Fosfaatwerking in organische mest; 13 jaar onderzoek in biologische teelt op Proefveld Mest Als Kans

Op proefveld Mest Als Kans worden 12 organische mestsoorten en composten vergeleken met kunstmest. Na vijf jaar ontstaat er een constant beeld in opbrengstverschillen tussen kunstmest (laag), gemiddeld overige meststoffen en Postalmest compost (hoog). Het Pw-getal is in alle behandelingen gedaald waarbij Potstalmest er positief uitspringt (relatief geringe daling) en VAM compost negatief (relatief sterke daling). Bij veel behandelingen daalt het bodem organische stof gehalte. Positieve uitzonderingen zijn Rundvee dunne mest en Potstalmestcompost met relatief grote stijging ten opzichte van aangevoerde organisceh stof. VAM compost geeft de sterkste stijging maar kent ook de grootste aanvoer

Minder en Anders Bemesten: Resultaten van een vierjarig project over innovatieve bemesting

In dit rapport worden samenvattingen gegeven van diverse onderzoeken gedurende drie jaar op vier verschillende bedrijven. Daarbij komt vooral de opbrengst aan de orde en in mindere mate mineralenbalansen en productkwaliteit. De algemene bodemkwaliteit staat uitsluitend in de volledige rapporten die staan vermeld in de literatuurlijst. Het project richtte zich op minder en anders bemesten in diverse bedrijfstypen met: -Gelijke of hogere opbrengsten - Verbetering van de productkwaliteit - Handhaven of verbeteren van de duurzame bodemvruchtbaarheid. De resultaten op de vier bedrijven zijn als volgt: - Bij Joost van Strien is overtuigend aangetoond dat maaimeststoffen zeer goed toepasbaar zijn. De bemestende waarde is ten minste zo groot als van dierlijke mestsoorten, en de mineralenverhoudingen sluiten vaak beter aan bij de gewasbehoefte. De volgende stap is die van gewasniveau naar bedrijfsniveau: wat zijn de gevolgen als een bedrijf mikt op 100% eigen stikstofvoorziening door middel van maaimeststoffen. - Bij Jan en Hans Rozendaal is de mestbehoefte voor de teelt van courgette teruggebracht door grasklaver als voorvrucht te nemen. De stikstoflevering van voorvrucht grasklaver komt pas later in het seizoen goed op gang, en voor het begin van de productie is een aanvullende bemesting nodig met snel werkende stikstof. Voor de teelt van kool blijkt het systeem met beddenteelt vooralsnog niet te werken en moet er nog flink wat veranderd worden. - Op het bedrijf van Jan van Lierop is helder naar voren gekomen dat er twee componenten in de stikstofvoorziening verzorgd moeten worden: de lange termijn via organische stof, de korte termijn via gerichte (snelle) stikstof giften aan gewassen. Waarschijnlijk zijn echter meerdere aanpassingen nodig (mestsoort keuze, gewaskeuze, groenbemesters, extensivering van bouwplan) om de noodzakelijk teruggang in mestaanvoer te kunnen realiseren. - Bij Gerard Lanting is gebleken dat bij een voldoende basis bodemvruchtbaarheid de gewasgerichte bemesting van pompoen lager kan zijn dan nu geadviseerd wordt. Een scenariostudie met verschillende bemestingen en bouwplannen laat zien dat lagere mestaanvoer niet tot lagere opbrengsten hoeven leiden. Het rapport eindigt met een lijst met conclusies die laat zien dat er vele middelen mogelijk en nodig zijn om een flinke slag te kunnen maken in de efficiëntie waarmee (aangevoerde) nutriënten benut kunnen worden

Does conversion to conservation tillage really increase soil organic carbon stocks in organic arable farming?

Aggravation of weather extremes increases awareness of climate change consequences. Mitigation options are in demand which aim to reduce the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases. Amongst others, conversion from ploughing to conservation tillage is argued to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Yet, main findings of reviews and meta-analyses comparing SOC stocks between tillage systems show different results: from a significant increase of SOC stocks to the question if there is any effect at all. Reasons are a sampling bias as in many campaigns only topsoil layers are assessed and horizons thickness is not considered adequately, different methods for SOC and bulk density determination, and the comparison of SOC stocks based on equivalent soil masses instead of equal sampling depths. In order to address these limitations, we initiated the SOCORT consortium (Soil Organic Carbon in Organic Reduced Tillage) – an international network of nine agronomical long-term trials. All trials represent common mixed organic farming systems of the respective region with organic fertilisation and crop rotations including leys. Climatic conditions are similar, but age and soil texture vary (7 to 21 years and sandy to clayey soils). A common sampling campaign was consequently elaborated to answer the question if the combination of conservation tillage and organic farming can really increase SOC stocks. Undisturbed soil cores were taken with driving hammer probes (8 cm in diameter) to a maximum depth of 100 cm. Each core was divided in the increments 0-30, 30-50, 50-70, 70-100 cm. The topsoil layer (0-30 cm) was further divided into the different tillage depths of the respective trial. All samples were analysed in the same laboratory for bulk density, organic carbon content, pH and texture. We compiled the yields for each trial to assess carbon inputs. The SOCORT consortium in combination with the common sampling campaign will entangle the driving factors of carbon sequestration through reduced tillage and add important knowledge on carbon dynamics in agro-ecosystems

Report on current adoption

In task 1 of the project, the central question is to collect all available information on the current and past adoption and mitigation of CCC in the EU. This report provides definitions and details of the different types of CCC, their management practices, adoption and mitigation potential in the different farming systems and regions of the EU.JRC.D.4-Economics of Agricultur

Adoption of cover crops for climate change mitigation in the EU

In order to contribute to the EU's ambitions to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, different technological and management options are being analysed. Within the agricultural sector, catch and cover crops (CCC) are considered a viable option to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. CCC are crops grown for the protection of the agricultural land which would otherwise be bare against erosion and nutrient losses. They immobilise nitrogen such that it remains available in the soil after the harvest of the main crop for the next main crop. If managed correctly, catch and cover crops can enhance climate change mitigation through soil carbon sequestration (building up the soil organic carbon content of the soil) and reducing emissions from fertiliser production. In this report, we conduct a survey for different case study regions in Europe (Castilla y León in Spain; Sud – Muntenia in Romania; Centre in France; and Overijssel in the Netherlands) focusing on the mitigation and adoption potential. From the survey results we observe that CCC are mainly grown after wheat, barley, silage maize or sunflower, the most popular species being ryegrasses, mustards, clovers, vetch, oats, phacelia and rye. In most cases CCC are sown after the harvest of the main crop, after a seedbed preparation, and adopters generally do not apply irrigation, N-fertilisation (mineral or organic) or crop protection. The termination of these crops is in most cases by ploughing or by using herbicides (glyphosate). In Spain, the concept of CCC is not very well known. Common vetch was the most applied species, mostly after cereals but in some cases after sugar beet or potato. Part of the CCC was undersown. Irrigation and N-manure were often applied, but seedbed preparation, N-fertiliser and crop protection were not frequently mentioned. Half of the Spanish adopters did not harvest this crop and the other half harvested it for selling, for own use or for fodder. The majority of adopters used ploughing for termination of CCC. In France, unlike the other regions in the survey, a wide variety of CCC species was applied. Black oat (Avena strigosa), white mustard (Sinapis alba), common vetch (Vicia sativa) and Phacelia were most frequently mentioned, which were mostly sown after wheat and barley harvest. French farmers are in general well informed about catch and cover crops. While most farmers apply seedbed preparation, irrigation, N-fertilization and crop protection are not often applied. The large majority of French adopters did not harvest the CCC and terminated the crop through ploughing. Dutch respondents knew the CCC-concept, since most of them grew green maize on sandy soils as a part of their fodder production for their dairy herd. Thus, they had to comply with the Nitrates Directive to grow a CCC after the maize and they did that mostly after harvest. Half of them grew Italian or English ryegrass and the other half (cutting) rye. This practice led to a relatively long CCC-period on the field compared to the three other regions in the survey. Irrigation, N-fertilisation, N-manure and crop protection were not often applied, but all adopters applied seedbed preparation. Half of the CCC-growers terminated the crop through ploughing, a quarter through a different mechanical form and the others through herbicides. In Romania, not all farmers knew the concept of CCC-growing, although quite a share of the adopters did so as an obligation by the Romanian Agency for Payments and Intervention for Agriculture. Rapeseed and green peas were the most frequently applied CCC-species, after wheat or sunflower harvest and after a seedbed preparation. Like in the other regions, irrigation, N-fertilisation, N-manure and crop protection were not often applied. The majority of adopters did not harvest the crop and more than 80% of the adopters in Romania ploughed the CCC for termination. Farming activities related to the use of CCC take on average 3.4 hours per ha. The total cost of all inputs (seeds, fertiliser/manure, pesticides, water) and all operations (seedbed preparation, sowing, application of fertiliser/manure and plant protection, irrigation, fuel, harvest and termination, including contractors hired) is on average 144 €/ha. Adopters estimated that growing CCC reduces the fertiliser need of the following main crops by 6.6%, and increases yields of the following main crops by 4.2%. Most adopters grow CCC because of existing policies and most consider cultivation mandatory. Overall, agronomic reasons play a smaller role, and environmental motives are of little relevance to the adoption decision. The reasons why non-adopters do not grow CCC include a lack of benefits, high cost and labour requirements, lack of awareness, and unsuitable weather and crop rotations, among others. A majority of non-adopters indicate that they would start growing CCC if additional subsidies were provided. Estimated CCC adoption rates based on the share of farmers using CCC range from 12% in Castilla y León, 46% in Sud – Muntenia, 84% in Centre to 99% in Overijssel. However, most adopters grow CCC on only a small share of their arable land, with the exception of Overijssel. The estimated adoption rate based on the regional area potentially available for CCC cultivation (after cereals, protein and industrial crops) is well below 20% in the Spanish, Romanian and French regions and 90% in Overijssel. The adoption potential is combined with regionally differentiated estimates of carbon sequestration from CCC per hectare to calculate the total potential climate change mitigation from CCC in each of the case study regions.JRC.D.4-Economics of Agricultur

Long-term evidence for ecological intensification as a pathway to sustainable agriculture

Ecological intensification (EI) could help return agriculture into a 'safe operating space' for humanity. Using a novel application of meta-analysis to data from 30 long-term experiments from Europe and Africa (comprising 25,565 yield records), we investigated how field-scale EI practices interact with each other, and with N fertilizer and tillage, in their effects on long-term crop yields. Here we confirmed that EI practices (specifically, increasing crop diversity and adding fertility crops and organic matter) have generally positive effects on the yield of staple crops. However, we show that EI practices have a largely substitutive interaction with N fertilizer, so that EI practices substantially increase yield at low N fertilizer doses but have minimal or no effect on yield at high N fertilizer doses. EI practices had comparable effects across different tillage intensities, and reducing tillage did not strongly affect yields.Intensifying food production sustainably is critical given growing demand and agriculture's environmental footprint. This meta-analysis finds that practices such as adding organic matter and increasing crop diversity can partly substitute for nitrogen fertilizer to sustain or increase yields

Carbon Sequestration By Organic Conservation Tillage – A Comprehensive Sampling Campaign In Nine European Long-Term Trials

Conservation tillage is suggested to sequester carbon although a stratification of soil organic carbon rather than a total increase is mostly observed. It is not clear whether conservation tillage in combination with organic farming practices has a higher potential. Beyond, many datasets are biased in terms of sampling depth. A joint sampling campaign in nine European long-term trials considered soil organic carbon stocks until 100 cm soil depth comparing reduced tillage with ploughing under organic farming conditions. First results show a significant increase of carbon stocks in 0-30 cm and also in 0-100 cm depth with the conversion to reduced tillage

Groenbemesters : Een overzicht van kennisvragen

Dit projectrapport geeft de resultaten weer van het onderzoek dat Wageningen Plant Research hebben uitgevoerd met financiële steun van de Topsector Agri & Food. Binnen de Topsector werken bedrijfsleven, kennisinstellingen en de overheid samen aan innovaties voor veilig en gezond voedsel voor 9 miljard mensen in een veerkrachtige wereld

BIOM, Organic farmers network for Research, Development and Innovation

Farmers networks are a valuable instrument for research, development and innovation in organic agriculture. The last 15 years networks of pilot farms have been used in the Netherlands to improve farm performance for integrated and organic farming. For organic agriculture the BIOM network was set up in 1998. Participating farmers improved their farm performance amongst others by a decrease of the hand labour for weed control and a reduction of the nutrient surpluses. The network also functioned as a facility for on-farm research on various topics. Additional effects of the close contacts between par-ticipants were a closer cooperation between farmers and an incentive for innovatio