Newsletter from Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming • April 2004 • No 1

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Grazing reduces biomass and nitogen fixation in grass-clover

Grass-clover produced less biomass and fixed less nitrogen when frequently cutted to simulate grazing. This was seen for both harvested and below-harvest components as compared to measurements under mowing conditions.

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Tillage ineffective as a tool of increased soil N mineralization

Nitrogen mineralization from organic matter is unaffected by soil tillage in the growing season. This was shown in sandy loam soils cropped with winter wheat and subjected to four combinations of pig slurry amendment, straw incorporation and growing of catch crops.

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News briefs

Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming initiates a third research programme (2005-2010) based on the ideas formulated in the new strategy from the centre.

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Efficient use of grassland nitrogen

The release of nitrogen from 3-year-old grasslands gave a considerable residual effect for two years after ploughing. And when good management practices were used, including spring ploughing, catch crops and reduced fertiliser application, nitrate leaching was kept at low levels. These are some of the conclusions from ongoing studies on the use grassland nitrogen in organic dairy systems.

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Crop cover improves the N status in vegetable crop rotations

The need for import of nitrogen-containing manures to organic vegetable crop rotations can be strongly reduced. The main tools are to maintain a crop cover on the soil during the autumn, and to recover leached nitrogen by use of deep-rooted crops. Read the article

Soil treatments and rootstocks for organic apple production

Organic production of 'Retina' apples was optimized by choice of rootstocks and mechanical weeding also in the alleyways. On the contrary, natural vegetation reduced the yield by more than 50 percent.

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New methods for mapping of urine patches in pastures

Two new methods offer an improved framework for quantification of nitrogen losses from urine deposited by dairy cattle on pastures. The spatial distribution of urine patches was assessed by image analysis and in situ measurement of soil ionic strength. Read the article

Critical evaluation of the Kemink Exact Soil Management System and its components

Components of the Kemink cultivation system affected soil fertility differently. Ridging generally improved the soil nitrogen status, whereas subsoiling after planting damaged the crops. Crop yields were generally unaffected by the Kemink system in its entirety, but problems with increased weed infestation occurred. These are some of the issues discussed in a coming Ph.D. thesis.
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Emission of nitrous oxide from grass-clover swards is largely unaffected by recently fixed N2

In grass-clover swards, recently fixed dinitrogen (N2) contributes only little to the production of the strong greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Yet, biological N2 fixation in grass-legume swards should not be neglected as a source of N2O in the national greenhouse gas inventories. Read the article