Permanent grassland on peaty and eroded soils (Эстония)

The area will be excluded from crop production and it means no cash crops can be cultivated on this area. Instead of crops hay or silage is possible to sell.

As it is not allowed to renew these grasslands intensively, the quantity of grass will drop. For short term clover+grasses mixture the average yield is 16 tons/ha per year, for long-term grass mixtures 5.2 tons/ha per year.

Due to the change of species in the mixture, the protein level will drop. Instead of red clover grasses will be used in the mixture of long-term grasslands.

Due to the changes in silage/hay quality (protein) there can be reduction of milk and meat production if the differences will not be covered with other fodder.

In case of crop orientation, there are new products to sell - grass, hay, silage, or grasslands to rent.

Depending on the farm it can be simplified or hindered. If focus was on crops, then new machinery is needed to manage grasslands (for cutting, hay or silage making).

As renewing of grassland is after every 5 years, there is no need to buy seeds every year, as well as pesticides and to till the soil.

Due to the reduction of the inputs costs, the income my increase. Also the government pays support 50 EUR/ha for the land under these measures.

Next to the yield (grass, silage, hay) the support from the government (50 EUR/ha)

It may decrease due to no need of every year tillage and sowing and due to the change from 2 year short-term grasslands to the permanent grasslands. However, if not managed grasslands earlier it may increase the workload as cutting and collecting the grass is needed.

More land under grasslands than under crops. Grasses are suitable for animals feeding, not for human direct consumption.

If land was eroded before and soil was on the road, everybody can see the differences after establishment of the grasslands. It is not so severe in case of peatlands, however, less tractors will stuck in to the mud on rainy period.

In case of erosion, no soil will be washed down to the hill as plant cover protects soil surface and increases infiltration. In case of peatlands, grass cover creates better structure and increases water infiltration thus decreases surface runoff during heavy rainfall.

Grass creates protection to the soil surface and raindrops can't destroy the soil structure any more. Also grass roots create better porosity and structure in the soil leading to better water drainage.

The difference in soil moisture between mineral and organic soils under cereals and under grassland was ca 5% and 25%, respectively, in favour to the grasslands in autumn 2016.

Количество до применения УЗП : 40%
Количество после применения УЗП: 100%
Under spring cereals soil is covered only 4-5 months per year, under grasses soil is covered 100% of the year.

On the slopes depending o the crop and the amount of precipitations, the loss varied from 3 to 60 tons/ha, under permanent grass cover it is less than 0.05 tons/ha per year. Without every year tillage there is no intensive decomposition of the peat, as well as no wind erosion.

Under grasses we can increase the soil organic matter content by 0.35 t/ha in 5 year period in peatlands. In eroded soils we can increase 0.02% per year.

As plants protect soil surface, raindrops can't destroy the soil structure and there will be no crust formation

Under the grasslands the bulk density was lower by 0.1-0.2 g/cm3 compared to tilled soil.

As the intensive decomposition of the peat stops or there will not be any leaching by water, more nutrients remain in the soil. Also the permanent plant cover during the whole year stops nutrient leaching.

Under permanent grasslands the Corg increases by 0.35 t/ha per 5 year period.

Without periodic liming the acidity of peatlands starts to increase. If no CaCO3 in mineral part, also pH of previously eroded soils starts to decrease slowly, as organic acids form during decomposition process.

Thanks to the permanent plant cover there is no period of the year without vegetation.

If previously the plant residues were mixed with the soil by tillage, now there will always some extent of plant mass be left above ground (5-10 cm), even if the most is removed for hay or silage.

Long-term grassland includes at least 4 species in the mixture, short-term mixtures 2-3 species. However, compared with the cereals, the annual weeds will disappear and the diversity may decline.

There are more spiders, ants, beets.

Количество до применения УЗП : 2 species of earthworms
Количество после применения УЗП: 3-4 species of earthworms
Under grasslands were 1-2 more earthworm species than under tilled management. More spiders and ground beetles were found there compared to the tilled soil.

Grasslands create untilled patterns to the landscape.

Grasses surpress many soil born crops diseases and pests, also annual and perennial weeds.

Grass roots go to the deeper soil and they are not so sensitive to the drought.

Under permanent grasslands reduced CO2 emission by 1.10 t/ha per year compared to the tilled areas.

If the grass will not be cutted before winter, the dry grass has the risk of higher landscape fires in the spring.

The changes of soil temperature as well as moisture content are smaller under permanent grass cover than under tillage.

All year plant cover helps to bind nutrients and stop their leaching from the soil. Higher amount of organic matter in the soil increases water holding capacity.

Organic peat particles are light and are easy subject of wind erosion in dry conditions by tillage. Permanent plant cover stops such kind of erosion

On hilly landscape no extra soil is flushed to neighbours fields. In case of peatlands no dust is carried around.

In case of erosion, no soil is carried by water or wind to the ditches and on the roads.

Under permanent grasslands reduced CO2 emission by 1.10 t/ha per year compared to the tilled areas.