• Authors:
    • Golinowska, M.
  • Source: Journal of Research and Applications in Agricultural Engineering
  • Volume: 56
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: In early 2010, in Lower Silesia, there were 1,025 organic farms, including 47% of households had a status of "inconversion". Most of them, up to 23% of organic farms were located in the county Kodzko and 16% in the district of Wroclaw. The diversity of organic farms in various districts of Lower Silesia was high and ranged from 1 (Strzelin district) to 235 (Kodzko district). Lot of factors had an influence on such a large diversity of organic farms deployment and the most important included the quality of agricultural production surface. A characteristic feature of organic farms of Lower Silesia is that about 80% of the main type of organic production are meadows and pastures (package 58A) and fodder crops for animal feed (pack 50A to 57A). Cereal Organic-grown consisted of wheat and spelled (from 3% to 30% of producers) quite a lot consisted of more than 20% rye, oats, from 7.5% to 28.6% and buckwheat. Production of vegetables and fruits is listed only in a few percent of the farms. Due to the possibility of high subsidies for orchards planted with walnut, this package (A 67) has become the direction of production of several agricultural producers. Organic farms of Lower Silesia are mainly focused on plant production. Only in about 20% of organic farms production is carried out by organic livestock, which provides cow's milk, goat cheese, veal, beef and eggs. In tourist areas the equines were bred in many organic farms for recreational purposes.
  • Authors:
    • Deveikyte, I.
    • Sarunaite, L.
    • Kadziuliene, Z.
  • Source: Ratarstvo i Povrtarstvo
  • Volume: 48
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The advantage of intercropping is beneficial biological interactions between crops and their different use of growth resources. Our experiment aimed at investigating the effects of pea intercropping with cereals on the improvement of cereal supply with nitrogen and protein content in grain on a loamy soil in organic farming conditions. It was carried out during 2007-2009 at the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture in Dotnuva. Pea ( Pisum sativum L.) and spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), spring barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.), oats ( Arena sativa L.), and triticale (* Triticosecale Wittm.) were sown as intercrops 50:50 or as a sole crop. The results obtained during the experimental years showed that the productivity and quality of spring cereal sole crops or intercrops depended on the species of cereals and varied between different year's cultivation conditions. Grain productivity in some cases was estimated to be higher in the intercrops, however it was not stable in three experimental years. The protein content and yield in the grain of cereals grown in intercrops was positively affected by pea intercrops.
  • Authors:
    • Hyovela, M.
    • Hurme, T.
    • Niskanen, M.
    • Laine, A.
    • Kontturi, M.
    • Peltonen-Sainio, P.
  • Source: Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B-Soil and Plant Science
  • Volume: 61
  • Issue: 7
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Locally produced crop protein is urgently needed in Europe. Pea is a good protein source and is well adapted to northern conditions. Pea can fix nitrogen that the following crop in rotation can benefit from. In cereal-dominated cropping systems pea is a break crop disrupting the life cycle of cereal diseases, leading to less fungicide application and thereby minimizing off farm inputs and benefiting the environment. Grain legumes provide animals with protein and energy, and the seeds of pulse crops are complementary to those of cereals. Field peas can be cultivated in most parts of Scandinavia and interest in peas has increased for inclusion in organic farming. Growing pea as a sole crop is a challenge since its stem is prone to lodging thereby resulting in harvesting difficulties, reduced yield and decreased profits. Intercropping of pea with oat could minimize the above listed problems but to our knowledge proportion of seeds mixture of the two crops and selection of pea cultivars without compromising the pea yield, especially protein production, at high latitudes conditions is limited. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate performance of sole cropped pea (Karita, Perttu, Hulda) and oat (seed proportions 7.5% and 15%) and their intercrop combinations and establish an appropriate seed mixture for a pea-oat intercropping systems that prevents lodging without markedly reducing pea yield. Field experiments were conducted at three locations (Jokioinen, Mietoinen, Ylistaro) of the Agrifood Research Finland in 2002-2004. Intercropping peas with oats prevented peas from lodging and made their harvest easier. Optimal numbers of oats in pea intercrops were difficult to determine, varying according to pea cultivar and local growth conditions. Excess oats in the seed mixture or conditions favouring oat growth prevented peas from lodging but pea yield was decreased.
  • Authors:
    • Blaha, L.
    • Huda, P.
    • Stehno, Z.
    • Capouchova, I.
    • Konvalina, P.
    • Moudry, J.
    • Moudry, J.
  • Source: Lucrari Stiintifice, Universitatea de Stiinte Agricole Si Medicina Veterinara "Ion Ionescu de la Brad" Iasi, Seria Agronomie
  • Volume: 54
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Council Regulation (EC) No. 834/2007, and Commission Regulation (EC) No. 889/2008, are the most important European legislative instructions on organic farming (OF). They lay down a permit to use just organic seeds (OS) for establishment of organi c crop stands. Such seeds have to originate from the plants being grown in compliance with OF rules for at least one generation. Organic farmers are obliged, in compliance with the above-mentioned legislation, to use seeds originating from organic production when establishing crop stands. Otherwise, they are allowed to use their own seeds or they may apply for an exception to a relevant public authority in order to use conventional untreated seeds. There are 3,517 organic farmers in the Czech Republic (CZ) and they manage their farms on the total surface of 448,202 ha, which represent 10.55% of the agriculture land surface in CZ. Arable land represents 12.26% (54,937 ha) of the total organic land surface. Cereals were considered as the main market crops and grown on the surface of 22,762 ha in 2009. Deficiency of certified good-quality OS in CZ is one of the factors limiting the organic cereals growing there. Crop stands are currently established from certified OS (6%), conventional untreated seeds (37%) and farm seeds (57%) in CZ. They are usually established from "uncontrolled" farm seeds originating from repeated reseeding. As restrictions on conventional untreated seeds are being imposed, seed growers have to be motivated to provide a sufficient supply of certified OS. Current deficiency of approved seeds is also caused by a complexity of the reproduction process and small amount of approved seeds originating from the approved reproduction processes. Identical requirements for conventional and OS have been imposed but organic farming is not so highly intensive as conventional farming. It is one of the reasons of the current OS deficiency.
  • Authors:
    • Lednev, N.
    • Lednev, A.
  • Source: Russian Agricultural Sciences
  • Volume: 37
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: It is shown that the application of high doses of organic and mineral fertilizers (N 60P 60K 60+60 t/ha manure) and plowing under vetch and oats as green manure makes it possible in low-humified agrozems to reduce soil acidity by 0.5-0.6 pHKCl units, increase total exchangeable bases by 3.1-4.3 mmol/100 g soil, and increase organic matter content by 0.32-0.41%. This variant can be the basis of the technology of rehabilitating low-humified soils, since it provides a substantial increase of their fertility at a relatively low cost.
  • Authors:
    • Zhang, F.
    • Stewart, B.
    • Miao, Y.
  • Source: Agronomy for Sustainable Development
  • Volume: 31
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: China is facing one of the largest challenges of this century to continue to increase annual cereal production to about 600 Mt by 2030 to ensure food security with shrinking cropland and limited resources, while maintaining or improving soil fertility, and protecting the environment. Rich experiences in integrated and efficient utilization of different strategies of crop rotation, intercropping, and all possible nutrient resources accumulated by Chinese farmers in traditional farming systems have been gradually abandoned and nutrient management shifted to over-reliance on synthetic fertilizers. China is now the world's largest producer, consumer and importer of chemical fertilizers. Over application of nitrogen (N) is common in intensive agricultural regions, and current N-uptake efficiency was reported to be only 28.3, 28.2 and 26.1% for rice, wheat and maize, respectively, and less than 20% in intensive agricultural regions and for fruit trees or vegetable crops. In addition to surface and groundwater pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, over-application of N fertilizers has caused significant soil acidification in major Chinese croplands, decreasing soil pH by 0.13 to 2.20. High yield as a top priority, small-scale farming, lack of temporal synchronization of nutrient supply and crop demand, lack of effective extension systems, and hand application of fertilizers by farmers are possible reasons leading to the over-application problems. There is little doubt that current nutrient management practices are not sustainable and more efficient management systems need to be developed. A review of long-term experiments conducted around the world indicated that chemical fertilizer alone is not enough to improve or maintain soil fertility at high levels and the soil acidification problem caused by overapplication of synthetic N fertilizers can be reduced if more fertilizer N is applied as NO 3- relative to ammonium- or urea-based N fertilizers. Organic fertilizers can improve soil fertility and quality, but long-term application at high rates can also lead to more nitrate leaching, and accumulation of P, if not managed well. Well-managed combination of chemical and organic fertilizers can overcome the disadvantages of applying single source of fertilizers and sustainably achieve higher crop yields, improve soil fertility, alleviate soil acidification problems, and increase nutrient-use efficiency compared with only using chemical fertilizers. Crop yield can be increased through temporal diversity using crop rotation strategies compared with continuous cropping and legume-based cropping systems can reduce carbon and nitrogen losses. Crop yield responses to N fertilization can vary significantly from year to year due to variation in weather conditions and indigenous N supply, thus the commonly adopted prescriptive approach to N management needs to be replaced by a responsive in-season management approach based on diagnosis of crop growth, N status and demand. A crop sensor-based in-season site-specific N management strategy was able to increase Nuptake efficiency by 368% over farmers' practices in the North China Plain. Combination of these well-tested nutrient management principles and practices with modern crop management technologies is needed to develop sustainable nutrient management systems in China that can precisely match field-to-field and year-to-year variability in nutrient supply and crop demand for both single crops and crop rotations to not only improve nutrient-use efficiency but also increase crop yield and protect the environment. In addition, innovative and effective extension and service-providing systems to assist farmers in adopting and applying new management systems and technologies are also crucially important for China to meet the grand challenge of food security, nutrient-use efficiency and sustainable development.
  • Authors:
    • Silva Junior, A.
    • Alves, M.
    • Muraishi, C.
    • Souza, Z.
  • Source: ACTA SCIENTIARUM-AGRONOMY
  • Volume: 33
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: This study was conducted at the Experimental Station belonging to UNESP Engineering University, Ilha Solteira Campus, based in Selviria, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, with the aim of evaluating chemical alterations in an Oxisol after being managed for two years with organic and/or chemical fertilization and different tillage systems during the agricultural years of 2004/2005 and 2005/2006. The treatments were: conventional-tillage; chisel tillage and no-tillage; the fertilization treatments were: control (no fertilization); chemical fertilization (300 kg ha -1 from the 20-00-20); organic fertilization (cattle manure - 20 Mg ha -1); organic+1/2 the recommended chemical fertilization for the used crop; 20 and 30 Mg ha -1 of sewage sludge. Soybean was used in the first year and sorghum in the next year, evaluating the soil chemical attributes in four layers. The soil chemical attributes were changed in the first year; the organic fertilization, sewage sludge and organic+chemical fertilization were efficient to change the chemical attributes; the sewage sludge was more efficient in soil P recuperation and, the no-tillage system contributed to soil K increase.
  • Authors:
    • Kulig, B.
    • Ropek, D.
  • Source: Progress in Plant Protection
  • Volume: 51
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The occurrence and harmfulness of pest in field bean cultivated in pure sowing and in faba bean mixed with naked oat was evaluated in field experiment carried out in 2006-2008. Faba bean plants in pure sowing were more severely infested with Aphis fabae and Bruchus rufimanus than in intercrops. The cultivation method had only slight effect on the occurrence of pea weevil. It is recommended to sow faba bean in mixture with naked oat in organic farms.
  • Authors:
    • Kadziuliene, Z.
    • Sarunaite, L.
  • Source: Grassland farming and land management systems in mountainous regions. Proceedings of the 16th Symposium of the European Grassland Federation, Gumpenstein, Austria, 29th-31st August, 2011
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The potential of white clover to supply winter cereals with biologically fixed N was investigated in an experiment conducted on a loamy Cambisol. Spring barley, white clover as pure-sown crops, and clover with barley cover crops were established in the spring of the first experimental year. In the autumn, wheat was direct drilled into differently sown and managed clover to form a bi-cropping system. In other treatments wheat was conventionally sown after ploughing in of pre-crops. In the autumn of the second year, winter rye was conventionally drilled into the plots. The N content of pre-crop residues incorporated into the soil was higher in clover treatments with the barley cover crop. The wheat grain yield was higher (5.3-6.0 t ha -1) after ploughing in clover. The grain yield was significantly lower in the bi-cropping system and varied depending on the treatments (1.3-4.7 t ha -1); however, the yield was high for an organic crop rotation. The highest N concentrations in wheat grain yield were observed in bi-cropping. The winter rye grain yield was higher after differently direct drilled wheat (2.7-3.5 t ha -1) compared with that of conventionally drilled wheat (1.7-2.05 t ha -1). N concentration in rye grain was higher after a bi-cropping system had been used.
  • Authors:
    • Ilievski, M.
    • Spasov, D.
    • Spasova, D.
    • Atanasova, B.
  • Source: Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry
  • Volume: 27
  • Issue: 3, Book 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: In the period 2005-2007 trials with five oats populations ( Krivogastani, Trebenishta, Radolishta, Bugarija, Kuceviste) and three oats varieties ( Rajac, Slavuj and Lovcen), were carried out. The trials were set up in conditions of organic and conventional production. The main objective of this investigation was to determine the differences in some morphological characteristics of the tested genotypes, which directly or indirectly affect the yield, and also, to determine the differences that came up as a result of the different systems of production (conventional and organic production). The average height of the oats plant cultivated in organic production (114,4 cm) was higher absolutely by 2,2 cm or relatively by 2.0% than the height of the oats plantcultivated in conventional production. The system of production showed no effect on the length of the panicle. The yield of oats grain by panicle in organic production (3,30 g) was higher absolutely by 0,3 g or relatively by 9.1% than the yield of oats grain by panicle in conventional production (3,0 g). The system of production did not impact significantly on the percentage of the glumes. The lowest percentage of glumes in both systems of production gave variety Rajac.