Trials with Drought-Resistant Forage Crop Mixtures
The development of drought-resistant forage crop mixtures for the mountain regions is moving foward in five cantons. Results from 2024 and 2025 show that two species play a particularly vital role in maintaing yields during droughts.
Project DryMount (2023–2027) aims to develop forage crop mixtures that are capable of withstanding the increasingly hot, dry summers in the mountain regions (1000–1200 m.a.s.l.) whilst also ensuring stable yields in favourable years. The mixtures are being tested between 2023 and 2026 in the five partner cantons of the Experimental Station for Alpine and Mountain Farming: Bern, Graubünden, Ticino, Uri and Valais.
Simulated drought in Canton of Bern
In 2024 and 2025, a total absence of rainfall was simulated in the Canton of Bern in the growing tunnel during the second growth cycle. The upshot: forage yields dropped sharply, but losses were substantially reduced by drought-resistant species (-30% as opposed to -40% in mixtures without drought-resistant species).
Two key species: common bent and ribwort plantain
The effects of the drought were still visible in the third growth cycle, although the mixtures containing drought-resistant species continued to display better yields.
Two species stood out in particular:
- Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata): Key species in 2024, whose yields improved distinctly in dry conditions;
- Common bent (Agrostis capillaris): a dominant species in 2025 that contributed significantly to drought resistance.
Results in the other cantons
At the experimental sites in the cantons of Graubünden, Ticino, Uri and Valais, the relatively dry year of 2025 confirms the trend: overall, mixtures containing drought-resistant species achieve higher yields.
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Forage mixtures adapted to drought in mountain areas
The frequency and intensity of summer droughts are increasing as a result of climate change. In mountainous areas, where the growing season is already short, the yield and quality of grassland forage are increasingly diminishing during dry years. The #DryMountProject (2023-2027) aims to test new forage mixtures that are better adapted to drought. It is being conducted in the five partner cantons of the experimental station for Alpine and Mountain Farming.
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