Agronomic and Environmental Benefits of Reintroducing Herb- And Legume-Rich Multispecies Leys Into Arable Rotations: A Review

doi:10.15302/j-fase-2021439

Cited by 11 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 138 publications

(214 reference statements)

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“…See, for example, Grace et al (2018), Moloney et al (2020) and Baker et al (2023). There has also been significant interest from other countries including New Zealand (Des Roseaux et al, 2022), Germany (Komainda et al, 2022; Loza et al, 2021) and the United Kingdom (Cooledge et al, 2022). If farmers are being encouraged to establish such grass, legume and forage herb‐containing multispecies swards, then they must have knowledge of how these swards change the nutritive profile of the herbage being grazed by livestock.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of the nutritive value of perennial ryegrass, perennial ryegrass and white clover and multispecies‐based farmlet systems

et al. 2023

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Background Limited information is available regarding the nutritive value and structural characteristics of multispecies swards when rotationally grazed. Methods Three farmlet types were investigated in terms of their nutritive value: Lolium perenne (LP); L. perenne+Trifolium repens (LP+TR); and a multispecies sward containing grasses, legumes and herbs (MSS). Farmlets were stocked with beef steers (2.5 livestock units ha−1), grazed on a 1 ha scale to 6 cm (MSS) and 4 cm (LP and LP+TR) residuals. Results A greater ash concentration was found in MSS than LP (84 vs. 75 g kg−1 DM). Both LP+TR and MSS had higher crude protein and lower neutral detergent fibre concentrations than LP. The relative ranking of water soluble carbohydrate and dry matter (DM) concentration was LP > LP+TR > MSS. Despite the leaf component of the LP farmlet contributing more to herbage DM, the organic matter digestibilities of the swards were similar. Conclusions The MSS and LP+TR farmlets achieved similar forage quality under intensive grazing to LP. However, it is worth noting that MSS had a higher concentration of acid detergent lignin, which can negatively impact digestibility. Further investigation is needed to determine optimal grazing management practices that can minimise the effects of higher lignin concentration on digestibility in multispecies swards.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of the nutritive value of perennial ryegrass, perennial ryegrass and white clover and multispecies‐based farmlet systems

et al. 2023

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“…Nonetheless, it remains unclear if 3-year grass-clover leys are the best management system for sustainably improving soil health, crop, and livestock production. A comprehensive review of the potential benefits of species-rich herbal leys containing legumes and deep-rooted grasses suggests that these may be preferable particularly for livestock grazing, as antihelminthic compounds in some herbs improve livestock health and productivity (Cooledge et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, herbal leys can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from enteric methane production by ruminant livestock and nitrous oxide emissions from urine patches, since the herbage chemistry can reduce methanogenesis, and high tannin content results in more dietary N ending in dung and less in urine (Cooledge et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A comprehensive review of the potential benefits of species-rich herbal leys containing legumes and deep-rooted grasses suggests that these may be preferable particularly for livestock grazing, as antihelminthic compounds in some herbs improve livestock health and productivity (Cooledge et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, herbal leys can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from enteric methane production by ruminant livestock and nitrous oxide emissions from urine patches, since the herbage chemistry can reduce methanogenesis, and high tannin content results in more dietary N ending in dung and less in urine (Cooledge et al, 2022 ). Such diverse herbal leys are now actively promoted in the UK by subsidy payments (Defra, 2021a ) but their effects on soil health, including organic carbon, earthworms, mycorrhizas, soil aggregation, hydrological functioning, and subsequent crop yields relative to grass-clover leys, remain to be established.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental evaluation of biological regeneration of arable soil: The effects of grass-clover leys and arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculants on wheat growth, yield, and shoot pathology

et al. 2022

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Wheat yields have plateaued in the UK over the last 25 years, during which time most arable land has been annually cropped continuously with short rotations dominated by cereals. Arable intensification has depleted soil organic matter and biology, including mycorrhizas, which are affected by tillage, herbicides, and crop genotype. Here, we test whether winter wheat yields, mycorrhization, and shoot health can be improved simply by adopting less intensive tillage and adding commercial mycorrhizal inoculum to long-term arable fields, or if 3-year grass-clover leys followed direct drilling is more effective for biological regeneration of soil with reduced N fertiliser. We report a trial of mycorrhization, ear pathology, and yield performance of the parents and four double haploid lines from the Avalon x Cadenza winter wheat population in a long-term arable field that is divided into replicated treatment plots. These plots comprised wheat lines grown using ploughing or disc cultivation for 3 years, half of which received annual additions of commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) inoculum, compared to 3-year mown grass-clover ley plots treated with glyphosate and direct-drilled. All plots annually received 35 kg of N ha−1 fertiliser without fungicides. The wheat lines did not differ in mycorrhization, which averaged only 34% and 40% of root length colonised (RLC) in the ploughed and disc-cultivated plots, respectively, and decreased with inoculation. In the ley, RLC increased to 52%. Two wheat lines were very susceptible to a sooty ear mould, which was lowest in the ley, and highest with disc cultivation. AM inoculation reduced ear infections by >50% in the susceptible lines. In the ley, yields ranged from 7.2 to 8.3 t ha−1, achieving 92 to 106% of UK average wheat yield in 2018 (7.8 t ha−1) but using only 25% of average N fertiliser. Yields with ploughing and disc cultivation averaged only 3.9 and 3.4 t ha−1, respectively, with AM inoculum reducing yields from 4.3 to 3.5 t ha−1 in ploughed plots, with no effect of disc cultivation. The findings reveal multiple benefits of reintegrating legume-rich leys into arable rotations as part of a strategy to regenerate soil quality and wheat crop health, reduce dependence on nitrogen fertilisers, enhance mycorrhization, and achieve good yields.

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“…Therefore, there is potential to reduce N fertilizer inputs to grasslands and arable rotations through the use of legumes and multispecies swards, and through improved management. Using legumes in ruminant feeding systems (e.g., forage and fodder) can reduce overall GHG emissions due to decreased N fertilizer use and related emissions [19] , such as reduced urine N excretion and reduction in enteric methane emissions driven by plant secondary metabolites [20] .…”

Section: Reduced Use or Optimization Of Synthetic N Application Inclu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emission Mitigation Priorities for Uk Policy Targets

2023

Front. Agr. Sci. Eng.

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HIGHLIGHTS• An expert survey highlighted the most effective strategies for GHG and ammonia mitigation.• Interventions considered to have the highest mitigation potential are discussed.• Experts agreed that no single mitigation measure can uniquely deliver GHG and ammonia mitigation.• Experts noted a need for further investment in research, knowledge exchange, education and to develop implementation pathways.• There is a need for more data to better quantify mitigation potentials and implement effective management strategies.

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Agronomic and Environmental Benefits of Reintroducing Herb- And Legume-Rich Multispecies Leys Into Arable Rotations: A Review

Cited by 11 publications

References 138 publications

A comparison of the nutritive value of perennial ryegrass, perennial ryegrass and white clover and multispecies‐based farmlet systems

A comparison of the nutritive value of perennial ryegrass, perennial ryegrass and white clover and multispecies‐based farmlet systems

Experimental evaluation of biological regeneration of arable soil: The effects of grass-clover leys and arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculants on wheat growth, yield, and shoot pathology

Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emission Mitigation Priorities for Uk Policy Targets

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