Möglichkeiten zur Verbesserung der Siliereigenschaften verschiedener perennierender Gras-/ Leguminosenmischungen durch Hoch-Zucker-Gräser

Herbage from legumes or legume-rich swards potentially has lower concentrations of water soluble carbohydrates (= wsc) and a higher buffering capacity (= bc) than grass grown in pure stands. The analysis of three forage legumes (= Trifolium repens, Tri-folium pratense and Lotus corniculatus) in monoculture and mixtures (= 50/50) with the grass species Festuca rubra demonstrates, that the ratio of wsc concentration to bc is critical low, especially when the herbage is harvested at physiological young stages to obtain a higher forage quality. This means an increased risk for silage mak-ing, especially at DM contents which are below 30%. New breedings of the grass spe-cies Lolium perenne with higher sugar contents offer a possibility to increase the wsc concentration in grass/legume mixtures. Our studies show, that the tested high-sugar grass is suitable to increase the wsc concentrations in mixture. However, the grass has grown in monoculture. A present project is focussed on the open question if the advantage of high-sugar varieties is also evident in legume/grass mixtures

Humusbilanzmethoden als Prognose- und Bewertungsinstrumente im ökologischen Landbau – allgemeiner und spezieller Anpassungsbedarf

Humus balances are intended to serve as instruments to support humus management in practice. Still, urgent need for adaptation especially with regard to apllication in organic farming has been stated. Results presented in this paper show that there in fact is a difference in humus repro-duction between conventional and organic farming that is not recognized in balance methods. In addition, the results exhibit a big uncertainty in balance results. They are pointing out basic problems of humus balance methods that are likely to be caused by an insufficient consideration of site-specific factors of the humus household and their interaction with farming

Ertrag und Qualität von Winterweizengenotypen unter integrierten und ökologischen Anbaubedingungen

An annually identical assortment of each of 32 winter wheat varieties and lines bred under conventional conditions was tested between 2004 and 2007 both in a conventionally and in an organically managed environment. Previously the assortment had been evaluated with respect to yield and indirect parameters of baking quality. The objective was to obtain evidence for a targeted selection of lines for their later use as bread varieties in organic farming. It was discovered that for a successful selection of lines for the subsequent cultivation under organic conditions especially the evaluation of yield must be conducted strictly under the same conditions

Ökologische Landwirtschaft in der Russischen Föderation: Entwicklung und aktuelle Situation

The development and the actual situation of organic agriculture in the Russian Federation since 1989 are described in the context of a bachelor’s thesis. An important advance in developing organic agriculture was the implementation of a legal basis for organic products since the 1st July 2008

Shallow non-inversion tillage in organic farming maintains crop yields and increases soil C stocks: a meta-analysis

Reduced tillage is increasingly promoted to improve sustainability and productivity of agricultural systems. Nonetheless, adoption of reduced tillage by organic farmers has been slow due to concerns about nutrient supply, soil structure, and weeds that may limit yields. Here, we compiled the results from both published and unpublished research comparing deep or shallow inversion tillage, with various categories of reduced tillage under organic management. Shallow refers to less than 25 cm. We found that (1) division of reduced tillage practices into different classes with varying degrees of intensity allowed us to assess the trade-offs between reductions in tillage intensity, crop yields, weed incidence, and soil C stocks. (2) Reducing tillage intensity in organic systems reduced crop yields by an average of 7.6 % relative to deep inversion tillage with no significant reduction in yield relative to shallow inversion tillage. (3) Among the different classes of reduced tillage practice, shallow non-inversion tillage resulted in non-significant reductions in yield relative to deep inversion; whereas deep non-inversion tillage resulted in the largest yield reduction, of 11.6 %. (4) Using inversion tillage to only a shallow depth resulted in minimal reductions in yield, of 5.5 %, but significantly higher soil C stocks and better weed control. This finding suggests that this is a good option for organic farmers wanting to improve soil quality while minimizing impacts on yields. (5) Weeds were consistently higher, by about 50 %, when tillage intensity was reduced, although this did not always result in reduced yields

Tropical-cyclone-driven erosion of the terrestrial biosphere from mountains

The transfer of organic carbon from the terrestrial biosphere to the oceans via erosion and riverine transport constitutes an important component of the global carbon cycle. More than one third of this organic carbon flux comes from sediment-laden rivers that drain the mountains in the western Pacific region. This region is prone to tropical cyclones, but their role in sourcing and transferring vegetation and soil is not well constrained. Here we measure particulate organic carbon load and composition in the LiWu River, Taiwan, during cyclone-triggered floods. We correct for fossil particulate organic carbon using radiocarbon, and find that the concentration of particulate organic carbon from vegetation and soils is positively correlated with water discharge. Floods have been shown to carry large amounts of clastic sediment. Non-fossil particulate organic carbon transported at the same time may be buried offshore under high rates of sediment accumulation. We estimate that on decadal timescales, 77–92% of non-fossil particulate organic carbon eroded from the LiWu catchment is transported during large, cyclone-induced floods. We suggest that tropical cyclones, which affect many forested mountains within the Intertropical Convergence Zone, may provide optimum conditions for the delivery and burial of non-fossil particulate organic carbon in the ocean. This carbon transfer is moderated by the frequency, intensity and duration of tropical cyclones