Biomass is playing an increasingly important role as a source of renewable energy. The aim of this study has been to identify the potential applicability of straw from agricultural crops to generate energy within the district of Braniewo, in the province Warmia and Mazury, Poland. The study covered the years 2015 to 2017. Based on statistical data, and using appropriate equations and norms, the structure of crop production and the number of livestock in the mentioned district were analysed; the potential production volume of straw was estimated, from which the amount needed for animal production (feed and bedding) was deducted, while the organic substance balance in soil was calculated. An annual average amount of straw remaining to be used for energy purposes in the district of Braniewo is about 41,531 t of straw, equivalent to about 60,222 GJ of energy (24,088 t of coal). In addition to the above analyses, a survey was conducted among local farmers, which showed their opinions about barriers to and opportunities for growing crops for energy purposes and using renewable energy resources. The survey results justify the claim that there is certain potential among farmers in the district of Braniewo to grow crops for energy purposes.
Energy use in agricultural production has been increasing faster than in many other sectors of the world economy. Owing to high energy consumption during the production of agricultural inputs, with mineral nitrogen fertilizers in particular, it is often questioned as to whether agricultural production is still energy efficient. The objective of this research was to evaluate the energy efficiency of different intensity systems for the production of semi-dwarf winter triticale cultivar ”Twingo”. Cultivar “Twingo” entered the Polish National List in 2012 as one of the best yielding. For this reason, it was used in this experiment to examine its response to basic agrotechnical factors. The field experiment was conducted in the Agricultural Experiment Station in Tomaszkowo in 2013–2015. Low-input, medium-input and high-input production systems were evaluated. The compared systems differed in nitrogen fertilization rates and the level of fungicide protection. The highest output/input ratio was noticed growing winter triticale in low-input production system. The most energy-consuming operation during winter triticale production in the compared systems was mineral fertilization. The high-input production system was significantly lower energy efficiency than the other systems (6.21, medium-input 5.95, low-input 8.19). The energy return on investment (EROI) ratio was low, but above 1, in all the analyzed technologies (low-input 1.30, medium-input 1.14, high-input 1.15). The energy value of the bioethanol produced was higher than the energy inputs into the production of raw material and its processing. The conversion of winter triticale grain to bioethanol proved that the EROI reached the most favorable value for the low-input production system.
Research related to fertilization in winter triticale cultivation was limited to macroelements. The effects of boron on triticale (deficiency or toxicity) affecting productivity are still unknown. In 2013-2015, a field experiment was carried out at the Experimental Station in Tomaszkowo near Olsztyn. The objective was set response of winter triticale variety Pigmej under the influence of various levels of nitrogen (N) and boron (B) fertilization. Five levels of nitrogen fertilization: 0, 40, 80 (50 + 30), 120 (90 + 30), and 160 (90 + 70) kg ha −1 and four levels of boron fertilization: 0, 0.8, 1.6, and 2.4 kg ha −1 were tested. The experiment has demonstrated considerable differences in the grain yield volume and structure under the influence of various weather conditions and different doses of nitrogen. The difference between the highest and lowest grain yield was 1.7 t ha −1 -53.6%. The effect of boron application was also manifested as an increase in the winter triticale grain yield and improved yield component structure, but the statistically significant differences were observed only in ears number per 1 m 2 . The highest dose of boron applied in the experiment caused a decrease in the quantity of grain yield and its component parts.Agronomy 2020, 10, 279 2 of 12 claim that winter cereals will be grown in northern regions on a much larger area in the near future than at present.One of the most important agrotechnical factors influencing the yield of grain and enabling farmers to take full advantage of the high production potential of cereals is mineral fertilization, especially nitrogen nutrition [9,[15][16][17]. In intensive plant production, the level of nitrogen fertilization and the date of its application are essential for the attainment of high productivity of plants, supplying good quality yields [18].Boron is one of the micronutrients that are deficient in soil [19]. According to Herrera-Rodriguez [20], large areas of farmland across the world are characterized by a boron deficit, which inhibits the growth, development, and yielding of major crops. In Poland, the majority of soils are light and acidic. This is conducive to boron deficiencies, because the element is readily soluble in water and therefore easily leached from soil.Boron can be applied in long-term and in annual plantations; it is usually supplied in spring or autumn, in the form of solid fertilizers, either to soil or sprayed over foliage, and sometimes even during seed dressing. Plants should have access to this element from germination of maturity [21]. Boron is involved in many processes in the plant, e.g., calcium utilization, cell division, during the generative growth of plants, when the element affects water relations, resistance to diseases, and nitrogen metabolism [22]. Among elements essential for plants, boron is the only element that is absorbed not as an ion but as an uncharged molecule [23].Boron is essential for plants, and recent studies on the biological role of this element in different metabolic, nutritive, hormonal, ...
The main objective of this study was to analyze variable rate seeding (VRS) methods and critically evaluate their suitability and effectiveness for the challenges under field conditions. A search was performed using scientific databases and portals by identifying for analysis and evaluation 92 VRS methodologies, their impact and economic benefits depending on the main parameters of the soil and environment. The results of the review identified that VRS could adapt the appropriate seeding rate for each field zone, which was based on site-specific data layers of soil texture, ECa, pH and yield maps. Then, remotely detected images or other data which identify yield-limiting factors were identified. The site-specific sowing method (with a variable sowing rate for each field area) allows the optimization of crop density to obtain the best agronomic and economic results. Various proximal and remote sensor systems, contact and contactless equipment, mapping and VRS modeling technologies are currently used to determine soil and crop variability. VRS depends on the field characteristics’ sowing equipment capabilities, the planned harvest, soil productivity and machine technology interactions with the environment. When forecasting the effective payback of a VRS over the desired period, the farm size should on average be at least 150 ha. In future studies, to achieve the best solutions and optimal methods, it is important to test, evaluate and put into practice the latest methodologies on farms, to perform complex assessments of changes in sensor, soil, plant and environmental parameters.
Decreased tillage intensity can contribute to a reduced agro-technological footprint and stabilise the negative impact of climate change, especially in leguminous crop cultivation. For this reason, a long-term (since 1988) stationary field experiment has been performed on silty loam Planosol (in Lithuania). The main objective of this study was to establish the influence of sustainable tillage and no-tillage systems on soil aggregate stability to water, penetration resistance, enzymatic activity, abundance of earthworm and faba bean grain yield. Five different tillage systems were investigated: conventional deep and shallow mouldboard ploughing, deep chiselling, shallow disking and no-tillage. No-tillage in faba bean cultivation significantly increased soil structural stability by 40–97%, saccharase content by 0.7–2.0 times, urease activity by 3–4 times, the average quantity of earthworm by 55% and the biomass by 3.6 times. The impact of other ploughless tillage systems on soil properties was positive but not as significant. Faba bean grain yield was more influenced by growing seasons than by different tillage methods.
Tillage is an agrotechnical practice that strongly affects the soil environment. Its effect on soil properties depends on the system and, more specifically, on the degree of soil inversion and loosening. Strip-till is a non-inversive method that loosens only narrow soil strips. In strip-till one-pass (ST-OP) technology, tillage is combined with a simultaneous application of fertilizers and seed sowing. In a static multi-year field experiment, the soil properties after application of ST-OP for 8 years were compared to those of soil under conventional tillage with the use of a moldboard plough to a depth of 20 cm (CT), and equally deep loosened and mixed reduced tillage (RT). A field experiment of these three treatments was performed since 2012 in sandy loam soil, Luvisol. A total of 44 features were examined that described the physical, chemical, biological, and biochemical soil properties in the 0–20 cm layer, and penetration resistance (PR), bulk density (BD), and soil moisture (SM) in the 25–30 cm layer. The influence of the ST-OP technology on the yield of crops was also determined. Multivariate analysis shows that the ST-OP method, in terms of affecting the soil properties, differs considerably from RT and CT treatments. The soil after the ST-OP method contained two- to four-fold more earthworms (En), with a mass (Em) 2- to 5-fold higher, than those in the soil following RT and CT, respectively. In the ST-OP soil the content of available phosphorus (Pa) and available potassium (Ka); the total count of bacteria (Bt), cellulolytic microorganisms (Bc), and fungi (Ff); and the activity of phosphatases (AlP, AcP) were significantly higher. Compared with CT, the content of total organic carbon (Ct) and its content in the fractions of organic matter were also higher, with the exception of humins (CH). The yields of winter rapeseed and winter wheat using the ST-OP technology were marginally higher compared with those using the CT and RT technology.
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