Duration: 2020-2024

The different forms of sulfur fertilizer will be tested in various crops to develop practical recommendations. The focus among arable crops will be on winter grain legumes, as they are still relatively new and not yet widespread in Austria. They can play a role in strategies to combat droughts caused by climate change. Multi-year trial results will then support cultivation recommendations for agricultural practice. The combination of phosphorus and sulfur fertilizers in forage legumes will be used to investigate the potential positive interaction between these two nutrients.

Protein for humans and animals

The cultivation of legumes plays a crucial role in organic farming for the production of high-quality food and feed, thus guaranteeing a valuable source of protein for both human and animal nutrition. In crop rotation – especially on purely arable farms – they make a significant contribution to soil improvement, humus buildup, nutrient supply, and weed control. A balanced supply of phosphorus and sulfur to the plants ensures efficient nitrogen fixation and utilization, as well as rapid and uniform growth, resulting in optimal quality, nutritional content, and yield.

The results of these trials are intended to provide recommendations for farms. The focus is on optimizing nutrient balances and thus ensuring the long-term stabilization of crop yields in grassland and arable land on organic farms.
Based on the findings, practical guidelines will be developed and made available to farms through publications, lectures, seminars, and workshops.

Nutrient optimization in the organic farming system

The main goals of organic farming are closed nutrient cycles and active soil life. To achieve these goals, farm-produced manure is the most valuable foundation and therefore an indispensable part of the system. Recently, it has become increasingly clear that individual nutrient balancing is also important on organic farms. Sustainability requires that nutrients exported via products must be returned to the respective fields in a soil-conserving form. Milk and meat, for example, leave grassland farms, as do cash crops on arable farms. The nutrients contained and exported in these products represent a significant amount. Since sulfur and phosphorus, along with other minerals and trace elements, are essential for optimal legume growth, these two nutrients should receive increased attention, especially in organic farming. This can also be an important component in promoting legumes and thus optimizing the nitrogen balance and protein supply. After all, legumes are the central crop in organic crop rotation.

The mineral supplementation of individual nutrients in grassland, forage crops and grain legumes is the central research question in this project.