Relative nitrogen efficiency, a new indicator to assess crop livestock farming systems

Godinot, Olivier; Leterme, Philippe; Vertès, Françoise; Faverdin, Philippe; Carof, Matthieu

doi:10.1007/s13593-015-0281-6

Cited by 27 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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Section: Potential Application Of the N Dilution Curve In Experimentamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Estimating the amount of N that enters and leaves the agroecosystem is important to reduce environmental impacts and also increase agricultural productivity through N use efficiency (Cassmann et al 2002;Godinot et al 2015). Recent work by Godinot et al (2015) proposed a system N use efficiency, taking into account net inputs and outputs, such as atmospheric N deposition, feed and litter, and biological N fixation. In managed grasslands, specifically ones that are frequently cut, using the appropriate calculation method for potential N uptake by plants could be used as evaluation in a system N use efficiency calculation or for approximation of N loss due to frequent defoliation.…”

Section: Potential Application Of the N Dilution Curve In Experimentamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Improved estimation of nitrogen uptake in grasslands using the nitrogen dilution curve

Reyes

Schellberg

Siebert

et al. 2015

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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The nitrogen (N) dilution curve is a useful tool for farmers to assess the effectiveness of fertilizer application. The N dilution curve describes the decrease in plant N as biomass increases. This concept has not yet been tested for its applicability and robustness under different cutting regimes in grasslands. We conducted a principal components analysis on biomass yield and N concentration data to discern relationships among experimental, climatic, and management factors. Next, two N dilution curve parameters were calibrated for different cutting frequencies. We compared N uptake using four different methods utilizing calibrated N dilution curves, a reference curve, and different cutting regimes representing different physiological ages of the crops at cutting. Our results show that excluding cutting frequency information overestimates values of N uptake. Calibration of the N dilution curve according to cutting frequency improves N uptake estimates relative to observed values. Therefore, N uptake is better estimated using both the N dilution curve and the cutting regime information.

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Section: Potential Application Of the N Dilution Curve In Experimentamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Potential Application Of the N Dilution Curve In Experimentamentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved estimation of nitrogen uptake in grasslands using the nitrogen dilution curve

Reyes

Schellberg

Siebert

et al. 2015

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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“…Three new indicators were developed to address these limitations (Godinot et al, 2015(Godinot et al, , 2014. In brief, SyNE (System N Efficiency) estimates N efficiency of a farming system i.e., the extent to which N inputs of a farming system are converted into N outputs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We posit that publication of the development and application of indicators in international peer-reviewed journals is a good guarantee of their scientific quality. Godinot et al (2015Godinot et al ( , 2014 have done so, discussing their added value. Moreover, several recent publications have highlighted advantages of using comprehensive N efficiency indicators that include N losses occurring outside farm boundaries (Bodirsky et al, 2014;Mu et al, 2016;Sutton et al, 2013;Uwizeye et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A free online tool to calculate three nitrogen-related indicators for farming systems

Carof

Godinot

2018

Agricultural Systems

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Reactive nitrogen (N) is a key agricultural input, essential for crop growth and production, but excess N in the environment causes problems for human and ecological health. One of the most promising solutions for reducing environmental impacts of excess N levels and feeding a growing population is to improve N efficiency of farming systems i.e., increase the ratio of their N output to N input. Assessing promising solutions involves calculating N efficiency, which is not trivial. For this reason, a free online tool was developedthe SyNE calculator, https:// www.nefficiencycalculator.fr/en/to allow farmers, farm advisors, researchers, and policy makers to calculate three N-related indicators of farming systems: SyNE, an N efficiency indicator; SyNB, an N balance indicator; and RNE, a relative N efficiency indicator. After entering information about a farming system, the SyNE calculator produces two main outputs: first, values of the three indicators (SyNE, SyNB, and RNE) and those of related variables (N inputs, N losses during production and transport of inputs, N outputs, and change in soil N); second, a downloadable diagram showing these values. The main advantages of this tool are that it (i) simplifies N indicator calculation, using the same scientific framework for all farming systems, and (ii) includes many reference values that are difficult to obtain (e.g., N losses during production and transport of inputs). Furthermore, this tool allows advanced users to modify the values and equations used to calculate the three N-related indicators. The SyNE calculator is currently available for farms producing dairy cattle, beef cattle, and field crops; in the near future, it will be available for farms producing pigs and broilers. If used, this online tool will contribute to the development of N efficiency evaluation by farmers, farm advisors, and researchers, which may result in improved agricultural N management practices.

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“…Correlation of the Spearman ranks order, marked (in red) correlations are significant -with p < 0.05. Mean surplus N and N-efficiency in nine farming system categories in France (based on: Godinot et al, 2015).…”

Section: Figure 12mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Supplemental Information 2: Data for Type and Area of Arable Land or Grassland in Farms Participating in the WaterPUCK Project

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Background. Leaching of nutrients from agricultural areas is the main cause of water pollution and eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. A variety of remedial actions to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses from agricultural holdings and cultivated fields have been taken in the past. However, knowledge about the risk of nutrient leaching has not yet reached many farmers operating in the water catchment area of the Baltic Sea. Methods. The nutrient balance method known as "at the farm gate" involves calculating separate balances for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). After estimating all the components of the nutrient balance, the total balance for NPK is calculated and the data obtained is expressed as the ratio of total change (surplus) to the area of arable land on a farm. In addition, the nutrient usage efficiency on a farm is also calculated. An opinion poll was conducted in 2017 on 31 farms within the commune of Puck which is approximately 3.6 percent of all farms located in this commune. The area of the farms is variable ranging from 5-130 ha with an average of 45.82 ha including areas of arable and grass land. The former are on average 30.79 ha with a range of 4.45 to 130 ha while the latter has an average area of 12.77 ha and ranges from 0 to 53 ha. Results. The average consumption of mineral fertilizer in the sample population of farms was 114.9 kg N, 9.3 kg P, and 22.9 kg K•ha-1 of agricultural land (AL), respectively. N surplus in the sample farms being ranged from-23.3 to 254.5 kg N•ha-1 AL while nutrient use efficiency ranged from 0.40 to 231.3 percent. In comparison, P surplus in the sample farms was 5.0 kg P•ha-1 AL with the P use efficiency of 0.4-266.5 percent. Discussion. Individual N fertilizer consumption in the tested farms was higher than the average usage across Poland and in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, compared to the lower consumption of potassium fertilizers. Phosphorus fertilizer consumption was higher than in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, but lower compared to the entire country. Generally, on the basis of designated research indicators of farm pressures on water quality concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were obtained. CalcGosPuck (an integrated agriculture calculator) will help to raise farmers' awareness about NPK flow on farm scale and thus to improve nutrient management.

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Relative nitrogen efficiency, a new indicator to assess crop livestock farming systems

Cited by 27 publications

References 29 publications

Improved estimation of nitrogen uptake in grasslands using the nitrogen dilution curve

Improved estimation of nitrogen uptake in grasslands using the nitrogen dilution curve

A free online tool to calculate three nitrogen-related indicators for farming systems

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