Intro -- Table of contents -- Preface -- Objectives of Inno4Grass -- Diversity of European grasslands -- Main grassland types -- Economic and social importance of European grasslands -- Environmental importance -- Threats -- Chapter 1. Grassland production -- Characteristics of grass -- Use of grasslands -- Grassland species and sward assessment -- Weed management -- Chapter 2. Grazing management -- Grass supply -- Main parasitic diseases encountered on the pasture -- Main grazing parameters -- Management according to the season -- Farm infrastructure -- Chapter 3. Hay and silage making -- Cutting management and haymaking -- Silage -- Techniques adapted to legume and legume mixtures -- Chapter 4. Soil and nutrient management -- Soil characteristics related to grasslands -- Main macro-nutrients: N P K -- Biological nitrogen fixation -- Liming -- Use of animal manure -- Other macro- and micronutrients -- Chapter 5. Environment and biodiversity -- Carbon sequestration -- Greenhouse gas emissions -- Water quality -- Biodiversity -- Chapter 6. Quality of grassland-based animal products -- Milk and dairy product quality -- Effect of grazed grass on milk composition -- Effect of the grass conservation type on milk composition -- References -- Characteristics of individual countries -- Sweden -- Introduction -- Climate conditions for grass and legumes in Sweden -- Feeding ruminants and horses up to the 1960s -- Use of pasture: historical development -- Comparative studies of hay and silage in the 1970s -- Conversion from hay to silage for dairy cows in the 1980s -- Decrease in roughage in the dairy cow diet in the 1990s and increase in the 2000s -- Shift to round bale silage among smallholders -- Horse owners finally turn to silage -- Grazing in Swedish production systems of today -- Organic production in Sweden.

How the new conditions influenced seed selection -- More intensive harvesting regimes -- White clover for silage -- Using white clover for less intensive silage systems -- Lucerne for dry conditions -- Forage species adapted for different purposes -- Conclusions and future tasks -- References -- Ireland -- Introduction -- Current grazing performance on dairy farms -- Soil fertility management -- Reseeding investment -- PastureBase Ireland -- The Netherlands -- Introduction -- Dairy farming systems in the Netherlands: developments and characteristics -- Soils -- Grassland areas -- Grass yield and grass quality -- Rations -- Fertilisation -- Nutrient losses -- Trends in grazing -- Grazing as a societal issue and grazing premiums -- Grazing systems -- Ensiling grass -- Outlook on the future of dairy systems in the Netherlands -- References -- Belgium -- Introduction -- Ruminant livestock production systems -- Dairy production -- Beef production -- Sheep and other ruminant productions -- Organic farming and stockbreeding -- Pasture resources -- Grassland management and forage conservation -- Opportunities to improve pasture resources -- References -- Germany -- Introduction -- Silage -- Fermentation basics of silage making -- Anaerobic conditions -- Grass types -- Grazing -- References -- Poland -- Introduction -- Grassland productivity and management -- Grassland renovation and establishment of new grass swards -- References -- France -- Introduction -- Herbivore stocking rate -- Grassland-based livestock farming systems -- Milk production -- Dairy herd size -- Milk production per cow -- Herd size and variation -- Characteristics of production -- The importance of grassland in France -- References -- Italy -- Introduction -- The agricultural sector and animal husbandry with a focus on ruminants -- Grassland types -- Grass yield and grass quality.

Grazing -- Grazing systems in the Italian continental regions -- Grazing systems in Italian Mediterranean regions -- Final remarks on the key aspects for climate change adaptation in Italian Mediterranean grasslands -- References.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2022. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.