No abstract

Three trials were performed on two organic farms with dairy and suckler cows and using home-produced forage and feed crops, predominantly grass-clover ley, in order to determine whether boron (B) is a limiting factor for legumes on coarse-textured soils in an area predisposed to low B soil concentrations. The effects of B fertilisation (applied as sprayed liquid) on biomass yield, botanical composition and plant macro-and micronutrient concentrations relative to soil concentrations and livestock requirements were investigated. Boron fertilisation (i) did not affect any yield, (ii) increased the white clover percentage significantly in forage on one farm and (iii) increased B concentrations in plants and soil on both farms, and (iv) did not affect concentrations of other nutrients in forage on either farm. Thus, B was not an obvious limiting factor on these farms. Effects of management practices on interactions and ratios between B, calcium (Ca), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and sodium (Na) and their implications are discussed.