Contrasting effects of slurry and mineral fertilizer on N2-fixation in grass-clover mixtures

Kristensen, R. K.; Fontaine, Doline; Rasmussen, Jim; Eriksen, Jørgen

doi:10.1016/j.eja.2021.126431

Cited by 11 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 36 publications

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“…The percentage of N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) was calculated using grass as reference in the equation of Kristensen et al. [1] :

where clover (red or white) and grass atom% excess are calculated by subtracting the atom% 15 N of clover or grass in unlabeled plots from the atom% 15 N of clover or grass in the labeled sub-plots. The %Ndfa of white clover - %Ndfa(wc) – and %Ndfa of red clover - %Ndfa(rc) – are indicated in the columns M and N, respectively, of the excel file.…”

Section: Experimental Design Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data on growth, uptake and N2 fixation of grass-clover leys fertilized with mineral N fertilizer and cattle slurry

et al. 2022

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“…The percentage of N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) was calculated using grass as reference in the equation of Kristensen et al. [1] :

Section: Experimental Design Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data on growth, uptake and N2 fixation of grass-clover leys fertilized with mineral N fertilizer and cattle slurry

et al. 2022

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Marginal increase in nitrate leaching under grass–clover leys by slurry and mineral fertilizer

Fontaine,

Rasmussen,

Eriksen

2023

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

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On dairy farms, fertilization of grass-clover swards ensures stable grass yields but may increase the potential for nitrate leaching on light-textured soils. The aim of this study was to quantify the N use efficiency and nitrate leaching under fertilized grass-clover leys. The study was conducted over 2 years at two sites, with increasing applications of mineral fertilizer (0–480 kg available N ha−1) alone or in combination with a basic application of cattle slurry. For plots fertilized with mineral N, the N soil surface balance was independent of the application rate and in the same range as for unfertilized plots (− 11 to 51 kg N ha−1). However, when plots were fertilized with slurry N (+ mineral N), the surplus was substantially increased owing to the fraction of organic N applied in slurry (95–100 kg N ha−1) and higher biological N2 fixation inputs (55–228 kg N ha−1). The type of fertilizer had no effect on nitrate leaching across the full range of application rates. Nitrate leaching increased quadratically as a function of application rate, with a range of 3–117 kg N ha−1 (0.33–17 mg l−1 in soil solution sampled with suction cups) in the first year and less in the second year, when clover proportion was lower due to the self-regulatory nature of grass-clover mixtures. Importantly, the rate of marginal leaching increased with fertilization level: below 150 kg N ha−1 there was no additional leaching from fertilization and at 200 kg N ha−1 around 5% of additional fertilizer-N was leached. This is less than generally found for arable crops and thus even in intensive dairy systems, grass-clover leys are an environmentally favorable crop.

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Anaerobic digestion of dairy cattle slurry—long-term effects on crop yields and chemical soil characteristics

Rittl,

Pommeresche,

Johansen

et al. 2023

Org. Agr.

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Renewable energy in the form of biogas can be produced by anaerobic digestion (AD) of animal manure. However, there is still a lack of knowledge on the long-term effects of AD-treated manure on soil characteristics and crop productivity, compared with untreated manure. A field experiment was established in a perennial grass-clover ley in 2011 to study the effects on important soil and crop characteristics when the slurry from a herd of organically managed dairy cows is anaerobically digested. While the rate of manure application affected soil concentrations of extractable nutrients and pH, these variables were unaffected by AD. Soil organic matter (SOM) concentrations decreased in all plots and faster on the plots with high intrinsic SOM. The decrease was similar with application of untreated (non-digested) slurry (US) and anaerobically digested slurry (ADS), and it was not affected by application rates. The general decline may be explained by the initial high SOM content, the long-term effect of drainage, and higher temperatures with climatic change. US and ADS gave similar yields of grass-clover ley (2 cuts/year) and green fodder, on average 0.79 and 0.40 kg DM m−2, respectively. Clover yield was similar in manured treatments and the non-fertilized control. With respect to crop yields and chemical soil characteristics, long-term (10 years) effects of AD in an organic dairy cow farming system seem to be minor. The benefits of extracting energy from the slurry did not compromise grassland productivity or soil quality in the long term. Graphical Abstract

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Contrasting effects of slurry and mineral fertilizer on N2-fixation in grass-clover mixtures

Cited by 11 publications

References 36 publications

Data on growth, uptake and N2 fixation of grass-clover leys fertilized with mineral N fertilizer and cattle slurry

Data on growth, uptake and N2 fixation of grass-clover leys fertilized with mineral N fertilizer and cattle slurry

Marginal increase in nitrate leaching under grass–clover leys by slurry and mineral fertilizer

Anaerobic digestion of dairy cattle slurry—long-term effects on crop yields and chemical soil characteristics

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