Basic research objectives of the institute:

• Interdisciplinary research on grassland management by means of exact laboratory- and field experiments and case studies
• Determination of nutrient fluxes within the plant-soil-environment system
• Implemenation of geographical information systems in the field of agricultural research
• Development of forage harvest methods and forage conservation systems
• Impact of different management systems on floristic diversity of grassland
• Use of different lysimeters to determine the plant-soil-water interactions
• Breeding, cultivation and propagation of grasses and legumes for seed mixtures for grassland and restoration activities
• Development, adaptation and evaluation of the Austrian agri-environmental programme

Organisation

Head of the institute:

Univ.- Doz. DI Dr. Karl Buchgraber

Scientific staff:

Univ.Doz. Dr. Erich M. Pötsch Grünlandmanagement und Kulturlandschaft

Dr. Andreas Bohner Umweltökologie

Dr. Markus Herndl Umweltökologie

Dr. Bernhard Krautzer Vegetationsmanagement im Alpenraum

Dr. Wilhelm Graiss Vegetationsmanagement im Alpenraum

Mag. Dr. Andreas Schaumberger, MSc Geoinformation im ländlichen Raum

Ing. Reinhard Resch Futterkonservierung und Futterbewertung

Matthias Kandolf Umweltökologie

Martina Schink Umweltökologie

Current and previous Participation at international Projects:

ALTERNET, ALPEROS (co-ordination), SALVERE (national co-ordination), SURE (co-ordination), AROMIS, MOUNTRAIN, COST 852, MIDAIR, Action programme Czech Republic-Austria and Slovakia-Austria, SeenLandWirtschaft (national co-ordination)

Organisation of the Institute (incl. particular focal points):

• Division of Grassland Management and Cultural Landscape

  • Department of Geo-information in Rural Areas

  • Department of Forage Conservation and Forage valuation

• Division of Environmental Ecology

  • Department of Soil and Lysimeter

• Division of Ecological Restoration and Forage Crop Breeding

  • Department of Alternative Plant Species and Genetic Resources in Grassland

Division of Grassland Management and Cultural Landscape

   Head: Univ.-Doz. Dr. Erich Pötsch

  Staff:

Research Objectives:

• Production engineering aspects of grassland management
• Variety testing of forage grasses and legumes
• Conception and validation of seed mixtures for grassland
• Improvement and re-newing of grassland
• Mechanical, chemical and biological methods of weed control
• Assessment and validation of nutrient fluxes via farm gate, field and regional balances
• Use, treatment and efficiency of farm manure
• Testing of slurry additives
• Long-term impact of fertilization and utilization of grassland on yield, forage quality and pland communities by means of long-term field trials
• Forage harvest and forage conservation methods
• Alternative use of grassland biomass
• Co-operative use of grassland areas
• Impact of increasing temperature, CO₂-concentration and limited precipitation on grassland productivity and forage quality

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Department of Geo-Information in Rural Areas

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Head: Mag. Dr. Andreas Schaumberger

Staff:

Research Objectives:

• Implementation and integration of geographic information systems in the area of agricultural research for modelling, analyses, enquiry and visualization of rural information.

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Department of Forage Conservation and Forage Valuation

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Head: Ing. Reinhard Resch

Staff:

Research Objectives:

• in-vitro determination of digestibility and energy value of forage samples
• sensory validation of hay and grass silage
• impact of different conservation methods on forage quality
• testing of silage treatments and additives

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Division of Environmental Ecology

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Head: Dr. Andreas Bohner

Staff:

Research Targets:

• Research concerning vegetation, floristic diversity and variety of the society, especially on the grassland
• Evaluation of plant stock regarding their ecological, natural and agricultural function
• Biological regulation of unwanted plants in grassland
• Scientific elaboration of root-ecological questions
• Investigations concerning environment-relevant questions regarding the fields botanics and plant sociology

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Department of Soil Science and Lysimetry

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Head: Dr. Markus Herndl

Staff:

Research aims:

• Supervision of the lysimeter facility
• Investigations concerning the quantity and quality of seepage water by means of lysimeters
• Field trials, laboratory-tests and plant-physiological examinations 
• Quantification of atmospheric nutrient input

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Division of Ecological Restoration and Forage Crop Breeding

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Head: Dr. Bernhard Krautzer

Staff:

Research objectives:

• Cultivation and development of efficient varieties of grasses and leguminosae adapted to alpine grassland farming
• Attending to questions of handling stock, cultivation, harvest and seed processing of seed reproduction of forage plants for permanent grassland and field-forage cultivation in the region of the Alps
• Processing of valuable characteristics of low-input varieties of grasses, leguminosae and herbs for the implementation of extensively used grassland areas and landscape cultivation
• Development of alternative systems of landscape protection or cultivated landscape care, description and assessment of criteria and indicators of permanent cultivated landscape development
• Strategies for the avoidance of erosion and the maintenance of endangered grassland areas in alpine regions and cultivated landscape
• Development of concepts for the maintenance and restoration of valuable cultivated landscape elements
  

Other activities

• Administration of the online platform SUREnet - Successful Restoration

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Department of Alternative Plant Species and Genetic Resources in Grassland

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Head: Dr. Wilhelm Graiss

Staff:

Research objectives:

• Development, control, processing and distribution of cultivated plant alternatives in agriculture and in grassland farming
• Development of innovative recultivation concepts and restoration processes
• Questions of ecological restoration or the establishment of proper nature preservation, high-quality plant societies following constructional intervention
• Set-up and operation of a gene bank for valuable ecological varieties of Austrian grassland plants, such as grasses, leguminosae, herbs and blossoming plants
• Maintenance and distribution of genetic grassland resources

Assigned

Winklhof branch (Hallein)

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