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Control of erosion, and all of its after effects, from increased surface drainage and erosion to the formation of karst, is one of the essential problems when undertaking recultivation following necessary interventions in the sub-alpine and alpine vegetation stage (high zones). Average slope inclinations of 30-45% in the vicinity of ski runs, and far above in areas of natural erosion and avalanche zones, make restoration processes with sufficient erosion protection the prerequisite for success. Only a sufficient vegetation development of more than 70% ground cover stabilises the topsoil in the long term and reduces soil erosion to an acceptable degree. From 1999 to 2002, an international EU project with the participation Centre Raumberg-Gumpenstein (AREC) on five different Alpine sites at altitudes from 1,245 to 2,350 m above sea level. The aim of the work was the formulation of practicerelevant requirements for recultivation following intervention in high zones, especially following constructional measures in the vicinity of ski runs and lifts, torrent-and avalanche barriers. In a statistical comparison, the relationship between restoration techniques, seed mixtures of differing ecological value and vegetation cover was observed. The influence of application technique on erosion processes after restoration was obvious for the first two vegetation periods. Only with the additional use of mulch covers could increase surface drainage and noticeable soil loss be avoided. At high altitudes, the choice of seed mixture, irrespective of whether rapid or slow growing and independent of the extent of accompanying fertilisation, had no significance in the first two vegetation periods following sowing. In the following growing seasons, however, higher cover values were obtained with site-specific seed mixtures at three of the five experimental sites. While few species of the commercial seed mixture showed satisfactory persistency, most of the grasses and in particular the alpine leguminosae of site-specific seed mixtures increased their share during the observation period. In the long-term, sufficient protection against erosion is only guaranteed by the use of stable, enduring and ecologically adapted species.

Arrhenatherion meadows are an endangered type of semi‐natural grassland in Europe, and their conservation and restoration is an important policy objective. Recent research has led to development of techniques for harvesting seed material from regional donor sites and strategies for re‐establishment of species‐rich grassland, but their practical application requires that consumers are guaranteed sufficient seed quality of directly harvested material. Methods for the evaluation of purity, thousand seed weight (TSW) and germination capacity were developed and tested, a pre‐condition to define the optimal seeding rate for this vegetation type (2000–3000 seeds m−2). The assessment was based on seed obtained by two harvesting techniques: on‐site threshing (OST) and seed stripping (SS). Materials from both methods obtained 63% pure seeds. The TSW differed significantly between harvesting methods: the OST provided greater seed weight (1·057 g) than the SS (0·84 g). Two trials were implemented to define criteria for the germination capacity test. Organic growing media obtained the best and most homogenous results in a first comparative germination test. In the second trial, different dormancy‐breaking treatments were compared, each with and without pre‐chilling, namely: addition of potassium nitrate (KNO3), addition of gibberellic acid (GA3) and without addition of chemicals (WA). The germination capacity of the treated variants KNO3, GA3 and pre‐chilling was lower than that for WA. The harvesting method significantly influenced quality and quantity of the seed material, whereas the substrate and dormancy‐breaking treatments had no effect.

Neither methodology nor guidelines are available for defining quality characteristics and storage conditions of seed material harvested from semi-natural grassland. Seeds from an Arrhenatherion meadow were harvested via on-site threshing and seed stripping. After determination of purity, thousand seed weight and pre-tests in a phytotron, germination-capacity trials were carried out in a greenhouse. The harvested seed material was stored for up to 3 years under different conditions: (i) room temperature 18-23°C, (ii) cooling chamber (2-5°C with 40-50% humidity) and (iii) freezer (À18°C). There was a significant impact of the tested harvesting methods on seed separation, thousand seed weight and purity, but not on the germination capacity. Different storage conditions and storage length significantly influenced the germination capacity. There were also generally higher germination values for the seed-stripping material than the on-site threshing material (ca. 70 and 60%, respectively, in the first year). Germination capacity decreased significantly with time and was <15% after 3 years. We conclude that harvested seed material from semi-natural grassland should preferably be stored under cool conditions and used within 2 years.

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Schubiger, F. X., Baert J., Bayle, B., Bourdon, P., Cagas, B., Cernoch, V., Czembor, E., Eickmeyer, F., Feuerstein, U., Hartmann, S., Jakesova, H., Johnston, D., Krautzer, B., Leenheer, H., Lellbach, H., Persson, C., Pietraszek, W., Posselt, U. K., Russi, L., Schulze, S., Tardin, M. C., VanHee, F., Wilkins, P. W., Willner, E., Wolters, L., Boller, B. (2010). Susceptibility of European cultivars of Italian and perennial ryegrass to crown and stem rust. ? Euphytica, 176(2), 167-181. Sponsorship: BBSRC; DefraLINK (Sustainable Livestock Production Programme) IMPF: 01.59 RONO: 00A set of 15 Italian (Lolium multiflorum), three hybrid (L. boucheanum) and 33 perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) cultivars were evaluated for their rust susceptibility in the field. The cultivars were grown in 2001, 2004 and 2007 at 29, 32 and 27 European sites, respectively. Rust incidence was scored during different growth cycles using a scale from one (no rust) to nine (susceptible). Crown rust (Puccinia coronata f. sp. lolii) was the most frequently observed rust species on Italian, hybrid and perennial ryegrass during all three experimental years. There was a highly significant difference in mean crown rust scores among Italian and perennial ryegrass cultivars, respectively, in each of the 3 years. The ranking of the cultivars was very consistent across the different sites within each year (with some exceptions), despite a significant interaction of cultivar response with sites. Moreover, the rank order correlations of mean cultivar rust scores were highly significant (r > 0.9) between the years. Stem rust (P. graminis f. sp. graminicola) occurred almost exclusively on perennial ryegrass. The cultivars showed significant variation in stem rust susceptibility. Rank order correlations of mean cultivar stem rust scores were mostly significant between sites within each year and highly significant between the years. The ranking of perennial ryegrass cultivars was different depending on whether crown or stem rust was scored. However, the rank order correlation between the mean disease scores of the cultivars for the two pathogens was low but still significant. At a particular site the assessment of crown or stem rust was in most cases very consistent over the period of experimentation. Therefore there was no evidence that rust resistance of an individual cultivar was overcome by the rust pathogen at a particular site over the 7 years of experimentation.Peer reviewe