Futterwirtschaftliche Konsequenzen adaptierter Nutzungs- und Bestandesoptionen im Kleegras zur Förderung des Bruterfolges von Feldlerchen

Summary

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate forage parameters of cutting regimes
and species mixtures in grass-clover swards adapted to the breeding behaviour of the
skylark (Alauda arvensis) as a representative of ground-nesting birds. We investigated
options of a three weeks delayed cut in the second growth period to offer an adequate
breeding period and an exalted cut at 14 cm height to motivate a preterm nestbuilding.
Both regimes were conducted on swards of a standard seeding mixture and
a species rich mixture, respectively. The levels of dry matter yield and forage quality
did not always match common trends because of an extraordinary sward development
based on early spring drought and partly high weed contents. In this study we present
the first results in extract.