Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6374248 | European Journal of Agronomy | 2016 | 13 Pages |
Abstract
The efficient use by crops of nitrogen from manures is an agronomic and environmental issue, mainly in double-annual forage cropping systems linked to livestock production. A six-year trial was conducted for a biennial rotation of four forage crops: oat-sorghum (first year) and ryegrass-maize (second year) in a humid Mediterranean area. Ten fertilization treatments were introduced: a control (without N); two minerals equivalent to 250 kg N haâ1 yearâ1 applied at sowing or as sidedressing; dairy cattle manure at a rate of 170, 250 and 500 kg N haâ1 yearâ1 and four treatments where the two lowest manure rates were supplemented with 80 or 160 kg mineral N haâ1 yearâ1. They were distributed according to a randomized block design with three blocks. The highest N mineral soil content was found in the summer of the third rotation, in plots where no manure was applied. The yearly incorporation of manure reduced, in successive cropping seasons, the amount of additional mineral N needed as sidedressing to achieve the highest yields. Besides, in the last two years, there was no need for mineral N application for the manure rate of 250 kg N haâ1 yearâ1. This amount always covered the oat-sorghum N uptake. In the ryegrass-maize sequence uptakes were as high as 336 kg N haâ1 yearâ1. In the medium term, the intermediate manure rate (250 kg N haâ1 yearâ1) optimizes nutrient recycling within the farming system, and it should be considered in the analysis of thresholds for N of organic origin to be applied to systems with high N demand.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Agronomy and Crop Science
Authors
B. Perramon, A.D. Bosch-Serra, F. Domingo, J. Boixadera,