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Fertilizer value and nitrogen transfer efficiencies with clover-grass ley biomass based fertilizers

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Abstract

In temperate regions, legume-based green manures are a key element of organic rotations. However, specialized farms lack sufficient mobile organic fertilizers. To gain a better understanding of the N flows and the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizer value of different clover-grass-based fertilizers (biogas digestate, compost, silage and fresh clover-grass obtained from clover-grass ley biomass), we assessed their fertilizer value. Nitrogen and P offtake by the ryegrass was used to assess the short-term effects. The data were completed using model calculations to assess the field-to-field N-transfer efficiencies and the overall N-transfer efficiencies. The greatest plant N offtake was achieved with digestates (64%) and the lowest from the compost (6%) and solid farmyard manure (14%). The mineralization rate was positively related to the NH4 +–N/total N ratio (P < 0.01, r2 = 0.82). The model calculations indicate that the overall short-term N-transfer efficiencies are driven by the field-to-field N-transfer efficiency and the field-to-crop transfer efficiency. However, in the long term, model calculations indicate that a high field-to-field N-transfer efficiency is the key strategic approach when aiming to achieve cropping systems with a high overall long-term N-transfer efficiency. Consequently, the results showed that aerobic decomposition (composting) significantly lowered field-to-field as well as field-to-crop N-transfer rates. The relative P use efficiency strongly differed among the fertilizers. In particular, freshly cut clover-grass and solid manure increased P availability and led to an increase of plant P offtake that was higher than the amount of P supplied.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this work provided by the CORE Organic II Funding Bodies, partnership with the FP7 ERA-Net project, CORE Organic II (www.coreorganic2.org), and for the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR) as part of the research was financed by the projects “IMPROVE-P” and “Gärresteigenschaft”.

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  1. Anna Pia Benke, Ann-Marleen Rieps and Iris Wollmann are co-authors and contributed equally to this work.

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  1. Department of Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, Institute of Crop Science, Universität Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 20, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany

    Anna Pia Benke, Ann-Marleen Rieps, Iris Wollmann, Ioana Petrova & Kurt Möller

  2. Institute of Crop Science, Coordination for Organic Farming and Consumer Protection, Universität Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 14, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany

    Sabine Zikeli

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  1. Anna Pia Benke
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Benke, A.P., Rieps, AM., Wollmann, I. et al. Fertilizer value and nitrogen transfer efficiencies with clover-grass ley biomass based fertilizers. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 107, 395–411 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-017-9844-z

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