Herbs in grasslands - effect of slurry and grazing/cutting on species composition and nutritive value

Summary

Herbs are established in many organic grasslands due to their expected beneficial properties for nutritive value and biodiversity. However, knowledge about grassland herbs is limited. Three mixtures were therefore established at different grazing/cutting management and slurry applications. The competitiveness of the species varied greatly. Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) and lucerne (Medicago sativa) competed best under cutting; in contrast, chicory (Cichorium intybus) competed best under grazing. Caraway (Carum carvi), burnet (Poterium sanguisorba) and lotus (Lotus corniculatus) had a relative low competitiveness. Slurry application did not affect the proportion of non-leguminous herbs. The nutritive value differed: caraway had the highest and plantain the lowest values, as judged by in-vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) and content of NDF, ADF and ADL. Under cutting, the annual dry matter yields of the three mixtures were similar.