About The Project
Improve Sustainability and Efficiency of Agriculture
Multi4More is a research project that aims to enhance agricultural practices’ sustainability and efficiency by conducting multiple experiments on aspects such as forage production, nitrogen replacement value, soil health, animal performance, and environmental impact. The project also aims to transfer knowledge and resources through stakeholder engagement, farm-based and online demonstrations, and targeted resources to promote sustainable and efficient agricultural practices for better productivity and sustainability of agricultural systems.
Optimising multiple agronomic responses
Multi-Site Experiment
The Multi4More project is conducting a multi-site experiment to enhance the design of multispecies mixtures’ for various agricultural purposes. By evaluating aspects like forage production, nitrogen replacement value, nitrous oxide emissions intensity, total nitrogen yield, weed suppression, forage quality and invertebrate biodiversity, the project aims to optimise multispecies mixtures to improve the sustainability and productivity of agricultural practices.
More sustainable Livestock Farming
Ovine Grazing Experiment
The Multi4More project is using an innovative feeding experiment to assess the effects of plant diversity on sheep performance and environmental impact. The study will investigate how different combinations of grasses, legumes, and herbs can affect pasture and livestock performance, feed intake and digestibility, rumen fermentation, nitrogen excretion, and methane emissions.
This research contributes to a better understanding of the impact of plant diversity on livestock production practices and environmental sustainability.
Collaboration with LegacyNet
Harnessing the power of multi-site experiments
In collaboration with LegacyNet (see below), Multi4More will identify optimal grass, legume, and herb proportions for grassland mixtures. LegacyNet is a global network of experiments with 26 member sites that quantifies the effects of up to six grassland species in three functional groups on agronomic responses in i) a grassland ley and ii) a follow-on crop.
Across 26 international field experiments, Multi4More will:
- quantify the effect of species diversity on yield
- investigate the legacy effects of plant diversity in a grassland ley on a follow-on crop
- investigate the effect of plant diversity on multiple agronomic functions (multifunctionality) in both the grassland and follow-on crop of the experiment
New Agricultural Resources Developed to Support Sustainable and Efficient Farming Practices
Knowledge Transfer
Multi4More is engaging with stakeholders through farm-based and online demonstration events and developing targeted resources on multispecies mixtures for policymakers, farmers, advisory services, and agricultural educationalists. Their goal is to support the adoption of more sustainable and efficient agricultural practices to improve the productivity and sustainability of agricultural systems.
