Grassland management in transition – combining ecology, economy, and climate resilience (KlimaGrünland)

As part of the KlimaGrünland project: Grassland management in transition – combining ecology, economy, and climate resilience, three practical grassland field trials are being investigated. The aim of the project is to determine how and under what conditions the promotion of biodiversity and climate resilience can be combined with the goals of economic grassland management. To this end, practical field trials are being conducted in Hayn and Iden, as well as at the Bernburg-Strenzfeld campus of Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, in cooperation with the State Office for Agriculture and Horticulture Saxony-Anhalt.

Project priorities

The research will not only test the restoration and management of species-rich grasslands, but also the adaptation of grasslands to climate change through the introduction of drought-adapted native wild plant species and climate change-adapted management systems. As these measures increase phytodiversity in grassland, they also lead to more intensive and diverse rooting, which in turn promotes climate and yield resilience to increasing weather extremes and also increases ecosystem services such as carbon storage in the soil. This, in turn, can be used to derive proposals for the development of multifunctional and economically viable land use concepts.

Project region

Mansfeld-Südharz (Hayn), Salzlandkreis (Bernburg), district of Stendal (Iden)

Further project details

• Plot trials

  Hayn – Usage and fertilizer variants

  Influence on, among other things, botanical species composition, biomass growth, forage quality, and soil nutrients.

  

  

  Iden – Disturbance and seeding variants

  Influence on, among other things, botanical species composition, biomass growth, forage quality, and soil nutrients.

  

  

  Bernburg – drought-adapted species

  Impact on soil nutrients, carbon storage, underground biomass, biomass growth, and forage quality, among other things

  

  

• Review: Planting of 32 drought-adapted grassland species on the SALVEREclimate plot trial in Bernburg-Strenzfeld in August 2025

  On a lowland hay meadow established in 2009 on former arable land, an experiment was set up as part of the KlimaGrünland project to improve the drought tolerance of grassland. The aim was to investigate whether planting drought-tolerant species could change the species composition of the grassland in such a way that biomass yield could be stabilized during dry periods. A total of 32 species were selected for this purpose, with 16 species combined in each treatment variant. The variants differ in terms of their adaptation to drought: 16 of the species are very well adapted (Ellenberg moisture value 3, e.g., Origanum vulgare and Thymus praecox) and 16 are moderately adapted (Ellenberg moisture value 4, e.g., Malva moschata and Knautia arvensis) to drought. In the event of more extreme and prolonged summer droughts, which are becoming increasingly frequent as a result of climate change, the changed species composition is expected to have a positive impact on the biomass production and quality of the grassland compared to the previous vegetation composition. In the summer of 2026, the first success checks will be carried out and various parameters (e.g., shading or open ground cover) that can influence the establishment of species will be recorded. In the fall of 2026, failed individuals will be replanted.