IMIS

A new field experiment was set-up next to the long-term field experiment at Planken Wambuis in Ede, The Netherlands.For this purpose an area of about 25 x 50m was cultivated and 70 plots (3 × 3m2) were laid out in August 2008. The plots are separated by 1m buffers. The entire site was fenced to exclude large herbivore, mainly Bos taurus and Equus ferus. Plots were sown in September 2008 with a single species or with species mixtures (treatments: 1, 2, 4, 9 species). Three grasses (Anthoxanthum odoratum, Agrostis capillaris, Festuca rubra), three legumes (Lotus corniculatus, Trifolium arvense, Trifolium repens) and six forbs (Achillea millefolium, Hypochaeris radicata, Leucanthemum vulgare, Plantago lanceolata, Tanacetum vulgare, Tripleurospermum maritimum) were initially sown. These species naturally co-occur with ragwort in the area. The experiment was set-up with twelve different monocultures (one for each plant species), three different combinations of nine species (each with 5 forbs, 2 legumes, 2 grasses), eleven different combinations of four species (3 x 4 forbs, 3 x 2 forbs and 2 legumes, 3 x 2 forbs and 2 grasses, 2 x 2 grasses and 2 legumes), and nine combinations of two species (2 x 2 grasses, 2 x 2 legumes, 5 x 2 forbs) Each of the 35 plant species communities was replicated twice using a complete randomized design. The seed density is 4000 seeds per m2.