Summary
This field and pot-scale study demonstrates that zinc and selenium uptake in grasslands increases with species richness, with multispecies mixtures outperforming Lolium perenne monocultures. The enhanced uptake was primarily attributed to higher aboveground biomass production and elevated shoot micronutrient concentrations in specific component species, rather than facilitation mechanisms involving grass species. The authors recommend selecting forage species for multispecies mixtures based on both biomass potential and inherent zinc and selenium concentrations.
UK applicability
Given that the field trial likely occurred in the United Kingdom (based on author institutions and use of L. perenne as the baseline monoculture), these findings are directly applicable to UK grassland management and forage production. The results suggest that diversifying UK pastures and forage swards could improve mineral micronutrient uptake for livestock feed and potentially enhance nutritional value of grassland products.
Key measures
Zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) uptake values; shoot Zn and Se concentrations; aboveground biomass production; species richness gradient
Outcomes reported
The study measured zinc and selenium uptake and shoot concentrations across monoculture and multispecies grassland mixtures at both pot and field scales. Both pot and field experiments demonstrated that zinc and selenium uptake increased significantly with increasing species richness.
Topic tags
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