Opbrengst en voederwaarde van verschillende graskruidenmengsels met en zonder ondergrondse druppelirrigatie: Resultaten driejarige maaiproef

Due to climate change, there is a need within the dairy farming sector for adaptation measures to mitigate the adverse effects of extreme weather events, such as prolonged drought and heat, on forage production and dairy cattle. Therefore, within the project Klimaatbestendige melkveehouderij Achterhoek (KLIMEA), a three-year (2022–2024) field trial was conducted on dry sandy soil with five potential less drought-sensitive grass and grass-herb mixtures, combined with subsurface drip irrigation. The mixtures were evaluated in acutting trial for yield (dry matter and nitrogen), feed value, botanical composition, and residual mineral soil nitrogen. Grass–herb mixtures gave higher yields than the reference mixture with only perennial ryegrass, but their feed values were lower. In addition, the proportion of certain herbs declined substantially over the years. The effect of subsurface drip irrigation could only be demonstrated to a limited extent, as only the first year after sowing was characterized by drought.