Decomposition of Growth from Grassland after Mulching

Abstract

When mulching on grassland or fallow arable land, the vegetation is cut, chopped, and spread in a wide swath in one work step. The material re- mains on the field, where it decomposes. Mulching is a simple, inexpen- sive method and, if applied properly, it is a suitable cultivation measure for many grassland locations and fallow arable land. A decisive factor for successful mulching is the rapid decomposition of the mulched mate- rial because long covering and shading of the grass sod leads to undesi- rable changes in the vegetation. Extensive field trials regarding the de- composition of mulched material served to determine suitable periods for the mulching of typical grassland sites. The results show that the de- composition of mulched material mainly depends on the weather condi- tions, while the type of vegetation and the intensity of chopping are of lesser importance. The modelling of the decomposition of mulched mate- rial allows the remaining mass per area unit to be calculated from the initial mass per area unit, the sum of temperature, and the sum of preci- pitation during the period after mulching. Based on simulation with weather data of a reference region collected over many years, it is pos- sible to estimate the duration of decomposition for varying growth ma- sses and mulching periods. From this, favourable, site-specific periods for the mulching of grassland biotopes are derived. The first grassland growth can be mulched until the end of July/beginning of August, the se- cond growth until the end of September/beginning of October.