Testing grass species and varieties for land reclamation in Iceland

Abstract

During this century, increasing effort has been put to the reclamation of eroded areas in Iceland, both in the lowlands along the coast and in the interior of the country. The seeding of grass species along with the application of chemical fertilizers has formed the core of the reclamation work. At least 450 different varieties consisting of about 50 grass species have been tested in variety trials, but only few varieties, all of northern origin, proved valuable. Their performance is strongly dependent on environmental conditions, and it is proposed that a mixture of adapted varieties, subjected to natural selection at each location, would yield belter results.