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Plant sciences, sustainable farming systems and food quality
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Frontiers and perspectives on research strategies in grassland technology

J. Schellberg A D and E. Verbruggen B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation, Crop Science Group, University of Bonn, Katzenburgweg 5, D 53115 Bonn, Germany.

B Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany.

C Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), 14195 Berlin, Germany.

D Corresponding author. Email: j.schellberg@uni-bonn.de

Crop and Pasture Science 65(6) 508-523 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP13429
Submitted: 9 December 2013  Accepted: 2 April 2014   Published: 17 June 2014

Abstract

Grassland scientists and farmers are increasingly faced with emerging new technologies and information systems that have been primarily developed in engineering sciences, in particular, precision agriculture, remote sensing, geographic information and biotechnology. Judgment upon whether the implementation of any of these technologies may be beneficial in economic and ecological respects is challenging, especially to those who have to make on-farm decisions. New technologies have been applied on grassland only partially and with some delay compared with arable land. However, as we will show here, there is scope for successful implementation of new technologies in various climatic regions and for a wide range of applications. The paper presents the most important recent developments of new technologies in agriculture that have scope for application in grasslands. It defines the relevant terms and processes, provides examples of successful implementation, and discusses future directions and research needs.

Additional keywords: biotechnology, grassland, new technologies, precision agriculture, remote sensing.


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