Facts about Grass
- In monocots like grass and cereals , since the growing point (meristem) is at ground level, you can cut the tips of the leaves and the meristem just continues producing new cells which enlarge and push the leaf blade up from the bottom.
- This is why grazing and mowing does not kill grass
The potential of grass….
Grass supports the greatest gatherings on earth……..
What about our farms…
The Great Plains from Planet Earth….
Shows just how much life grass can support in wildlife and therefore its potential in agriculture.
Quick grassland facts:
| UK Grassland areas |
| Total UK Grass area = 12.45 m Ha Arable area for comparison = 5.3 m Ha’s |
| UK Uncultivated grass area |
| Total Uncultivated grass area = 5.8m ha – sole right grazing 4.6m ha – ‘common’ grazing 1.2m ha |
| UK Cultivated Grass Area |
| Cultivated grassed area – 6.65m ha – Permanent grazing 5.45m ha – temporary grazing 1.2m ha |
| The Key point to this area of grass in the UK is that much of the area that is grass is too steep, too wet, too rocky to use for arable crops, but it can grow grass and be grazed by livestock. If we did not use this land for grazing we would have even poorer food security to say nothing for meat imports! |
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Grassland videos – some used during lesson plus a few extra….
Below is presentation which gives more details about grass agronomy.