Nutrients

Life cycle assessment

Farm-level life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for identifying the potential environmental impacts of farms and their products. The results of an LCA can significantly contribute to aligning a farm with quality leadership in production and marketing, as well as guiding and supporting measures related to climate protection and the sustainable use of resources. The LCA tool FarmLife (www.farmlife.at), developed in collaboration between HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein and Agroscope, provides systematic strategies for achieving these goals and connects research, consulting, and practical application. The methods and applications included in the tool can be used for both organic and conventional farms and, as a comprehensive analytical instrument, contribute to optimizing ecological and economic efficiency in agriculture.

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_greenland/Nutrients/2_2015_Final report_FarmLife.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_greenland/Nutrients/2_2015_Conference proceedings_Farmlife.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_Greenland/Nutrients/2_2013_Concept_EcoHerndl.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_Greenland/Nutrients/2_2013_EcoHerndl.pdf"}

Soil water balance in grassland

Quantifying the effects of water balance variables such as precipitation, evaporation, and seepage on yield and vegetation dynamics in grassland is particularly valuable and important in light of increasingly extreme weather events. Grassland is among the crops with the highest water requirements. Every day, grassland needs approximately 2.5 liters of water per square meter for growth, which equates to roughly 700 liters per kilogram of dry matter. Based on the available long-term data series on soil water balance variables from lysimeters, year-to-year fluctuations and extreme values ​​can be analyzed, and recommendations regarding water requirements, stand management, and grassland use can be developed. Such data are also important beyond the study area as a basis for drought adaptation strategies, not only for agriculture.

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_grasslands/Nutrients/2_2015_Water_and_nutrient_fluids_in_a_grassland_ecosystem.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_Greenland/Nutrients/2_2011_Lysimeter conference_Bohner_Seasonal_course_Carbon_Nitrogen.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_the_greenland/Nutrients/2_2010_Groundwater regeneration dynamics_in_the_Almoecosystem_Stoderzinken.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_Greenland/Nutrients/2_2009_AB_GWschnee_HerndlHerndl"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_Greenland/Nutrients/2_2009_Lysimeter_Stoder_First_Results_HerndlHerndl"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_greenland/Nutrients/2_2015_indirect_nitrogen_losses_of_managed_soils_contributing.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_greenland/Nutrients/2_2013_GIS for calculating the soil water balance.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_Greenland/Nutrients/2_2013_Seasonal_course_Phosphorus_Concentration_Expert forum_Bohner.pdf"}

grassland soil

In grassland soils, the root mass is particularly high. More than three-quarters of plant roots are located in the top 10 cm of soil. Dead roots, root fragments, mycorrhizal hyphae, and root exudates from living plant roots are significant humus-forming components. Therefore, grassland soils are usually very rich in humus. The humus content in the topsoil often exceeds six percent. Groundwater-influenced grassland soils (gley soils, fen soils, peat soils) are especially rich in humus. In fertile grassland soils, the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is lower than 12:1. The optimal pH value in the main root zone of grassland soils should be between 5.0 and 6.2. Within this pH range, mineral nutrients are optimally available to grassland plants in a balanced ratio. A crumbly topsoil structure is advantageous because it optimizes water absorption, storage, and infiltration, as well as aeration and root penetration. The mineralogical composition of the parent rock has a significant influence on the soil-borne nutrient supply capacity of grassland soils. Therefore, soils derived from quartz-rich rock (e.g., sandstone, quartzite) are naturally nutrient-poor. Soils derived from mica and/or feldspar-rich rock (e.g., granite, gneiss, mica schist), on the other hand, have a high natural potassium supply capacity. Soils derived from carbonate rock (e.g., limestone, dolomite, marl) contain high levels of calcium and magnesium.

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_grassland/nutrients/images/root/2_2006_Grassland_science_in_europe_Bohner.pdf"} 

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_grassland/Nutrients/2_2009_Effects_sewage_sludge_grassland_Bohner.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_greenland/Nutrients/2_2012_Influence_agriculture_Industry_Phosphorus_Environmental_ecological_symposium__Bohner.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_grassland/Nutrients/2_2012_grassland_soils_Bohner.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_Greenland/Nutrients/2_2007_LIFS_livestock_production_poetsch.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_grassland/Nutrients/2_2008_nitrogen_grassland_Poetsch.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_Gruenland/Nutrients/2_2013_Nutrientherndl.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_Gruenland/Nutrients/2_2007_Lysimeter conference_Bohner_Nutrient cycle_Material fluxes_Gruenland.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_grasslands/Nutrients/2_2012_grassland_management_mountain_regions_Poetsch.pdf"}

{rsfiles path="Research reports/Environmental resources_in_Gruenland/Nutrients/2_2010_phosphorus problem_gruenland_poetsch.pdf"}

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