Research and farming working together to develop grassland varieties resilient to extreme weather events to mitigate climate change

Extreme weather events like flooding and drought are becoming more prevalent as the effects of climate change begin to impact. To increase resilience to these, grass and clover breeders at IBERS are working to develop plants with stronger, deeper root systems and improved root-soil interactions leading to greater water-use-efficiency and improved soil hydrology. Certain Festulolium (ryegrass × fescue species' hybrids) have been shown to reduce surface run off by increasing soil porosity and enhancing soil-water retention. Using participatory research and working with industry partners, eight commercial development farms were selected to cover a range of soil types, geographical areas and livestock sectors (ruminant and mono-gastric) across the UK. Two 1 ha areas of single variety grass leys: Festulolium (cv AberNiche) and hybrid ryegrass (cv AberEve) were established in accordance with standard farm practice. The field performance of these novel grasses and clovers has been monitored by farmers and researchers together to study whether changes in individual plant design, when reproduced at the field scale, can deliver future resilient grassland varieties that provide excellent forage for livestock and improved soil hydrology