No abstract

No abstract

Perennial grain crops were examined in pure stands and in various mixtures for their grain yield potential in, and suitability for, low-input systems on marginal land. The investigation was based on field experiments conducted at two sites characterized by marginal environmental conditions in south-west Germany in 1999 and 2000. The experiments included perennial species of rye (Secale cereale · Secale montanum), intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium), lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) and linseed (Linum perenne). In some stands, white clover (Trifolium repens) was included as an undersown intercrop for improved N supply. It was found that maturation of the species differed by up to almost 6 weeks, and consequently the threshability of most mixed stands was not satisfactory. Nevertheless, mixtures of either of the grasses (rye or wheatgrass) with lupin or undersown clover proved to be more suitable than pure stands in most cases, for measures such as grain yield, weed suppression and stability of grain yield over years. The grain yield harvested in the experiments in 1999 was low, reaching about 2.7 t ha )1 with rye, and decreased for most species in 2000. If improved genotypes were available, perennial grain crops could provide an alternative for arable cropping and set-aside areas under marginal conditions.

Nitrogen Uptake and Nitrogen Residuals of Winter Oil‐Seed Rape and Fallout Rape The objective of the investigation was a study of the relationship between seed dry‐matter production and vegetative dry‐matter production in oil‐seed rape crops and their dependence on the production conditions. In addition to the relationship between the N‐uptake during the vegetation period and the N‐residue after harvest was of major interest. Furthermore the potential for N‐uptake in fallout rape was measured. Over two vegetation periods factorial field experiments with winter oil‐seed rape, cv. Lirabon, different drilling techniques and different nitrogen fertilization levels were tested. Measured traits were: the dry‐matter accumulation including root mass and fall‐off leaf‐material mass, the N‐uptake of both the oil‐seed crops and the fallout rape stands, and, simultaneously, the soil NO3‐N content. Finally the harvest indices and the N‐harvest indices were calculated. Combined with a N‐uptake of up to 330 kg N/ha, oil‐seed rape crops produced up to 200 dt dry matter/ ha. At seed yield levels of 33dt/ha (d.m.), harvest indices varied from 0.14—0.23 and N‐harvest indices varied from 0.30–0.50. As a result of the residue of vegetative plant material at harvest, leaf losses before harvest and the soil NO3‐N‐contents at harvest up to 275 kg N/ha remained in the field. After the harvest of oil‐seed rape, the soil NO3‐N‐contents were quickly reduced by emerging and growing fallout rape stands. However, following soil‐preparation measures in the autumn, a continuous rise in the soil NO3‐N‐content was observed.

No abstract