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Microclover in nursery management to reduce or avoid herbicides and nitrogen fertilization
Project
Project code: EIP-Agri-2022-Ni-PPGD
Contract period: 01.01.2022
- 31.12.2024
Budget: 499,335 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: plant production and horticulture, fertilisation
The Ammerland's nursery production takes place on container areas. The peat substitutes are highly nitrogen consuming due to bacterial conversion. In order to achieve good plant growth, more nitrogen must be added. At the same time, more herbicides must be used to combat wild weeds. Most herbicides that are used are harmful to the environment, are becoming less available and are encountering growing public acceptance problems. The mechanical alternative is to sprinkle with bark mulch or similar substances, which in turn leads to increased nitrogen depletion through bacterial conversion and is also not one hundred percent effective against wild weeds. An ecological alternative would be to sow microclover, which not only can fix nitrogen from the air in the soil, but also, once it has grown densely, leads to an improvement in the microclimate, improves water flow and suppresses the most important wild weeds. The project will investigate how to apply microclover, what influences it has on the nitrogen regime, water flow and air inputs in the substrate. The aim is to minimize the use of nitrogen and completely avoid the use of herbicides.
Section overview
Subjects
- Crop Protection
- Arboriculture
- Vegetable Gardening
