Witold Grzebisz

FERTILIZER CONSUMPTION PATTERNS IN CENTRAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES – EFFECT ON ACTUAL YIELD DEVELOPMENT TRENDS IN 1986-2005 YEARS – A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND POLAND

This study outlines the long-term trends of fertilizers consumption in the Czech Republic and Poland and their impact on actual yield development of main crops for the period 1986-2005. In both countries dynamics of N, P, K fertilizers use showed analogical trends. Based on amounts and nutrient ratio of consumed fertilizer, as expressed as P2O5:N and K2O:N ratios, there were distinguished three phases of fertilizers use: i) high ii) collapse and iii) restoration/stagnation. The stagnation phase was attributed for P and K in the Czech Republic. The observed yield depressions since the 1990s reflect changes in farmer’s long-term fertilization and has been termed a temporary yield gap (TYG). However, its long-term existence negatively affects crop production stability. The development of new, country specific strategies in the management of P and K, i.e. adopted to natural soil fertility conditions, is a main goal of present agriculture of both countries, compared in the presented study.

Constraints and Solutions to Maintain Soil Productivity: A Case Study from Central Europe

Yield improvement in old farming areas has been recently recognized as a practice that will further increase crop production. One of the most important old farming areas is Europe (EU 27), which accounts only for 4% of World agricultural area, but at the end of the 20th century produced 14% of total cereals and 20% of meat (Olesen & Bindi, 2002). At present, Europe has a very diversified level of agriculture development. European agriculture is currently divided into eight agricultural regions based on natural and socio-economic factors. Two of them, i.e., the North Eastern region comprising Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland and the South Eastern region, including Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro, are of special interest to this chapter. Due to the “planned economy” experiment, which took place from the end of the 1940s to the end of the 1980s, these two regions are generally classified as Central Europe (CE). This macro-region is considered nowadays as one of the most important future producers of cereals (Rosegrant et al., 2001; Kelch & Osborne, 2001).

Compositional nutrient diagnosis in sugar beet with sodium supplementation

ABSTRACT A plant stress is related both to deficiency of a particular nutrient and to inadequate relationships between nutrients. The objective of the study was to assess the sugar beet nutritional status in response to sodium chloride (NaCl) application. Plant sampling was conducted at two early stages of beet growth (7-leaf – BBCH 17, and well-developed rosette – BBCH 43). The white sugar yield (WSY) was used as an evaluation criterion. The data used in this study originate from a set of 20 field experiments, conducted in years with a significant shortage of precipitation. Each trial was consisted of control (NPK) and a plot with 50 kg Na ha−1 (NPK+Na). The nutrient concentration approach and the Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis, based on centered log ratios (CND-clr), were used to evaluate sugar beet nutritional status. The effect of sodium (Na) was evaluated within two subsets of fields: NR – without, and R – with a significant increase in WSYs. The CND-clr indices for Na increased, but for K, Ca and Mg decreased along with Na application, irrespective of the growth stage and subset of fields. However, Na application improved relation between nutrients in fields responding to sodium application, especially at BBCH 43.

Canopy tree species determine herb layer biomass and species composition on a reclaimed mine spoil heap

According facilitative models of succession, trees are great forest ecosystem engineers. The strength of tree stand influences on habitat were tested in rather homogenous conditions where heterogeneity of site condition was not an important influence. We hypothesized that canopy composition affects total aboveground vascular herb layer biomass (THB) and species composition of herb layer plant biomass (SCHB) more significantly than primary soil fertility or slope exposure. The study was conducted in 227 randomly selected research plots in seven types of forest stands: pure with Alnus glutinosa, Betula pendula, Pinus sylvestris, Quercus petraea and Robinia pseudoacacia, and mixed with dominance of Acer pseudoplatanus or Betula pendula located on hilltop and northern, eastern, western, and southern slopes on a reclaimed, afforested post-mining spoil heap of the Bełchatów Brown Coal Mine (Poland). Generalized linear models (GLZ) showed that tree stand species were the best predictors of THB. Non-parametric variance tests showed significantly higher (nearly four times) THB under canopies of A. glutinosa, R. pseudoacacia, B. pendula and Q. petraea, compared to the lowest THB found under canopies of P. sylvestris and mixed with A. pseudoplatanus. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) showed that SCHB was significantly differentiated along gradients of light-nutrient herb layer species requirements. RDA and non-parametric variance tests showed that SCHB under canopies of A. glutinosa, R. pseudoacacia and mixed with A. pseudoplatanus had large shares of nitrophilous ruderal species (32%, 31% and 11%, respectively), whereas SCHB under B. pendula, Q. petraea, mixed with B. pendula and P. sylvestris were dominated by light-demanding meadow (49%, 51%, 51% and 36%, respectively) and Poaceae species. The results indicated the dominant role of tree stand composition in habitat-forming processes, and although primary site properties had minor importance, they were also modified by tree stand species.

Bio-fertilizers and Soil Health—An Approach Based on Balance of Elements in the Vegetable Cropping Sequence

It has been assumed that bio-fertilizers based on biomass ash and biogas leads to a depletion of soil macronutrients. This hypothesis was experimentally validated. Vegetables were grown in a cropping sequence of radish-green bean-radish grown on light soil and treated with two bio-fertilizers. They were both based on bio-ash and digestate (BAD) composed in contrasting ratio of 2.2:1 (FE1) and 1:2.2 (FE2) and phosphoric rock (15%). The BAD rates were as follows: 0, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320 g m−2. The total yield of crops was limited by an uptake of K, Mg, and Cu. The decisive role of these three elements can be explained based on the course of their balance with respect to the type and rate of BAD. The absolute value of a particular element balance increased progressively with BAD rates. As a rule, low BAD rates led to depletion, while high rates resulted in the enrichment of soil resources for most elements, including heavy metals. The only exception was Fe and Mn, which soil resources increased along all of the applied BAD rates. The K balance pattern indicates that its supply within BAD, irrespective of the rate, was too low to prevent the exhaustion of its soil reserves. The strong depletion of soil resources at low BAD rate, but element specific, were recorded not only for Ca and Mg, but also for Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd. It can be concluded that soil amendments based on bio-ash and digestate applied in low rates should be enriched with the nutrients, which are crucial for an intensive and healthy production of vegetables.

Humus stock degradation and its impact on phosphorus forms in arable soils – a case of the Ukrainian Forest-Steppe Zone

Abstract Soil humus degradation strengthens nutrient mining, especially phosphorus. This study was carried out on the Ukrainian Forest-Steppe Zone (UFSZ). A total of 21 soil profiles have been investigated: 11 Phaeozems, 6 Luvisols, and 4 Chernozems. Soils were tested for particle size distribution, calcium carbonate (CC), pH, and organic carbon (Corg). The evaluation of humus degradation as a reason of P depletion was performed based on indicators such as Humus Stock Gap (HSG), Humus Stability Index (S), and Yield Gap/Gain (YG/G). In order to evaluate the degree of P depletion, total phosphorus (Ptot) and its five fractions: water soluble – PH2O, exchangeable – PEX, bound to Fe and Al – PFe/Al, bound to Ca – PCa, and residual P – Pres, have been determined. Data revealed that in 14 of 21 investigated soils, S indices were below the threshold its value of nine, considered as the balanced content of humus with respect to soil texture. Next, in 11 of 21 cases, the negative humus balance indicates the yield gap in Phaeozems and Chernozems. The first three P pools (PH2O, PEX and PAl/Fe) in Phaeozems were exhausted, constituting less than 10% of the Ptot. In Phaeozems, PAl/Fe, in Luvisols, PEX, and in Chernozems, PH2O fractions were basic indicators of available P status. Their pools were directly or indirectly controlled by PCa. Humus content in Phaeozems and Chernozems revealed as the key factor impacting both total P and/or its available resources. Amelioration of P depletion requires efforts oriented on restoration of soil humus stock, concomitant with P fertilization.

Biogas digestate – benefits and risks for soil fertility and crop quality – an evaluation of grain maize response

Abstract The agricultural usability of biogas digestate solids (BDS) as a soil amendment depends upon its impact on soil fertility and the content of minerals in the edible part of the grown crop. This hypothesis was verified in a series of field experiments with maize conducted between 2014 and 2016 at Brody, Poland. The two-factorial experiment consisted of the DBS application method (broadcast and row) and its rate: 0, 0.8, 1.6, 3.2 t ha–1. The post-harvest analysis of soil fertility showed that BDS can, at least partly, replace mineral fertilizers. The supply of N-NO3 to maize as a growth driving factor was significantly limited by a shortage of iron, potassium and, to some extent, magnesium. As recorded in 2016, the shortage of available Fe resulted in a low/pool of N-NO3, thus significantly decreasing the yield of grain. The shortage of K supply to grain created a pathway for the accumulation of other elements, including heavy metals. The disadvantage of the N-NO3 pool increase, due to the DBS application, was concomitant with the enhanced intake of cadmium and lead, which consequently exceeded their permissible concentration limits in grain. These unfavorable results of biogas digestate impact on the quality of maize grain can be ameliorated by incorporating zinc into the biogas type of soil amendment and keeping a sufficiently high level of available potassium and iron. The shortage of K can be partly overcome by a better sodium supply, however, its accumulation in grain results in an enhanced accumulation of cadmium and lead.

Phosphorus sources for winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) during reproductive growth – magnesium sulfate management impact on P use efficiency

ABSTRACT It has been assumed that phosphorus (P) resources accumulated in vegetative tissues of winter oilseed rape (WOSR) at flowering are too low to cover the requirements for the high-yielding crop during the seed filling period (SFP). The data used originated from field experiments with nutrients sequentially added to WOSR, using crops grown on soil rich in available P (2008–2010). The low-seed density canopies during SFP resulted only from the P remobilized from the pre-flowering crop resources. The high-seed density canopies depended on both P remobilized and its uptake from soil (PFPU). The maximum PFPU of 30.7 kg P ha−1, and the concomitant seed density of 86.8 ∙ 103 m−2, resulted in a maximum seed yield of 5.8 t ha−1. Internal P resources were reused during SFP irrespective of the initial P content and without impact on phosphorus use efficiency (PUE). The study showed that PUE improvement in WOSR is related to the seed density of primary branches. Its development depended on the supply of potassium, magnesium and sulfate. A PUE of 105.4 kg seed kg−1 P was used to predict the seed yield gap (PYG). This index can be used as a measure of P management efficiency in WOSR canopy.

Mineral composition of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) seeds as a tool for oil yield prognosis

The key objective of winter oilseed rape cultivation, resulting from its broad spectrum of uses, is to harvest maximum yield of oil. It has been formulated a hypothesis, which assumed that mineral composition of seeds allows a reliable prediction of both crude oil concentration (COC), and yield of oil (YOI). This concept has been validated in three 2007/08, 2008/09, 2009/10 seasons. The field experimental design was composed of six fertilizing treatments: absolute control (AC), NP, NPK, NPKMgS1 (1/3 total MgS rate applied in spring), NPKMgS2, (total MgS rate applied in autumn), NPKMgS3 (2/3 - autumn, 1/3 - spring). The COC depended on both factors, but any interactional effect was found. The YOI was a result of interaction of both factors, reaching the highest value of 2.6 t*ha-1 in 2008 in the plot fertilized with NPKMgS2. The COC was a result of positive impact of calcium and negative by both nitrogen, and magnesium. The YOI was the best predicted by calcium concentration. It has been found that any calcium concentration increase above 3.0 g*kg-1 DM resulted in decrease of the crude oil yield. The prediction of both oil characteristics was more reliable based on nutrient accumulation in seeds. As again magnesium was the key predictor of COC, exerting a negative impact on this characteristic. The optimum set of YOI predictors was depended on the group of treatments. In all considered treatments, the YOI was affected by the interactional effect of phosphorus (negative), and potassium (positive). In the set of treatments, composed of NPK and its variants with MgS rates, the YOI was depended on the amount nitrogen and zinc in seeds. The first nutrient affected positively and the second negatively the yield of crude oil.

Sustainable Management of Soil Potassium – A Crop Rotation Oriented Concept

Modern agriculture is under pressure of two contradictory challenges reflected by the increas‐ ing world’s population on one hand, and the magnitude of food production, on the other hand. In the period ranging from 1960 to 2010, the population doubled from 3 to more than 6 billions, while the production of cereals tripled, a success which expressed by a significant yield in‐ crease per ha (from 1.09 t ha-1 in 1960 to 3.0 t ha-1 in 2010) [1]. The major reason of such yield in‐ crease was a marked progress in plant breeding, resulting in generations of new, high-yielding varieties [2]. This process run in parallel with the increase in fertilizers, pesticides production and consumption, hence enabling to cover nutritional needs and supporting the health of highyielding crops. The intensive production gain, based on enormous consumption of non-renew‐ able resources, especially fuel and simultaneously nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus was, however, concomitant with their low use efficiency. This type of agriculture intensifica‐ tion created, in many regions of the world a threat to environment, at both local and globalscale. There are numerous examples stressing the negative impact of intensive agriculture on environment. Agricultural practices are responsible for the majority of ammonia and to a great part for nitrogen oxides emission to the atmosphere. Pollution of ground-water by nitrates and phosphates originating from both arable soils and surface waters was recognized the earliest. All these negative effects were the reason for the increased activity of local societies in the 70 and 80-ies of the XX century, resulting in the development of legal instruments protecting the environment, for instance the Nitrate Directive [3, 4, 5].