities of improved stand management have been exhausted, optimizing the stand structure through reseeding or new sowing is essential. Necessary measures must always be implemented as soon as possible after the problem becomes apparent. Even more successful, however, are preventative measures. Sparse and poorly developed stands can be sustainably improved in their composition through regular reseeding with a suitable seed mixture. It is important to adapt the choice of seed mixture to the location and management intensity. For example, it makes perfect sense to differentiate between the various reseeding mixtures offered for up to 3 cuts (NA), 4 or more cuts (NI), after renovation using a heavy harrow (NIK), or for dry sites with cutting (NATRO) or grazing (NAWEI), as the range of species and varieties contained within is optimized for the respective conditions. There is already good practical experience with the regular overseeding of red clover to enrich even intensively managed stands with this valuable legume and increase their forage value. However, this measure must be carried out regularly, as red clover is not persistent within the stand. Under suitable site conditions, sowing alfalfa into existing grassland stands is also possible. Regular reseeding is highly recommended as a preventative measure to stabilize grassland stands. Reseeding should ideally take place during wet periods, as this is when it works best. Even drought-tolerant species establish themselves better under moist conditions. Wet years are reseeding years! When establishing new grasslands, choosing the right seed mixture with regard to location and use is also of great importance. Therefore, the three cornerstones of seed quality for grassland mixtures should always be considered when selecting the right seed mixture: adherence to the recommended Austrian mixture framework to ensure that the right species are included in the correct proportions, depending on the climate zone, location, and type or intensity of use; use only varieties that have been tested for yield, quality, and persistence over many years under Austrian site and climate conditions. Only such varieties (see the Austrian Variety List, ÖAG Variety List) guarantee success in practice; and use only guaranteed dock-free seed. Priv.- Doz. Dr. Andreas Steinwidder in conversation with Dr. Bernhard Krautzer (HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein) Here is the complete interview on the topic of strategies for climate-adapted grassland: Link to the article from our media partner landwirt-media.com Further materials: The specialist brochure on climate change adaptation, based on the podcast series, with short and informative articles for further reading and supplementary slide sets for teaching and consulting in all agricultural sectors.
