Weed suppression greatly increased by plant diversity in intensively managed grasslands: A continental‐scale experiment
University College Dublin · Universitat de Lleida · +28 more institutions
Abstract
Abstract Grassland diversity can support sustainable intensification of grassland production through increased yields, reduced inputs and limited weed invasion. We report the effects of diversity on weed suppression from 3 years of a 31‐site continental‐scale field experiment. At each site, 15 grassland communities comprising four monocultures and 11 four‐species mixtures based on a wide range of species' proportions were sown at two densities and managed by cutting. Forage species were selected according to two crossed functional traits, “method of nitrogen acquisition” and “pattern of temporal development”. Across sites, years and sown densities, annual weed biomass in mixtures and monocultures was 0.5 and…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 9.14
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 43
Authors
34- JCJohn ConnollyCorresponding
University College Dublin
- MSMaria‐Teresa Sebastià
Universitat de Lleida, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia
- LKL. Kirwan
University College Dublin, Waterford Institute of Technology
- JAJohn A. Finn
Teagasc - The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority
- RLRosa Llurba
Universitat de Lleida, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia
Topics & keywords
- Monoculture
- Weed
- Grassland
- Agronomy
- Biomass (ecology)
- Biology
- Transgressive
- Biodiversity