Open AccessImpacts of organic soil amendments on forage grass production under different soil conditions
Author(s) -
Tomas Persson,
Wiesław Szulc,
Beata Rutkowska,
Mats Höglind,
Hans Martin Hanslin,
Arne Sæbø
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
agricultural and food science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.347
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1795-1895
pISSN - 1459-6067
DOI - 10.23986/afsci.95778
Subject(s) - loam , agronomy , environmental science , sowing , biochar , amendment , manure , grassland , digestate , soil conditioner , forage , biomass (ecology) , soil water , chemistry , biology , soil science , pyrolysis , ecology , organic chemistry , methane , political science , law , anaerobic digestion
Organic amendments can improve grassland productivity. Timothy and tall fescue were sown on a sandy loam and a coarse sand at Særheim, Norway, in September 2016 and on a loamy sand at Skierniewice, Poland, in April 2017, and cut and fertilised according to normal practices for the two regions from 2017 to 2019. At both sites, 0.75 kg DM m-2 of either digested or undigested manure (the latter with or without 2.9 kg biochar m-2) were incorporated prior to sowing. On the coarse sand at Særheim, total seasonal tall fescue yield in 2018 was 46–60% higher in the organic amendment treatments, and total seasonal timothy yield in the digestate treatment was 97% higher, than in the control treatment for the same species with only mineral fertiliser. On the sandy loam at Særheim and the loamy sand at Skierniewice, none of the amendments resulted in significant yield increments. These results indicate a clear effect on soil type on grassland biomass response to organic amendments.