Use Efficiency and Leaching of Nutrients in Organic and Conventional Cropping Systems in Sweden

  • Bergström L
  • Kirchmann H
  • Aronsson H
  • et al.
N/ACitations
Citations of this article
37Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

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 orig- inate 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 (Tri- folium 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. Phosphorus-leaching 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 20–80% in the organic rotations compared to the same crops in the conventional rotations. This was explained in terms of N deficiency, weed competition, and infes- tation 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

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Bergström, L., Kirchmann, H., Aronsson, H., Torstensson, G., & Mattsson, L. (2008). Use Efficiency and Leaching of Nutrients in Organic and Conventional Cropping Systems in Sweden. In Organic Crop Production – Ambitions and Limitations (pp. 143–159). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9316-6_7

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free