Description
The goal of the arranged activity was to present the innovation of home constructed aerator for grasslands, but also to discuss its role in the whole grassland forage production system organized in the farm of Mr. Mariusz Duda. The aerator was constructed by the farmer as a solution of the problem with the natural organic peat-muck soil compaction of the grasslands increased by the use of heavy machinery. Due to the compaction, the relations of humidity and air are disrupted and results in a quick degradation of the periodically renovated grasslands. The farmer seeking a solution came up with an idea to construct a machine that will lead to loosening the soil in the sod layer and will improve the air-humidity relations. This way he created an aerator based on an old cultivator frame where instead of the original working elements he installed on a horizontal axis, flat plate cuts adopted from another machine. The plates are oriented vertically in the relation to the ground and are cutting the sod to a depth of 10-15 cm. This treatment is applied after every sward regrowth period. As a result, it is possible to produce larger amounts of grass-based forage for dairy cows, to improve the stability of the sward botanical composition and increase the fertilizer application efficiency.
The discussion showed the importance of improving grassland forage production, new adaptations need to improve sward productivity, but they need to be related to the knowledge of the local ecology. The presented example shows that each grassland sward can be very specific, but sometimes an individual approach to improve a poor grassland sward can be successful.
