Task 3 of Multi4More investigates the impact of functional group diversity (grass, legume, and herb) on nitrogen dynamics and agronomic metrics.
Emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas, have risen rapidly, with agriculture being a major contributor due to emissions from synthetic nitrogen (N) fertiliser. Multispecies mixtures comprising grasses, legumes, and herbs that have complementary characteristics offer a prospective solution to reduce reliance on synthetic N fertiliser, potentially lowering N2O emissions.
The study investigates the effect of vegetation diversity and nitrogen fertiliser application (two levels) on nitrous oxide emissions, nitrous oxide emissions intensity and total nitrogen yield.
Preliminary results on nitrous oxide emissions from the first year of the experiment (2024) are available on p. 484 of the conference proceedings of the European Grassland Federation (2025).
