During the years 19982000 soil chemical (C org , N t , pH), textural (sand, silt clay) and microbiological (microbial biomass carbon C MB , microbial extracellular carbon C EX , respiration, ammonification, nitrification) characteristics were tested on grassed chernozem [mollisol] after arable land setting-aside. Different harvest management was also tested: black and green fallow, one or two mulching per year, three cuts with plant biomass removal. For the evaluation of the influence of management and plants we have used three main criteria: (1) µg C MB /g dry soil, (2) ratio C MB /C org (%), (3) µg C EX /mg C MB or eight criteria respectively: (4) ratio of measured and model values of C MB , (5) ratio of measured and model values of C EX /C MB , (6) potential respiration with glucose, (7) potential ammonification with peptone and (8) potential nitrification with (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 . According to these criteria, the best harvest management after arable land setting-aside from 5 different systems, which were tested, could be based on one or two mulching per year. It could be stressed that the two mulching was evaluated as the best in sum of dry mass yield (27.5 for mixtures, 20.1 for legumes and 14.2 for grasses in t/ha/3 years).
A field trial with Bromus catharticus Vahl. cv. Tacit, Arrhenatherum elatius (L.) P. Beauv. ex J.S. et K.B. Presl cv. Median, Festuca pratensis Huds. cv. Otava and Dactylis aschersoniana Graebn. cv. Tosca sown in rows 125 mm, was established in the year 1996 in Prague (chernozem, altitude 281 m a.s.l., average precipitation 472 mm per year, average year temperature 9.3°C). The stands were cut one or three times per year. The mass was removed or once or twice mulched. The share of the botanical species (by weight method), number of present species and agrobotanical groups (grasses, legumes, other dicotyledonous) coverage were measured from the third to the sixth year of vegetation. The results were evaluated by the analysis of variance (Tukey α = 0.05) and by time series analysis (forecasting) by the Statgraphics Plus programme, version 4.0. The species number increased rapidly with the three times cut variant during the four years, from 4 to 25 species, under the other management it was in average from 7 to 14 species, in the sixth year. The highest share of the sown species with the lowest reduction during the years was at Arrhenatherum elatius (41-72% in the sixth year). Bromus catharticus was extinct in the fifth year. The species chosen had a higher importance for conserving of the original botanical composition than the way of harvest. There was the significantly lower ground cover with the variant one cut per year (on average less than 70%). Mulch covered 15-64% of the surface in dependence on the dry mass yield and mulching frequency. The plants coverage was highest on the two or three times harvested variants (75-80%D).Keywords: arable land; setting-aside; grass; cutting; mulching; botanical composition; coverageThe questions of the suitable ways of arable land or grassland setting aside are examined by many research establishments in the Czech Republic as well as abroad. A lot of research work is aimed at the nutrients, especially nitrate leaching risk on the set-aside land as well as after the ploughing the stand. From this point of view, grass stands appear as the most suitable (Koch 1998, Opitz Von Boberfeld andSchultheiss 1994). The influence of the way of setting the land aside on the following crops, its effects on their nutrition and weed control requirements, is often investigated. Opitz Von Jasper (1994), Opitz Von Boberfeld andSchultheiss (1994) consider Festuca rubra as a suitable species from these points of view. In some cases even the possibilities of natural regeneration of the non-used land are compared, but it is clear that it brings a lot of problems and the species succession in the direction to a typical meadow stand lasts, according to the individual conditions and stand treatment, many years (Critchley and Fowbert 2000). The utilisation of the produced biomass is the other problem. If it is not used for example as a source of bioenergy, it is necessary to leave it on the field surface, best cut up as a mulch, that is a source of nutrients and organic matter for the soil mi...
. The proportion of D. caespitosa in the mixtures was 25%, 50% or 75% of the total number of seeds, a monoculture was established too. The sward was mown to 3 cm. D. caespitosa was not able to compete with L. perenne. The number of its tillers during the experiment ranged up to 3% of total number of tillers of the sward; the weight of aboveground DM was maximally 1.5% of the total aboveground phytomass. It established much better in the mixtures with P. pratensis. The total number of both components and the weight of aboveground dry mass was signifi cantly infl uenced by the year (p-value < 0.000-0.009), by D. caespitosa proportion in the seed mixture (p-value = 0.001-0.003) and by the interaction of these factors (p-value = 0.000-0.056). It developed more rapidly in the fi rst year in comparison with P. pratensis and reached 31-85% of total amount of tillers in positive correlation to its proportion in the seed mixture, later the competition capacity of P. pratensis increased and D. caespitosa tillers proportion in the sward was 11-39% in the third year. The trend of the weight of its aboveground dry mass was similar -21-78% in the fi rst year and 8-36% in the third year in a positive correlation with its proportion in the seed mixture. D. caespitosa and P. pratensis created bigger tillers in the later years.
The mixtures of Bromus marginatus Nees ex Steud. + Coronilla varia L., Festuca pratensis L. + Lotus corniculatus L., Dactylis aschersoniana Graebn. + Trifolium repens L., Arrhenatherum elatius (L.) P. Beauv. ex J.S. et K.B. Presl + Medicago lupulina L. were sown in rows of 125 mm in the year 1997 in Prague (chernozem, altitude 281 m a.s.l., average precipitation is 472 mm per year, average year temperature 9.3°C). The stands were one or three times per year cut with the mass removing or one or two times mulched. Botanical composition (by weight method), number of present species and agrobotanical groups (grasses, legumes, other dicotyledonous) coverage were measured during 6 years of vegetation. The species number was highest on plots cut 3 times (6-17), it increased linearly. The sown species share in the dry mass yield was 75-99% and the share of grasses decreased linearly with time. The significantly highest dry mass yield was reached when mulched two times per year Bromus marginatus Nees ex Steud. with Coronilla varia L. (till 14 t/ha ). The stands coverage was 43-80%.
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