€4m for project working to increase capacity of clover to fix nitrogen
New proprietary legume varieties have also been developed by Belfast and Tipperary-based Germinal and Aberystwyth University in Wales that improve the efficiency of protein uptake by cattle from grassland.
A research project has been awarded almost €4m to fund on-farm testing of a new approach to grassland farming that seeks to eliminate nitrogen fertiliser dependence.
The project, called Project 'NUE-Leg', will exploit innovations in plant breeding, soil microbiology, nutrition, and grassland management to achieve improvements in the capacities of legumes such as white and red clovers to fix nitrogen from fresh air and make this available to grasslands.
