Bergström, Lars and Kirchmann, Holger and Aronsson, Helena and Torstensson, Gunnar and Mattsson, Lennart
(2008).
Use efficiency and leaching of nutrients in organic and conventional cropping systems in Sweden.
I/In:
Organic crop production : ambitions and limitations. Sid./p. 143-159.
Springer, Dordrecht
ISBN 978-1-4020-9315-9
[Book Chapter]
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Official URL: http://www.springer.com/life+sci/agriculture/book/...
Abstract
In the past few years, organic farming has been proposed as a possible way of reducing N leaching from agricultural soils and improving the use efficiency of plant nutrients. This is, to a large extent, considered to be attributed to the fact that synthetic fertilisers are not allowed in such systems and the N inputs mainly originate in various types of organic manures. In this overview, results from a number of Swedish field studies are presented in which crop yields, nutrient-use efficiencies and leaching in organic and conventional systems are evaluated. Some studies were conducted in lysimeters and others in large tile-drained field plots. In two lysimeter experiments, leaching of N derived from either poultry manure or red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) green manure were compared with fertiliser N, all labeled with 15- N. In the lysimeters on which poultry manure was applied, 32% of N applied leached during three years, whereas only about 3% leached in ammonium nitrate fertilised lysimeters. In plots on a sandy soil, annual N leaching loads averaged over the whole 6-yr crop rotation reached 39 kg N ha-1 in the organic rotations and 25 kg N ha-1 in the conventional rotation. Phosphorusleaching loads were overall small in all systems, whereas K leaching was highest in the conventional rotation (i.e., on average, 27 kg ha-1 yr-1). In terms of crop yields, they were reduced by 20 to 80% in the organic rotations compared to the same crops in the conventional rotations. This was explained in terms of N deficiency, weed competition, and infestation of crop diseases in the organic systems. These results suggest that organic crop production uses agricultural soils less efficiently, with no benefit for water quality.
Authors/Creators: | Bergström, Lars and Kirchmann, Holger and Aronsson, Helena and Torstensson, Gunnar and Mattsson, Lennart |
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Title: | Use efficiency and leaching of nutrients in organic and conventional cropping systems in Sweden |
Year of publishing : | 2008 |
Page range: | 143-159 |
Publisher: | Springer, Dordrecht |
Associated Programs and Other Stakeholders: | Z - SLU - Library > Odla mera |
ISBN for printed version: | 978-1-4020-9315-9 |
Language: | English |
Additional Information: | The original publication is available at http://www.springer.com |
Publication Type: | Book Chapter |
Refereed: | Yes |
Version: | Accepted version |
Full Text Status: | Public |
Subjects: | Obsolete subject words > FORESTRY, AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES and LANDSCAPE PLANNING > Soil science |
Keywords: | Crop yields, Fertilisers, Manures, Water quality, Weed pressure |
URN:NBN: | urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-1-157 |
Permanent URL: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-1-157 |
ID Code: | 3511 |
Department: | (NL, NJ) > Dept. of Soil and Environment (S) > Dept. of Soil and Environment |
Deposited By: | Staff Epsilon |
Deposited On: | 26 Jan 2009 00:00 |
Metadata Last Modified: | 22 Mar 2015 15:14 |
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