ELIGIBILITY: This project is for a student taking the MSc in Statistics and Sustainability.
In agriculture, grasslands can play an important role in producing feed for animals and maintaining soil health in crop rotations. In recent years, mixing plant species with complementary traits have been proposed as a strategy to reduce the quantity of synthetic fertiliser required to maintain an agricultural grassland, without causing a loss in production or exacerbating weed issues. There are many negative environmental impacts of applying synthetic fertiliser, thus reducing its application may improve the sustainability of the system. An agricultural grassland field experiment was carried out in Sweden where plant diversity and nitrogen application management were manipulated across plots and harvested over three years. This project will investigate the relative importance of plant diversity and nitrogen application on weed proportions over time.