Grassland Research Platform

Our grassland research scientists, industrial partners, and farming networks are working to enhance the sustainability of grassland agriculture and help deliver net-zero food and farming systems by 2050. A total of 47 forage crop varieties (e.g. perennial ryegrass, red and white clover) have been developed that IBERS science has helped underpin and are commercialised by long-term commercial partners Germinal Horizon.

We work with industrial partners from across the agricultural supply chain and conduct participatory research with farm businesses to gain better insights into their real-world challenges, the barriers to change, and focus on the science that is most needed to better support our agricultural communities. Taking a whole farm systems approach, our multidisciplinary research teams work closely with farmers to help deliver more productive, resilient, and sustainable agri-food systems.

Currently livestock systems occupy about one third of available agricultural land globally, contribute to 40% of the value of agricultural outputs, and one third of the protein consumed by humans (FAO, 2019). Increasing demands for animal products and also plant-based alternatives are predicted to continue due to population growth and increasing consumption per capita.

There is an increasing need to better understand the impact of livestock farming on the environment and find ways to reduce its environmental footprint over the whole system. This includes the breeding of more resilient forage crops that are better tailored to ruminant diets. In addition, forage crops can be processed to provide feed for monogastric animals and pulses grown to provide alternative protein sources for animals and humans.

IBERS core research is centred on meeting the challenges of grassland farming and the science that underpins the breeding of new and improved varieties of forages, legumes, and energy grasses.

IBERS has access to over 1,000 hectares of grassland that is managed by Aberystwyth University and used for farming and environmental research. IBERS altitudinal gradient trials are spread across multiple sites and altitudes (0-600 m), selected to account for both upland and lowland systems and to be representative of 60% of all UK grassland growing conditions.

The experimental and observational datasets obtained from these sites, which include the Pwllpeiran upland research platform and Trawscoed farm, are critical to understanding crop resilience, untangling genetic and environmental influences on crop performance, and better understanding grassland agricultural systems. This long-term information is needed to provide a robust evidence base to inform policy in changing atmospheric, economic, and political climates.