Känkänen, Hannu; Eriksson, Christian; Räkköläinen, Mauri and Vuorinen, Martti (2003) Soil nitrate N as influenced by annually undersown cover crops in spring cereals. Agricultural and Food Science in Finland, 12 (3-4), pp. 165-176.
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Summary
Cover crops can reduce leaching and erosion, introduce variability into crop rotations and fix nitrogen (N) for use by the main crops. In Finland, undersowing is a suitable method for establishing cover crops in cereals. The effect of annual undersowing on soil nitrate N was studied at two sites. Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), a mixture of red clover and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.), and westerwold ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. var. westerwoldicum) were undersown in spring cereals during six successive seasons, and a pure stand of cereal was grown in two years after that. In all years, the soil nitrate N was measured in late autumn, and in addition in different times of the season in last four years. The effect of undersowing on soil NO3-N content was generally low, but in one season when conditions favoured high N leaching, westerwold ryegrass decreased soil NO3-N. The negligible increase of N leaching risk in connection with undersowing clovers, associated with late autumn ploughing, supports the use of clovers to increase the cereal grain yield. The highest levels of soil NO3-N were recorded at sowing in spring irrespective of whether a crop was undersown or not. NO3-N contents were higher in sandy soil than in silt. Undersowing can be done annually in cereal cultivation either to fix or catch N. No cumulative effects on soil nitrate N were associated with undersowing after six years.
EPrint Type: | Journal paper |
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Keywords: | cereals, clovers, cover crops, grasses, intercropping, nitrate nitrogen |
Subjects: | Crop husbandry > Crop combinations and interactions |
Research affiliation: | Finland > Luke Natural Resources Institute |
ISSN: | 1795-1895 |
Related Links: | http://www.mtt.fi/english |
Deposited By: | Koistinen, Riitta |
ID Code: | 16745 |
Deposited On: | 09 Feb 2010 13:40 |
Last Modified: | 12 Apr 2010 07:43 |
Document Language: | English |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Peer-reviewed and accepted |
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