Nitrogen and Phosphorus Flows in the Finnish Agricultural and Forest Sectors, 1910–2000

Abstract

In this study, the main changes in the flows of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the Finnish agricultural and forest sectors during the 20th century were identified and quantified and their future trends were considered.

Phosphorus Flows to and from Swedish Agriculture and Food Chain

“…The reason to the difference is not clear as calculations made by Statistics Sweden are not official and has not been possible to verify. The opposite situation was found in an inventory from Finland, with net phosphorus input of 5 kg ha -1 around the year 2000 (Antikainen et al 2008), while the official statistics gave the figure of 8 kg ha -1 (OECD 2008;Eurostat 2011b).…”

Static yields and quality issues: Is the agri-environment program the primary driver?

“…Compared with the 1960s, during this period, the number of tractors per unit land area more than doubled, and the number of combine 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 RelaƟve yield harvesters increased fivefold (FAO 2013). Also use of industrial fertilizers increased by 45 kg N ha -1 and by 12 kg P ha -1 corresponding with 100 kg N and 30 kg P ha -1 , respectively (Antikainen et al 2008), and the method of fertilizer placement was implemented (Esala and Larpes 1986). On the other hand, 1981-1994 was a period characterized by introduction of modern crop-management practices, chemical control of pests and diseases, introduction of plant growth regulators, etc., all of which intensified production.…”

“…This was an essential step to make major changes in excess fertilizer use reported for the late 1980s and the 1990s (Antikainen et al 2008), which resulted in increasing agricultural loadings, eventually comprising 43 % of the total anthropogenic N and 63 % of the phosphorus (P) load (Valpasvuo-Jaatinen et al 1997). Consequently, upper limits for N and P use were set (Electronic Supplementary Material, Table S1).…”

Causal analysis of phytoplankton development in a small humic lake using structural equation modelling

“…Many restoration methods like fish removal, dredging and altering the hydrological properties can, however, be used to support the basic management. Because the external load in developed countries increasingly originates from diffuse sources, mostly from agriculture that involves large land areas, the task of reducing it is demanding (Carpenter et al 1998, Antikainen et al 2008. The study questions also turn from purely ecological towards economic and social.…”