Tasks

Multi4More aims to increase the use of multispecies swards on Irish grassland farms, reducing nitrogen fertiliser usage with positive impacts on production, profitability and the environment. The consortium brings together leading researchers to create and disseminate evidence-based knowledge through a network of demonstration farms, freely-available online resources and a commitment to long-term research and practice. […]

Task 2 of Multi4More aims to investigate the nutrient replacement value and optimal functional group proportions of grass, legume, and herb in multispecies mixtures across three sites using a simplex design experiment. The study will measure dry-matter yield, nitrogen replacement value, and the nutrient use efficiency of mixtures under varying proportions of grass, legume, and […]

Task 3 of Multi4More investigates the impact of functional group diversity (grass, legume, and herb) on nitrogen dynamics and agronomic metrics in Irish livestock production. The study aims to reduce nitrous oxide emissions and increase total nitrogen yield through the use of multispecies swards. The research addresses the need for nitrogen self-sufficiency and reduced N […]

Task 4 of Multi4More investigates the benefits of multispecies swards for farmers. This includes weed suppression, forage quality, symbiotically fixed nitrogen, and legacy effects. The study uses a modeling approach to measure the identity effects of the functional groups, the interaction among them, and the effect of fertiliser level. Researchers will analyse the effects of functional group […]

Task 5 of Multi4More investigates the potential of multispecies swards to enhance soil physical properties and invertebrate populations compared to perennial ryegrass monocultures. Research will be conducted on the impact of different sward types and livestock systems on soil biodiversity, including earthworm and wider soil biological activity, as well as above-ground invertebrate abundance and diversity. […]

Task 6 of Multi4More aims to investigate the impact of multispecies swards on animal performance and sward productivity in mid-season sheep production systems. The task includes assessing various performance metrics, identifying the optimal mixture of grass, legume, and herb functional groups in the sheep diet, and conducting a literature review of animal feeding studies. The […]

Task 7 of Multi4More aims to analyse data from the global network of experiments called LegacyNet to identify optimal grass, legume, and herb proportions for grassland mixtures. LegacyNet is a global network of experiments with 38 member sites that quantifies the effects of up to six grassland species in three functional groups on grassland outcomes. […]