About
My PhD research evaluates the establishment, productivity and persistence of multispecies swards in temperate pasture-based livestock systems. The work compares conventional perennial ryegrass-based swards with grass–legume–herb mixtures and novel species substitutions, including Dandelion, Festulolium and Lucerne. At plot scale, I am assessing dry matter yield, botanical composition, and management responses under contrasting regrowth intervals and cutting heights. I am also using long-term grazing platform data to examine forage herb persistence, oversowing response, and the translation of plot-scale performance to grazed farmlet conditions. The overall aim is to identify multispecies sward mixtures and management strategies that maintain herbage production under lower nitrogen input while improving the resilience of pasture-based animal production systems.
