2012/01/01 by François Gastal, Bernadette Julier, Gastal, François +13
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Agriculture and Rural Development Research #Graminée #Légumineuse #Mélange #Productivité #Valeur agronomique #Variété
paper · doi:10.17180/zg9p-wk90
openalex publication_date 2012/01/01 · openalex created_date 2017/12/22 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
Multispecies grasslands (MSG) are increasingly used because they are credited agronomic benefits. However, vegetation composition, environmental conditions and management needed to achieve the potential agronomic benefits of MSG, as well as the nature of these benefits, still have to be determined, depending on the objectives of production and duration in rotations. Recent experimental data collectedon sown grasslands confirms the interest of MSG. Associations of grasses and legumes can often maintain productivity and improve nutritional value with a reduction of nitrogen fertilization. Grass mixtures have real but less systematic advantages in annual productivity. In addition, MSG allows a better regularity of within-year production, a better long-term persistency and a better resilience. In the context of mixed crop and livestock farming systems, the choice of species has to be adapted according to the objectives of grassland duration. MSG can also contribute to lower weed invasions. A detailed analysis of competition and facilitation processes between species in a mixture, can guide the selectionof diversity assemblies. The interest of the manipulation of intraspecific diversity, complementary species diversity, is to state.