Green hay application and diverse seeding approaches to restore grazed lowland meadows: progress after 4 years and effects of a flood risk gradient

• DOI: 10.1111/rec.13180
• Publication Date: 2020-04-19T23:29:16Z
• Authors: Markus Wagner; Lucy Hulmes; Sarah Hulmes; Marek Nowakowski; John W. Redhead; Richard F. Pywell
• Keywords: Edaphic; Land restoration; Restoration Ecology; Arable land

The two most common approaches to target species introduction in European meadow restoration are green‐hay transfer from species‐rich donor sites and the use of diverse seed mixtures reflecting chosen community. potential both restore grassland has been variously reviewed, but very few studies have experimentally compared them at one same site. Moreover, involving or rarely taken into account environmental gradients a site, measured impacts such on outcomes. Such do, for example, exist during former arable land river floodplains, where occurrence flooding, associated edaphic characteristics as nutrient availability, might affect Using randomized complete block experimental design, based five different indicators progress, we usefulness application seeding grazed meadows MG5 type according British National Vegetation Classification, also investigated how outcomes differed after 4 years between areas within plots characterized by high flood risk low risk. Overall, yielded similar results over course experiment, whereas factors availability phosphorus negatively affected progress particularly terms floristic similarity targets. These highlight need take restoration.