Multi-species mixtures promote yield stability under rainfed AND drought conditions

Overview
Higher plant diversity in intensively managed agricultural grasslands resulted in higher yields AND less variation in yield. This represents gold-standard yield stability. We found this under undisturbed (rainfed) and disturbed conditions (experimental drought for 9 weeks).

Multi-species mixtures: our publications

I regularly get asked for references to our work on multi-species mixtures. Here’s an overview of the research that we have published over the last 15 years or so.

The BRIDE project kicks off: results-based payments for farmland wildlife

The BRIDE project kicks off

A new project in the Bride Valley in east Cork will reward participating farmers for wildlife on their farms. The ‘Biodiversity Regeneration In a Dairying Environment’ (BRIDE) project will provide participating farmers with farm habitat plans that identify the most appropriate and effective wildlife management options for individual farms. Farmers will be paid for their conservation actions.

The Bride Valley contains a rich mosaic of farmland habitats alongside more intensively managed farmland, and supports a range of farmland wildlife. The River Bride is designated as a Special Area of Conservation

Farmland Biodiversity: links to online booklet on farmland habitats

In a blast from the past, I re-discovered our booklet on 'Farmland Biodiversity: measures to create and enhance farmed habitats'.

Four-species mixtures increased weed suppression in intensively managed grasslands

Diversity robustly suppresses weeds in intensive grassland systems

How can we get more from less use of natural resources in agricultural systems? The use of multi-species mixtures (plant diversity) in intensively managed systems has been proposed as one strategy to improve agricultural sustainability. We show that four-species forage mixtures greatly increased weed suppression in intensively managed grasslands.

Uncontrolled weed growth can represent a major source of inefficiency, diverting nutrients, water, light and labour to an undesirable form of biomass, while herbicides incur significant environmental and economic costs. In pastures, weeds can impair forage quantity and quality resulting in reduced animal production, and increase the need for reseeding with its consequent costs. If diversity helps in maintaining a low level of weeds in pastures (and increases yield) it can increase the sustainable production of higher quality forage compared to systems relying on monocultures.  

 

Workshop presentations: Open Research Data in Ireland

Presentations from the 'National Approach to Open Research Data in Ireland' workshop (8 September 2017) are available to download from: http://dri.ie/presentations-national-approach-research-data-workshop-norf


Hilary Hanahoe -The Research Data Alliance in a nutshell
Birgit Schmidt - RDA for Libraries from an International Perspective
Sarah Jones - National approaches to data management
Ingrid Dillo - Trustworthy repositories for open research data
Natalie Harrower - DRI, RDA and Ireland
Rebecca Grant - Publishers and Research Data Management
Kate Kelly - Open Research Ireland

NASA website: comparison of global surface temperature

This is a great NASA website that allows comparison of global surface temperature anomalies. Users can specify reference years, and comparison years.
https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/maps/