Development of plant communities on set-aside in England

• Published in: Agriculture, ecosystems & environment ecosystems & environment, 2011-09, Vol.143 (1), p.8-19
• Main Authors: Boatman, Nigel D., Jones, Naomi E., Conyers, Simon T., Pietravalle, Stéphane
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; annuals; Botanical; Chemical vapor synthesis; Communities; community development; Countryside Vegetation System; CSR strategy; edge effects; Ellenberg value; European Union; fauna; foods; forbs; Grasses; Grasslands; habitats; land surveying; perennials; Plants (organisms); population dynamics; Set-aside; Soil (material); soil texture; soil types; Succession; sward; Vegetation survey
• ISSN: 0167-8809; 1873-2305
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2011.05.003

► Botanical survey of set-aside of different ages in England in 2008. ► Rapid change in first 2 years, slower change in later years. ► Communities change with distance from field edge, soil type and whether sown. ► Most communities characteristic of tall grassland/herb or fertile grassland. ► Main value is providing habitat and food for fauna on intensive agricultural land. A survey of land taken out of production from the early 1990s onwards under the European Union's set-aside policy in England was carried out in 2008, to record plant communities in set-aside of different ages, effects of distance from the field edge, sowing and soil type. Communities were classified using the Countryside Vegetation System (CVS), Ellenberg indicators and Grime CSR strategy. Species richness declined with distance from the field boundary. Annuals declined with age of set-aside. In older set-aside, perennials dominated, 40–50% of species were grasses, and grasses covered over 70% of the area. Sown areas had a higher proportion of grass species and a lower proportion of wind-dispersed species. Perennial forbs increased over time in naturally regenerated swards but decreased on sown swards. Annuals and grasses were more prevalent on light soils, with more bare ground on heavy soils. Most transects fell into CVS aggregate classes ‘tall grassland/herb’ and ‘fertile grassland’. Ellenberg fertility values decreased initially but then stabilised. Competitor scores increased, and ruderal scores declined, with age. In general, the rate of change declined with age. Although few sites had plant communities of significant conservation interest, the value of set-aside is likely to be primarily to maintain botanical diversity in intensively farmed areas, as well as providing food and habitat for fauna.