Designing multi-species grassland mixtures to reduce fertiliser use and boost forage yield, resilience, and ecosystem services through strategic species selection [Practice Abstract]
Objective:
Productive grasslands rely often on low plant diversity with high management intensity and fertiliser input. However, research shows that multi-species mixtures can deliver high forage yield and quality with lower inputs and environmental impact. Benefits include improved nutrient use efficiency, weed suppression, resilience to extreme weather, and enhanced soil fertility and biodiversity. The best example is the positive clover-grass combination that reduces the need for mineral nitrogen fertiliser through natural nitrogen fixation.
Results:
Research shows that mixtures of 4-8 carefully selected species – especially combinations of grasses and legumes like clover – can match or exceed monocultures in yield while improving nutrient use efficiency, weed suppression, drought resilience, and soil health. Importantly, the number of species alone is not enough: species identity and proportion matter most. Using diversity interactions models, we identified which species combinations work best and how to balance them for optimal performance.
Practical recommendations:
Grasslands are complex systems and multi-species mixtures are especially valuable when multiple outcomes are considered together – not just forage yield alone. This approach allows to design mixtures that deliver a balanced set of ecosystem services. By selecting 4–8 well-performing species with complementary traits and stable proportions, practitioners can optimise both productivity and sustainability. Rather than simply increasing species numbers, the focus should be on choosing species that interact positively and persist in the field. This strategy improves system resilience. The tools and models used in the project (e.g. DImodels, R package) can support advisors and researchers in tailoring mixtures to local conditions and goals.
Benefits:
Lower input costs, improved productivity, greater resilience, and enhanced ecosystem
services – all achievable with smart species selection and mixture design.
Keywords: Arable, Biodiversity, Certification, Climate change, Transdisciplinary research
Country: Switzerland, EU
