New things have happened in the fields at Foulum and Askov

During this season both Foulumgård and Askov have gathered data from new types of trials while continuing to work with well-known types of trials. At Foulumgård this is the first season with trials on the sandy soil at Havrisvej. At Askov the lysimeter system has begun working, and among other things, there have been trials with biochar. 

The sandy soil trials at Foulumgård included precision irrigation and fertilisation. A trial field with potatoes was arranged with sensors for measuring water and nitrogen. The primary purpose was to demonstrate how far the researchers have got in the project (read the article Field day in the new Foulum potato plot).

The purpose of the project was to help potato farmers save energy and water. Preferably this should result in higher productivity and thus higher earnings for the producers. The sensors have not been developed specifically for growing potatoes. It is the intention that they should be usable in other crops. 

Logistics under control

The challenge for the employees at Foulumgaard was partly to prepare the areas for trials and partly to plan logistics in order not to waste too much time on transport between Foulum and Havrisvej. Havrisvej is approximately 16 km from Foulumgård, which means an extra transportation time of approximately 30 minutes; therefore it is important that employees do not have to do this too often.This means that there is now more focus on the planning of the various tasks, and this can also be used in other contexts. 

There is a well for field irrigation, hydrants, etc. on the new sandy area for AGRO to use. They have worked alright during 2016 despite the fact that they have not been used for several years.

Drone view of the area at Havris where the potatoes are being dug: Photo: Jens Bonderup Kjeldsen

Biochar and lysimeter measurings

At Askov biochar trials were begun in 2015 in one of the lysimeter systems (which measures evapotranspiration from the plants). The lysimeter systems at Askov had not been in use for 15 years, so some clean-up and renovation were needed before the trials could begin. Now the lysimeter system is fully functional and ready for new challenges.

The employees are glad about getting this type of trials started. This contributes both to developing the employees’ technical skills and to adding variety to the tasks. 

In the lysimeter trials increasing amounts of biochar were added to the plough layer in three different soil types. The N₂O loss is measured with a view to calculating emission factors for N₂O to compare with emission factors for added nitrogen. The lysimeter trial also allows determination of the effect of biochar on the loss of dissolved nitrogen (NO₃^-) through analysis of the accumulated drainage water. The trial crop was ryegrass. There was more growth in the lysimeters to which both biochar and nitrogen fertiliser were added.

In the autumn of 2015, a field trial with winter wheat was begun to study the effect of incorporating two different types of biochar into the soil. Here too there was a positive effect from biochar.

With these trials the primary focus at Askov is still on carbon storage and soil fertilisation and their effects on plant growth, leaching and the soil.