Abiotic Resource Efficiency of Grassland Production Systems in North-West Europe

Nitrate leaching and energy efficiency are key criteria of a resource efficient grassland production system. A four-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of N input and defoliation system on both criteria. The objective of this experiment was to develop strategies which help to facilitate future grassland production with maximum environmental friendliness

The future of organic grassland farming in mountainous regions of Central Europe

8 % of the total EU population lives in mountainous areas which represent a particularly important eco-region in Central Europe. Because of ecological, climatic and economic reasons an increasing pressure is imposed upon agriculture. Hence in large parts of European mountainous areas drastic changes in agricultural structure and land use systems can be observed in terms of emigration and land abandonment. Due to disadvantaged production conditions, and the high ecological sensitivity, organic farming is an important option for a sound regional development. In alpine regions organic farming does not proceed in a homogeneous way. One essential reason for that could be seen in the differences of national and regional “traditions and orientations” and supporting tools. For a positive development it is necessary to work on further integration of organic farming in regional development concepts (e.g. organic regions) and on the development of the “quality leadership” through cross-regional production, marketing and merchandising concepts. Undisputedly, further positive development of organic farming in mountainous regions depends on ongoing financial, research and advisory support

Solid biofuel and biogas production from grassland-willow alley cropping systems

PosterWorldwide the demand for renewable energy is rising and biogenic energy carriers play an important role in bioenergy provision. However, increase and intensification of biomass production for energetic use has already shown adverse impacts on agro-ecosystems (e.g., biodiversity losses, nitrate leaching, and erosion). Energy cropping and related conversion systems should be improved in terms of their efficiency and environmental impact in future. Modern agroforestry systems offer an alternative agro-ecological approach to a sustainable intensification of energy crop production. The present study was part of the joint research project “BEST – Strengthening Bioenergy Regions“ (2010?2014) and analyzed the energetic potential of a young alley cropping system of grassland and fast-growing willows grown on a 3 to 6 year rotation. The study was conducted on an experimental area in Central Germany from 2011–2013. Two different grassland mixtures were established in a split-plot randomized block design with three replications, and intercropped with rows of willows. The woody biomass was converted to wood chips for thermal combustion. For the grassland biomass, three types of energetic conversion were evaluated: integrated generation of solid fuel and biogas from biomass (IFBB), anaerobic digestion and hay combustion. Overall, the three year old agroforestry system achieved a total gross energy yield of 96 MWh ha-1 by applying the IFBB procedure to the understory biomass. Grassland as pure stand achieved 133 MWh ha-1 and a single willow stand achieved 51 MWh ha-1 in 3 years after establishment. In addition, this study investigated the yield development in the alley cropping system and in the pure stands as control during the establishment phase

A Sward Based Method to Estimate Herbage Selection of Grazing Dairy Cows

Diet selection of grazing animals is influenced by sward composition and vertical sward structure. Grazing studies were established in northern Germany (Kiel, Schleswig - Holstein state) to determine if selective grazing behaviour in a mixed sward can be measured by a sward based method. The hypothesis that active selection of different functional groups of forages can be documented by using the selection index (Figure 1, Hodgson, 1990) and regressive approaches vs time was tested

Auswirkungen reduzierter Produktionsintensität auf Futterqualität und ökologische Effekte

Zusammenfassung: Aus aggregierter Sicht der pflanzenbaulichen Leistung wie des abiotischen Ressourcenschutzes ist festzuhalten: 1) der Futterbau auf den sandigen Standorten der Geest ist bei reduzierter N-Intensität durch geringe Grenzertragsverluste, aber hohe Reduktionen der Nitratauswaschungen geprägt; im Marktfruchtbau des östlichen Hügellandes herrschen inverse Beziehungen vor. 2) Ein Flächenbilanzsaldo von +20 bis +40 kg/ha/Jahr (plus "unvermeidbare gasförmige Verluste") ist als Grenzbereich der guten fachlichen Praxis auf den Futterbaubetrieben der Geest nur durch erhebliche Reduktionen der Bewirtschaftungsintensität zu erreichen. Auf den Marktfruchtbetrieben des östlichen Hügellandes besteht dagegen eine schwache Beziehung zwischen dem Nährstoffsaldo und der Nitratauswaschung. Daraus resultiert, dass die Milchvieh-/Futterbaubetriebe auf den Geeststandorten vorrangig einer extensiveren Landnutzung aus Sicht des abiotischen Ressourcenschutzes zuzuführen sind, während die Markfruchtbetriebe im östlichen Hügelland auch bei hoher Intensität vergleichsweise geringe abiotische Belastungen hervorrufen

Evaluating the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Integrated Farming Systems

Economic and environmental sustainability has become a major concern for forage-based animal production in Europe, North America and other parts of the world. Development of more sustainable farming systems requires an assimilation of experimental and modelling research. Field research is critical for supporting the development and evaluation of models, and modelling is needed to integrate farm components for predicting the long-term effects and interactions resulting from farm management changes. Experimentally supported simulation provides a tool for evaluating and comparing farming strategies and predicting their effect on the watershed, region and beyond

Energiepflanzenanbau für die Biogaserzeugung im Ökologischen Landbau

The interest in the cultivation of energy plants for the biogas production is increasing in organic agriculture. But this cropping has to be designed according to the principles of organic farming and sustainable agriculture. Therefore in the research project ÖKOVERS different energy crops as a part of a standard crop rotation are compared in two different cropping systems. Cropping system 1 is a double cropping system with a mixture of grass/clover harvested in spring as first crop and a following second crop like sunflowers, maize, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat and others. The second system is a mixture of grass/clover with several cuts during one year. The highest yield was obtained with the mixture of grass/clover in the second system with 18,5 t ha-1. Also the highest methane yield with 5100 Nm3 ha -1 was achieved with the grass/clover mixture. The different summer crops after grass/clover mixture were affected by drought during the summer and early frost in autumn. Hence the mixture of grass/clover was a good alternative to maize. These results will be checked in further researches

Earthworm communities in an agroforest system: Impact of tree rows on the distribution in grassland and cropped land

Agroforest systems are highly discussed as new and innovative land use systems for arable land in temperate regions. They are recommended due to their beneficial impact on several ecosystem functions and for the general diversification of the cultured landscapes. Tree rows, known as alley cropping systems, are one of the most frequent applications. In May 2016 earthworm communities were sampled in an agroforest system in Reiffenhausen south of Göttingen using an electrical extraction system. Asking for the impact of tree rows on the spatial distribution of earthworms, sampling was done in distances of 0, 1, and 4.5m from the alleys (willow on grassland and poplar on cropland). Also grassland and cropland with no trees were sampled as a control. At Reiffenhausen we obtained 6 different species covering all ecological groups of earthworms. Abundances indicated a step gradient for earthworm numbers in the combination of poplar with cropland with decreasing numbers with increasing distance. However, the gradient was not indicated for willow rows on grassland. An effect of hypnotized earthworm supporting factors like litter entry and shading couldn’t be fully confirmed. More data is needed to value agroforest systems for their impact on key organisms and key functions of soil biota

Diverse Forage Mixtures Effect on Herbage Yield, Sward Composition, and Dairy Cattle Performance

Managing complex mixtures of plants to take advantage of spatial and temporal variability in land and climate may be one ecological approach to increase productivity of pastures. We tested the hypothesis that complex mixtures of forage species would yield more herbage and reduce weed competition compared with a simple grass-legume mixture in grazed pastures

Quality Legume-Based Forage Systems for Contrasting Environments: COST Action 852

Agricultural systems that reduce environmental degradation, sustain agricultural productivity and economic viability, maintain stable rural communities, enhance the quality of life and respond to increasing demand for livestock products are promoted in developed countries. Though major challenges exist, forage legumes, adapted to a wide range of soil types, climatic conditions and management systems, will become increasingly important components of sustainable agricultural production systems in Europe. Temporal and spatial variation in legume performance often occurs. Compared to pure grass systems, legume-based systems may lead to increased N losses. To what extent ruminants can use the protein from forage legumes, and whether there are differences among species and cultivars are unknown. To improve reliability and the range of forage legumes, we must understand the constraints of environment, the reasons for divergence between species potential and actual performance and the most efficient way to use the herbage. The COST Action 852 - Quality legume-based forage systems for contrasting environments was set up to help resolve some of these questions