MountResilience partners from the Râu Sadului regional demonstrator carried out the seedbed preparation works, in the Cristian area, Sibiu, starting in June 2024 and initiated the actions of over-seeding and fertilization, for a pilot area of about 3 Ha, during July 2024. This stage is necessary to identify and evaluate the best forage grass mixtures, suitable for the mountainous area and its specific conditions (temperature, humidity, precipitation, soil nutritive potential).
More in detail, overseeding is an effective method for revitalizing degraded lands and increasing biodiversity in mountain areas with a consequent increase of their nutritive value for local livestock. The activities in this first phase have consisted in the following interventions carried on by Institutul De Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Montanologie Cristian-Sibiu (ICDM) and Holland Farming Agro:
- Scanning of the pilot area: using the MAVIK 3 drone with NDVI, the land was scanned to identify the degree of vegetation cover in the area and the state of the vegetation at that time;
- Seed selection: seeds specifically adapted to mountain conditions, resistant to climate change and able to support the local flora and fauna were chosen; The mixes used are Barenbrug Vital Duet, Barenbrug Nutrihearb, Barenbrug Kombi White, Barenbrug Intensive Plus, Barenbrug Beefmaster. They contain species such as Festuca arundinacea, Lolium perene, Trifolium repens, Trifolium pratense, Phleum pratense, Lotus corniculatus, Carum carvi, Medicago sativa, Onobrychis viciifolia, Festuca pratensis, Dactylis glomerata. Seed norm (kg/ha)-65 kg/ha.
- Mulching of vegetation: mulching helped to chop the unusable vegetation and prepare the land for the over-seeding work;
- Uniform distribution: seed was evenly distributed over the entire seedbed area with a specific machine to ensure complete coverage and optimum vegetation density;
- Batch marking and delimitation: areas with different mixtures were delimited with marker stakes in order to better identify the sown mixtures;
- Monitoring germination and development: the regional demonstrator team will constantly monitor the germination process and intervene, if necessary, to ensure successful over-seeding;
Afterwards, a second phase of intervention has followed consisting in the fertilization of the land to increase soil fertility and crop production. Specifically, the following steps have been put in place:
- Surface fertilization: mixed, bio-conventional fertilizer with NPK 12-12-12 formula was applied at a rate of 200 kg/ha by drone application to develop the sown mixtures;
- Nutritional efficiency: a biological stimulant, based on a high concentration of rhizobacteria, Atlanticell Nitromix, designed to decompose organic debris arising from surface mulching, was applied foliar at a concentration of 0.2% by drone over the entire surface. They fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil and optimize nutrient uptake to distribute nutrients throughout the season, reducing nutrient losses and increasing plant yield.
- Biostimulators: 0.2% Cropmax biostimulator was applied foliar at a concentration of 0.2%, ensuring a rapid development of the root system and foliar mass, helping the plants to reach their biological potential, better resist to disease and pest attack, as well as stress conditions (drought).
Through these interventions the Râu Sadului Regional Demonstrator aims to make a favorable grazing environment for animals thanks to a long-term symbiosis between pasture and animal which will result in increased milk/meat productivity and hence socio-economic development of the mountain area.
