Objectives

Objectives

The GENERAL OBJECTIVE of the activity of the unit consists of: Enhancement of the pastoral patrimony of Romania by increasing the quality and total feed production, with optimal conversion into livestock products, in accordance with a good agricultural practice, characterized by harmonization of social and economic development, biodiversity conservation and environment protection.

 Specific objectives
Breedingthe new genotypes of grassland and fodder species that are more adaptive, productive and quantitative, compatible with the principles of sustainable development and climate change;

Evaluation by rapid methods of the current state of degradation of permanent grasslands in order to reintroduce them in the agricultural circuit, biodiversity conservation, aesthetic-landscape integration and environmental protection;

Elaboration of technological solutions to improve, maintain and use the grasslands located in different physic-geographical regions (plains, hills, mountains) in the relation context of climate - soil - plant - animal - animal product - biodiversity conservation and environmental protection.

The achievement of the general and specific objectives, conditioned by the restrictive factors that limit the utilization of the productive potential of these areas, requires the development of scientific research activities in the following directions:

─ the preservation of plant genetic germplasm, biodiversity and genetic variability of perennial grass species;

─ breeding new varieties for animal feeding, landscape protection and aesthetic, with a high production potential and being suitable to different ecological, technological and utilization conditions;

─ seed production of first generation of perennial grasses and legumes;

─ inventory and assessment of Romanian pastoral area, in order to determine the soil and sward degradation level, data that will be the basis of improvement projects to reintroduce their performance in agricultural cycle;

─ technologies of improvement and utilization of grasslands, located in different stationary conditions, in a extensively, semi-intensive and intensive system, aiming to develop their multi-functionality in the context of a sustainable agriculture;

─ study, implementation and expansion of agrosilvopastoral systems as a preventive solution against excessive drought and desertification of permanent grassland;

─ development of mechanization technologies and promoting a system of specific machinery for grassland farming, providing minimum inputs characterized by a low environmental impact (ecotillage system);

─ researching and promoting new methods of forage preservation, to provide a high feeding quality from grasslands;

─ economic optimization of production sequences, technological alternatives for producing and utilizing the forages on grasslands;

─ use of less productive pasture surfaces for biomass production, an important renewable resource, promoting their value by reconversion and reorientation of the production potential.

─ dissemination of research results and improving the flow of information from the scientific level to the farmer , ensuring the feed-back to guide research towards the farmer requirements and their awareness as the main vectors for maintaining environmental balance.

Also, the objectives of the scientific research in the field of GRASSLAND CULTIVATION are correlated with the strategic objectives specific to the zootechnical and pratological scientific research in Romania, included in the STRATEGY FOR RESEARCH - DEVELOPMENT - INNOVATION IN THE AGRO-FOOD AREA FOR MEDIUM AND LONG TERM - 2014-2020/2020– 2030 aims to find solutions to better align with the Europe 2020 Strategy.
At the same time, it is envisaged to increase the capacity and capability of the research - development and innovation system in GRASSLAND SCIENCE field to accumulate knowledges, results and experiences of the highest scientific and technological level, regarding to disseminate and transfer to the internal and community business environment, in order to support national and European competitiveness.