Improving grassland and pasture management in temperate agriculture
About this ebook
"The comprehensiveness of the book will make it extremely useful for grassland and pasture students. In addition, it has value for anyone interested in a wide range of aspects of cultivated grasslands...it is a valuable source of information on cultivated grasslands in a single book with a good balance between detail and subjects covered."
African Journal of Range and Forage Science
The shift to more intensive livestock system has put more pressure on grasslands used for pasture. At the same time, there is a greater understanding of the role of grasslands in delivering a range of ecosystems services. This volume reviews the range of research on more sustainable use of grasslands to optimise livestock nutrition whilst protecting biodiversity and delivering a range of broader environmental benefits.
Part 1 assesses grassland functions and dynamics, including plant-soil and plant-animal interactions. Part 2 reviews key aspects of grassland management, including sowing, soil health, irrigation and weed control as well as monitoring. The final part of the book considers wider aspects of sustainability such as protecting biodiversity as well as silage processing.
With its distinguished editors and international team of subject experts, this will be a standard reference for grassland and rangeland scientists, livestock producers, government and non-governmental organisations responsible for grassland management.
About the author
Professor Athole Marshall is Head of the internationally-renowned Public Good Planting Breeding Team at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, UK. The team is noted for its work in breeding new varieties of forage grasses, legumes and oats. Professor Marshall is Past President of the European Grassland Federation.
Dr Rosemary Collins is a Principal Investigator at IBERS focussed on developing new varieties of legumes such as clover for a more sustainable agriculture.
Professor Ulrich Köpke is Director and Head of the Institute of Organic Agriculture at the University of Bonn, Germany. He was Founding President of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR) which plays a leading role in promoting collaboration in international organic research. Professor Köpke has written over 200 publications on nutrient management, life cycle analysis and other techniques for optimising agronomic practices in organic agriculture, as well as coordinating a number of major European research projects in organic agriculture.
