Experimental units for organic farming research in Denmark
By Jørgen E. Olesen, Department of Agroecology, Danish Institute for Agricultural Sciences
A number of field experimental units were established in 1996 as part of the joint effort on organic farming research in Denmark coordinated by DARCOF.
These units consist of field experimental sites at Flakkebjerg, Foulum, Jyndevad, Årslev and KVL-Taastrup, and the long-term crop rotation experiments at Jyndevad, Foulum, Flakkebjerg og Holeby. The organic farming research station, Rugballegård, is primarily used for research on the interaction of crops and livestock. These experimental units cover all major organic farming practices and soil types in Denmark.
The aims of the experimental units for research in organic farming systems are three-fold:
- To describe long-term effects of organic farming practices and crop rotations
- To function as workshop facilities for other, more specific research projects
- To assist in communication and dissemination of the results of research on organic farming
Dedicated workshop areas
Workshop areas with organic crop rotations of 1-2 ha fields are being maintained, but without any experimental treatments within the fields. The main role of these areas is to function as sites for more detailed experimentation carried out in other project. The crop rotations vary between sites, but include rotations for dairy farming, pig production, grain production and vegetable crop production.
Long-term field experiments
Long-term field experiments are being maintained focusing on effects of crop rotations, cover crops and various manure input. These experiments also function as workshop areas for other dedicated experiments. Yields and nutrient leaching is measured in all these experiments.
The crop rotation experiment includes three factors in a factorial design with two replicates: A) fraction of grass-clover and pulses in the rotation (crop rotation), B) catch crop (without or with catch crop), and C) fertiliser (without or with animal manure applied as slurry). This experiment is conducted at four locations, representing different soil types and climate regions.
An experiment on nutrient cycling in organic dairy farming crop rotation is conducted at Foulum. The experiment includes treatments with two levels of animal manure and two types of animal manure in a factorial design. The crop rotation of this experiment will be modified to study more closely the nitrogen cycling in the experiment as affected by both grass-clover crops and manure type and level.
The third experiment is also located at Foulum, but includes different types and management of grazed grass and grass-clover pastures. This experiment will be used to investigate more closely the effect of proportion of pasture in the rotation for yields and nutrient use.
Demonstration and communication
The basic activities include field days, radio and TV interviews and papers in farmers’ journals. In addition a two-day seminar is organised every year at the experimental sites aimed primarily at organic advisors. An advisory committee aids the project group with respect to change in crop rotations and management of the experimental sites and with respect to demonstration activities.
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