Lecture 1 Flashcards by Emily Cassells

Grass Growth Curve 2012-2018 UCD Lyons:
(4 points)

1- Grass growth in Spring below average due to snow storm.
2- Above average increase in May 100kg DM/Ha/Day to 110kg DM/Ha/Day in August.
-Droughts during summer drop to single figures for 6 weeks.
-Resulted in a deficit of 1.5 tonne DM/Ha grown in 2018.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

1-Grassland accounts for **% of the total land area globally.
2-Grassland accounts for **% of the global land area without permanent ice cover.

1- 25%
2- 40%

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

In Europe grassland accounts for **% of the worlds total grassland area.

13%

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Grasslands exist on every continent except …

Antarctica

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Name the four places that all have grasses as their naturally dominant vegetation:

-Prairies in North America
-Steppes in Asia
-Pampas in South America
-Savannas in South Africa

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Intensive and semi-intensive grassland represents **% of total land use

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What does grassland refer to?

-Community in which grasses (graminaea) are usually the dominant species,
-With forbs (herbaceous dicotyledonous species including legumes) are present.
-Trees and shrubs

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

List 5 roles of grassland:

1-Forage production
2-Ecosystem Services
3-Landscape and amenity value
4-Converting human inedible feed to high-quality nutrients
5-Significant contribution to global supplies

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

History of grassland:
1-* yrs ago- Ice age
2-* yrs ago species rich grassland

1- 20,000 years ago
2- 15-13,000 years ago

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Grassland was a forest until ** years ago and ** years ago again largely grasslands

-5500 years ago
-4000 years ago

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Treeless pasture is only about *** years old

300 years old (1700s)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

In 2021 Grassland accounts for **% of total land use in Ireland

59%

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Improved grassland definition:

Intensively managed or highly modified agricultural grassland that has been reseeded and/or regularly fertilised with chemical fertiliser.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the largest land use category?

-Grassland at 59%

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

The land area in Ireland is ** million hectares. There were almost ** hectares of AAU in 2016 in Ireland including *** hectares of commonage

-6.9 million hectares
-4.9 million hectares
-427,800 hectares

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Grassland accounts for **% of Irish Agricultural land area

92%

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

**% of worlds total grassland area is in EU

13%

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Grassland accounts for **% of Irish agricultural land area

92%

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Grassland accounts for **% of the global land area without permanent ice cover

40%

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Clifton park mixture has ** species but was missing **

-13 species
-PRG

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Average farm holders ha in Ireland:

32.4 hectares

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

-How many farmers under the age of 35?
-How many famers over the age of 65?

-7,400
-41,200

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Land Use Change:
-In 1990-1994 grassland was **%
-In 2010-2014 grassland was **%
-In 2016-2020 grassland was **%
-What is this showing?

-61%
-60%
-59%
-A decrease in grassland overall.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Total agricultural land area for forage production
1- Total Agri Area ha in IRE and UK
2- Grassland in IRE and UK
3- Rough Grazing in IRE and UK

1- IRE= 4,370ha (100%)
UK= 18,449ha (100%)

2-IRE= 3,466ha (79.3%)
UK= 6,884ha (37.3%)

3- IRE 468ha (10.7%)
UK 5,565ha (30.2%)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Use of Agricultural Land Area% -Ireland -UK

Ireland: -80% permanent pasture -15% arable crop UK: -65% permanent pasture -30% Arable Crop

Why does Ireland have more permanent pasture than the UK?

Competitive Advantage to Irish Ruminant Production System

In 2020 how many farmers where over 65?

almost 1/3 of farmers where over 65 compared to in 1991

What are the factors affecting land use? (4)

1- Soil 2- Topography 3- Climate 4- Agro-ecological zones

Name the 3 different soil types in Ireland:

1-Brown Earths, Brown Podzolics and Luvisols 2-Lighter sandier well-drained soils 3-Alluvials, surface-water and groundwater gleys

Brown earths, brown podzolics and Luvisols description:

-More intensive and productive soils -moderately- to well drained -good nutrient retention capacity

Lighter sandier well-drained soils: description

-Responsive to nitrogen fertiliser inputs -Greater risk for N leaching in wetter periods

Alluvials, surface-water and groundwater gleys: description

-Less productive -Can release N from organic matter -Production of nitrous oxide (N2O) due to denitrification under anaerobic conditions

What is the basis of a resilient grassland system:

-the maintenance of proper soil physical, chemical, and biological properties indicates the basis of a resilient grassland system

Where can you see your soil type in Ireland?

Teagasc soils index

Why does Ireland have so much land dedicates to growing grass?

-Temperature -Rainfall -Sunshine hours -Topography

Why is temperature favorable for grass growth in Ireland? -Soil temp in different parts of the country

-Average temp 9-10.5 degrees (n-s) -Gulf stream= warming effect in winter and cooling effect in summer. Winter temperatures are higher in Ireland than in most other parts of the world at the same latitude. -Soil temp are favourable for grass growth for 11 weeks longer per year in the coastal districts of the south and south west compared to the midlands

Why is knowing the soil temperature important?

-To know when the plant is growing so that N fertilizer can be applied to promote growth at the opportune time.

What tool can you use to check soil temperature?

Soil thermometer

How many hours of sun per year does the sunniest place in the world get?

-Sahara Desert -4300 hours

How many hours of sun does Ireland get per year? -What % ?

-1400-1700 hours/sun/year -36% of SD

What are Irish skies covered with most of the time?

-Clouds ->50% of the time

What is the calculation for photosynthesis?

CO2 + H20 > C6H12O6 + O2

1-In June, whats the Mean Daily Sunshine: 2-In December whats the Mean Daily Sunshine:

1- 7.1-16.5 2- 1.8-7.6

-Where is rainfall the highest and at what level does it range between?

-Highest in the western hills -3000mm

Where is the lowest level of rainfall and what level is it?

-East coast -800-1000mm

What has had a marled effect on soil development on areas around Ireland?

The intensity and variability in rainfall had marked an effect on soil development

What are the number of days of rainfall in the east and west:

-East: 200 days -West: 270 days

What is the mean annual rainfall in Ireland?

- 1961-1990mm

-How many days on average does frost occur a year in ireland? -In coastal and west areas how many days/year?

-<25 days a year -50 days/year

When does ground frost occur?

When the overlaying surface falls below 0 degrees

What is topography?

It governs the position of a soil on the landscape= water runoff and drainage

What type of surfaces generally receive more water?

-Low-lying and flat areas

Where may poor drained soils be found?

Good slopes where the lower-lying soil horizons or parent material are of poor permeability leading to reduced water movement

Definition: Permeability

The ability of a soil to allow water to pass through

Factors affecting land use and grass growth: (5)

1- Soil Type 2- Global Location 3- Temperature 4- Rainfall 5- Topography

What are the climate projections for Ireland (6)

1- Increased temperatures and heatwaves 2- heavy precipitation 3- Dry periods/droughts 4- decrease in frost and ice days 5- Projections indicate an average increase in the length of the growing season 6- Substantia; implications for agriculture

What impact does changes in rainfall and soil temperature have on grass growth ?

Huge impact especially in the shoulders of the year

What's the average length of the grass growth in Ireland(days)?

ranges from 240-330 days

What has a huge influence on grass growth?

-Dry and light/dry and loamy -Wet and heavy/ wet and peaty

Whats the price variation between free-draining and badly drained soils regardless of milk price (shalloo)

€28K

Whereabouts is 2/3rds of the cows and what type of soil is there?

-Munster -Dairying > dry loamy> south

In lower performing areas in Ireland for grass growth, what is the % lost in annual output?

10-30%

In the south what is the t DM/ha?

1500 t DM/ha

In the midlands what is the t DM/ha?

12-13 hundred

In the north, what's the average t DM/ha?

1100 t DM/ha

In the average in Ireland what is the t DM/ha

12.3 tonne DM/Ha

What should dairy farms set a target to on there grass growth from food wise 2025?

10 tonnes DM/ha

What's our environmentally sustainable challenges? (4)

1- Carbon neutral by 2050 - Irish agriculture accounted for 37.5% of national GHG emissions in 2021 2-Reduce GHG by 25% by 2030 3-Improve water quality via -50% reduction in nutrient losses -20% reduction in the use of fertilisers 4- Increase biodiversity

Over **% of total farmed area is grazed in Ireland

90%

In Ireland, why is grassland so important?

Livestock are entirely dependent on grass for a minimum of 200-235 days of the year

What is the main winter feed?

Grassland conserved

What were Irish dairy exports in 2021?

They were worth over €5 billion

What is Ireland GHG footprint in cow milk production?

1kg CO2 eq/kg FPCM

Approx **% of emissions from agriculture are associated with the dairy sector

40%

Dairy sector uses approx **% of all chemical Nitrogen

50%

Why is grass so good?

-Competitive advantage -Low cost of production (home-grown forage) -High nutritional value (clover and multi species swards)

What's the benefits of clover and multi-species swards? (4)

1- improved soil structure 2- increased animal performance 3- reduced emissions 4- reduce emissions 5- Reduce nitrogen inputs and excretion

What is the aim for Teagasc dairy roadmap 2027 Herbage utilised (tonnes DM/ha):

Current: 7.8 2027: 8.9 Current research performance: 12.9

Why is Ireland suited to grass production? (5)

1- Located between 51N and 55N latitude 2- Temperature climate 3- Influenced by prevailing westerly winds and the proximity of the ocean and gulf stream 4- Annual rainfall of 750-1450mm (varies widely between years) 5- No defined dry and wet seasons

Does Ireland get water stressed?

0% water stress -very favourable water stress index

When is grass growth and feed demand slow or when is a supplement feed needed (deficit) ? -When is there a surplus

Jan-April Sept-Dec -April-Sept

When does annual grass growth comence?

-Feb/March

When does grass growth: -Peak -Fall -Peak again -When does it almost cease?

-May -June -August (rapidly decreases from hereafter) -Ceases in November

Annual DM yield range in Ireland:

11-15 t DM/Ha

How long is the growing season?

8-11 months

When does grazing start?

11th feb-20th april

Grazing season varies from ***** days

200-300+

What can shorten the period of grass utilisation?

Prevailing weather

What is the reduction of moisture in the narrow coastal strips from the east to the southeast?

1.5 tonne (moisture deficit)