Bell et al. (2026): Enhanced rock weathering in grassland: Impacts of basalt dust on hay meadow soil, forage, and floristic diversity
Derek S. Bell, Dimitar Z. Epihov, Xavier Dupla, David J. Beerling and Jonathan R. Leake, IN: Science of the Total Environment, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181888
Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technique with agricultural co-benefits, though its efficacy in grasslands remains largely unexplored. Permanent grasslands, such as hay meadows, can support high floristic diversity, but their agronomic and biodiversity responses to surface-applied silicate rock dusts are unknown. To address this, 50 t ha−1 basalt rock dust was spread on a floristically rich (>28 vascular plant species, ∼ 25 m−2), mildly acidic (pH = 6.35) upland hay meadow in the UK, and its effects on soil chemistry and plant diversity were studied.