Laboratory Development of a Passive Proportional Sampler for Overland FlowStudies in Agricultural Fields

peer-reviewedWater-quality in many rivers remains poor and needs to be improved. Diffuse pollution continues to cause difficulties. Some instruments are available which can monitor pollution of rivers from land. They allow measurement and sampling of overland flow (OLF), but they do not offer the precision required (proportional sampling and samples 0.1% of OLF). A laboratory unit was constructed to mimic instrument performance in the field. This was used to test three sampler designs. A V-notch weir was used in the first sampler and a Sutro weir in the second and third as this unit possessed a proportional discharge to head ratio, which the Vnotch weir did not have. Other parameters investigated included ground slope, sampler slope, pipe size and port location. The remaining issues of nozzle size (0.7, 1.0 and 2.0 mm), the number of 1.0 mm nozzles and the effect of aspiration were investigated. The arrangement with the Sutro weir and three 1.0 mm nozzles in series gave proportional discharge and the target low sampling rate of 0.1%. This will allow the calculation of sediment and chemical losses for the monitored area and will put the loss in context with other losses in a catchment

Precise Application of Fertiliser

Technical BulletinThe role of the fertiliser spreader is often under estimated in the delivery of fertilisers (N, P & K) as evenly and as accurately as possible. Fertilisers are a significant cost in grassland and tillage farming systems, representing between 20 to 30% of total production costs for either a cereal or grass silage crop. There are many steps involved in determining the actual rate of fertiliser from soil sampling to preparing a fertiliser plan. To profit from fertiliser planning it is essential that fertilisers are applied precisely and accurately. There are a number of factors to consider before spreading fertiliser such as: 1. Selecting the correct machine for the bout width and fertiliser to be used 2. Using good quality fertiliser 3. Correct setting of the machine Technical bulletin No. 3 produced by the Fertilizer Association of Ireland in conjunction with Teagasc identifies the steps to consider for the precise application of fertilisers to optimise farm profitability and sustainability

Baled Silage - Development Of Reliable Baled Silage Systems

End of Project ReportBaled silage is now made on two-thirds of all farms in Ireland, and accounts for one third of all silage made. It is particularly prevalent as the primary silage-making system on both beef farms and smaller-sized farms. However, it is also widespread as a second silage-making system on many other farms. The series of experiments contained in this report were conducted as part of a collaborative EU Structural Funds supported research project jointly carried out between the Teagasc research centres at Grange and Oak Park. Some of the research was also conducted in collaboration with the Botany Dept. at University College Dublin.European Union Structural Funds (EAGGF

CropQuest: Minor Crops Report

peer-reviewedIn this report as part of the DAFM funded CROPQUEST desk study, a brief description outlining the characteristics of a range of minor crops, their uses/markets and their potential, if known, for production in Ireland is presented. The crops include: Amaranth, Borage, Calendula, Camelina, Crambe, Echium, Flax / Linseed, Hemp, Hops, Lentils, Lupins, Oats, Poppy, Quino

Technologies for restricting mould growth on baled silage

End of Project ReportSilage is made on approximately 86% of Irish farms, and 85% of these make some baled silage. Baled silage is particularly important as the primary silage making, storage and feeding system on many beef and smaller sized farms, but is also employed as a secondary system (often associated with facilitating grazing management during mid-summer) on many dairy and larger sized farms (O’Kiely et al., 2002). Previous surveys on farms indicated that the extent of visible fungal growth on baled silage was sometimes quite large, and could be a cause for concern. Whereas some improvements could come from applying existing knowledge and technologies, the circumstances surrounding the making and storage of baled silage suggested that environmental conditions within the bale differed from those in conventional silos, and that further knowledge was required in order to arrive at a secure set of recommendations for baled silage systems. This report deals with the final in a series (O’Kiely et al., 1999; O’Kiely et al., 2002) of three consecutive research projects investigating numerous aspect of the science and technology of baled silage. The success of each depended on extensive, integrated collaboration between the Teagasc research centres at Grange and Oak Park, and with University College Dublin. As the series progressed the multidisciplinary team needed to underpin the programme expanded, and this greatly improved the amount and detail of the research undertaken. The major objective of the project recorded in this report was to develop technologies to improve the “hygienic value” of baled silage. Specifically, the stated aims were to: 1. Characterise the mycobiota on baled silage in Ireland 2. Enhance our understanding of the fermentation kinetics (and the unique combination of factors regulating them) peculiar to baled silage 3. Develop the capability to elucidate the mechanisms of gas entry to and exit from wrapped bales 4. Develop improved plastic and sealing methodologies 5. Identify strategies to successfully produce baled silage with a reduced content of mould and other undesirable micro-organisms

Impact of field headlands on wheat and barley performance in a cool Atlantic climate as assessed in 40 Irish tillage fields

peer reviewedThe reduction in cereal crop yields on field headlands has previously been examined in other geographical regions, with research focusing on the relationship between yield and the distance from the crop edge. Headlands are subject to greater machinery trafficking than the centre of the field and the level of traffic imposed depends on the machine size and adopted turning practice. The aim of this work was to examine the impact of turning headlands on crop performance in a survey of 40 field sites in Irish conditions. The headland was categorised into three distinct zones: the area next to the field edge subject to moderate traffic intensities (field edge); the main headland area of greatest turning traffic (turning) and a transition zone (transition). An in-field zone (in-field) in which no machinery turns occur was also included. The 2-year survey included sites from three regions, four soil texture classes and had crops established with plough-based systems. Crop measurements, including plant densities, shoot counts and light interception, and yields were recorded at each site and included winter barley (WB), spring barley (SB) and winter wheat (WW) crops. The yield response of each crop type varied with sample zone, region and soil texture. There were significant (P < 0.001) yield differences recorded between the turning area and in-field zone for all three crops. Winter barley yields were reduced by 1.3 t/ha in the turning zone compared with the in-field section, while SB and WW had yield reductions of 2.08 and 4.04 t/ha, respectively, between these two field zones

The effect of machine traffic zones associated with field headlands on soil structure in a survey of 41 tilled fields in a temperate maritime climate

peer-reviewedMachinery traffic imposes a negative effect on soil structure, leading to soil compaction. Studies to date have primarily focused on the influence of applied wheel loads on soil structure. Few studies have assessed the impact of commercial farm operations on soil structure and crop performance, particularly on field headlands in a temperate maritime climate such as Ireland. A survey was conducted on 41 conventionally managed field sites to investigate the effect of field position (field edge, turning, transition and in-field zones) in relation to machinery operations on soil structure. Soil texture classes ranged from sandy loam to clay loam. All sites used plough-based crop establishment. Soil structural condition was assessed visually using the visual evaluation of soil structure method (VESS) for the topsoil (0−250 mm), and Double Spade below plough depth (250−400 mm). Quantitative soil measurements such as shear strength, bulk density and porosity using soil cores post-harvest, and soil cone penetration resistance were taken at two time points in the crop growth cycle. For most measurements of soil structure, the in-field zone of least machinery traffic produced the best scores (Sq 2.81 & DS 2.48), and the turning zone returned the poorest scores in the 0−250 mm soil layer (Sq 3.31 & DS 2.91). The strongest quantitative scores for the in-field and turning zones, respectively, were for trowel penetration resistance in the upper (2.49 & 3.20) and lower (3.41 & 4.05) soil depth layers and for shear vane (38.17 & 53.59 kPa) for the same zones. The visual assessments and some of the quantitative measurements (0−250 mm soil layer) followed the zone order trend of: turning, field edge, transition and in-field, for increasing machinery traffic. The results show that the visual soil indicators used in this study are more sensitive than quantitative soil measurements such as soil bulk density (ρb) or porosity (TP and MP) at detecting soil structural differences between zones, particularly below plough depth (>250 mm soil depth)

Improved Technologies For Baled Silage.

End of Project ReportThis present report summaries the findings of the more recent research on baled silage.The contents of this report are presented under the following headings:1. Characteristics of baled silage on Irish farms - a survey 2. Mechanisation in the field 3. Forage and plastic 4. Schzophyllum commune 5. Preventing wildlife damage 6. Growth by cattl

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Crop Yields From Winter Oilseed Rape Cropping Systems are Unaffected by Management Practices

Winter oilseed rape is traditionally established via plough-based soil cultivation and conventional sowing methods. Whilst there is potential to adopt lower cost, and less intensive establishment systems, the impact of these on greenhouse gas emissions have not been evaluated. To address this, field experiments were conducted in 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 to investigate the effects of 1) crop establishment method and 2) sowing method on soil greenhouse gas emissions from a winter oilseed rape crop grown in Ireland. Soil carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane emission measurements were carried out using the static chamber method. Yield (t seed ha−1) and the yield-scaled global warming potential (kg CO2-eq. kg−1 seed) were also determined for each management practice. During crop establishment, conventional tillage induced an initially rapid loss of carbon dioxide (2.34 g C m−2 hr−1) compared to strip tillage (0.94 g C m−2 hr−1) or minimum tillage (0.16 g C m−2 hr−1) (p < 0.05), although this decreased to background values within a few hours. In the crop establishment trial, the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions were, apart from methane, unaffected by tillage management when sown at a conventional (125 mm) or wide (600 mm) row spacing. In the sowing method trial, cumulative carbon dioxide emissions were also 21% higher when plants were sown at 10 seeds m−2 compared to 60 seeds m−2 (p < 0.05). Row spacing width (125 and 750 mm) and variety (conventional and semi-dwarf) were found to have little effect on greenhouse gas emissions and differences in seed yield between the sowing treatments were small. Overall, management practices had no consistent effect on soil greenhouse gas emissions and modifications in seed yield per plant countered differences in planting density.Teagas

Technologies for restricting mould growth on baled silage

End of project reportSilage is made on approximately 86% of Irish farms, and 85% of these make some baled silage. Baled silage is particularly important as the primary silage making, storage and feeding system on many beef and smaller sized farms, but is also employed as a secondary system (often associated with facilitating grazing management during mid-summer) on many dairy and larger sized farms (O’Kiely et al., 2002). Previous surveys on farms indicated that the extent of visible fungal growth on baled silage was sometimes quite large, and could be a cause for concern. Whereas some improvements could come from applying existing knowledge and technologies, the circumstances surrounding the making and storage of baled silage suggested that environmental conditions within the bale differed from those in conventional silos, and that further knowledge was required in order to arrive at a secure set of recommendations for baled silage systems. This report deals with the final in a series (O’Kiely et al., 1999; O’Kiely et al., 2002) of three consecutive research projects investigating numerous aspect of the science and technology of baled silage. The success of each depended on extensive, integrated collaboration between the Teagasc research centres at Grange and Oak Park, and with University College Dublin. As the series progressed the multidisciplinary team needed to underpin the programme expanded, and this greatly improved the amount and detail of the research undertaken. The major objective of the project recorded in this report was to develop technologies to improve the “hygienic value” of baled silage