Baltic Forum for Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Manure Management
KNOWLEDGE REPORT
Phosphorus status of agricultural soils in Germany
By Stefanie Busch, Christine Brandt and Bettina Eichler-Löbermann
WP4 Standardisation of Manure Types with Focus on Phosphorus
October 2013
Baltic Manure WP4 Standardisation of manure types with focus on Phosphorus
Phosphorus status of agricultural soils in Germany By Stefanie Busch, Christine Brandt and Bettina Eichler-Löbermann, University of Rostock, Chair of Agronomy
The project is partly financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund
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Table of Contents 1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 3 2 Phosphorus status of agricultural soils in Germany ............................................................................. 4 2.1 Phosphorus status of agricultural soils in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania .............................. 4 2.2 Phosphorus status of agricultural soils in Schleswig-Holstein ...................................................... 9 2.3 P-leaching in Germany ................................................................................................................ 11 2.4 Processes effecting the phosphorus content of soils .................................................................. 14 3 Importance of manure for P maintenance and P leaching ................................................................ 17 3.1 Livestock ...................................................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Use of Manure ............................................................................................................................. 19 3.2.1 Application of Manure.......................................................................................................... 19 3.2.2 Storage of manure ................................................................................................................ 19 3.2.3 Manure used for installations of renewable energies ......................................................... 20 4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 21 5 References .......................................................................................................................................... 22
The project is partly financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund
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1 Introduction An efficient use of phosphorus (P) is important for a sustainable agriculture, since P is a nonrenewable limited resource and essential for plant production. The P management of agro-ecosystems in Germany affects the P losses from field into open waters, causing algae blooms and oxygen depletion in the Baltic Sea. In particular, row crop species as maize and sugar beet facilitate P loss by wind and water erosion (BEHRENDT et al. 2003). On the other hand there is a decrease of P status of many soils since 1990 due to reduced application of mineral P fertilizer and higher P-output from soil because of increased yields (ZORN et al. 2012). Closing the P cycle on farms is an important object for the German agriculture. The present report gives a general overview on the P status of agricultural soils in Germany and highlights the use of manure as a P source.
The project is partly financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund
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2 Phosphorus status of agricultural soils in Germany On average, the phosphorus input and output from German soils is nearly balanced (figure 1). This was possible due to reduced phosphorus input with mineral fertilizers since the last two decades (ZORN et al. 2012).
P Input mineral P organic P P Output arable crops forage crops
Years Figure 1: P balance in Germany (ROGASIK et al. 2004).
2.1 Phosphorus status of agricultural soils in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania In Germany the federal state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (M-V) is located at the Baltic Sea, therefore the use of P fertilizer and the soil P status in M-V is of particular interest for this report. In this chapter results concerning the use of P fertilizer and the P balance in M-V from the Ministry for Agriculture, Environment and Consumer Protection M-V (MINISTERIUM FÜR LANDWIRTSCHAFT, UMWELT UND VERBRAUCHERSCHUTZ M-V 2009) are presented.
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Based on field data a summary of P supply was given including the most important crops (rape, winter wheat, winter barley, winter rye, winter triticale, sugar beet, summer barley, potato and maize). These crops covered 934,000 ha (86 %) of the arable land in M-V in 2007 and 950,000 ha (88 %) in 2008. For most of the reviewed crops also information about the P fertilization depending on the soil quality (ground points) were collected. During the last years the price for fertilizers, especially for P fertilizer has reached a high level, so that many farmers did not invest in this elementary nutrient. The P supply in M-V (2001-2008) varied from 30 kg ha-1 P2O5 in grains to 130 kg ha-1 P2O5 in maize. Leaf crops and oilseed rape, which have a higher demand for P than maize got less P than maize with a mean P input (2001-2008) of 65 kg ha-1 P2O5 (rape), 70 kg ha-1 P2O5 (potato) and 82 kg ha-1 P2O5 (sugar beet) (figure 2). The reason for the high P supply to maize is the high P supply with organic fertilizers (approx. 90 kg ha-1 P2O5) and the standard “under foot fertilization” (approx. 50 kg ha-1 P2O5) where fertilizers are placed in the soil close to the seed. Maize with a P demand of about 60 up to 70 kg ha-1, got twice the amount of its P demand. On farms with high amount of maize cultivation the combination with high amount of nutrients from manure or digestates from biogas plants can lead to excessive increases of the soil P contents in the long term. The mineral P supply did not differ very much from year to year. For different crops however, which receive organic fertilizers fluctuations of the P supply between the years were noticed. Highest differences are noticed in maize, because it receives liquid manure particularly in years when application to other crops is difficult because of weather conditions. The development of P application from 2001 to 2008 in M-V is presented in figure 3. From 2001 to 2006 P supply decreased from 56 to 39 kg ha -1 P2O5. Afterwards it increased up to 49 in 2007 and to 60 kg ha-1 P2O5 in 2008 respectively. Site conditions were not considered for the determination of the nutrient needs in any case (figure 3).
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kg/ha P2O5
mean
rape
w-wheat w-barley w-rye
w-triticale sugarbeet s-barley potato maize mean
Figure 2: Phosphorus application in selected crops from 2001 to 2008 (MINISTERIUM FÜR LANDWIRTSCHAFT, UMWELT UND VERBRAUCHERSCHUTZ M-V 2009).
kg/ha P2O5
GP
GP
GP
mean
Figure 3: Phoshorus application to arable land in accordance to soil quality from 2001 to 2008 (GP ground points) (MINISTERIUM FÜR LANDWIRTSCHAFT, UMWELT UND VERBRAUCHERSCHUTZ MV 2009).
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For maintaining optimal soil P levels a balance between P input and output is important. This principle was not complied in rape and grains (fig. 4). In these crops removal was higher than replacement by fertilizer. However, for cultivation of sugar beet, potato and maize P surpluses occurred. On average of all recorded crops a negative P balance exists (figure 4). This is because of the big area of grains and rape cultivation in M-V. That means that soil P reserves were used over time. This can be seen positively in terms of water pollution, but it has a negative effect on a sustainable conservation of soil fertility in the medium and long term.
kg/ha P2O5, without removal of straw and leaves
rape
w-wheat w-barley w-rye
w-triticale sugarbeet s-barley potato maize mean
Figure 4: Phosphorus balances of selected crops from 2001 to 2008 (MINISTERIUM FÜR LANDWIRTSCHAFT, UMWELT UND VERBRAUCHERSCHUTZ M-V 2009).
The negative P balances mainly occur in medium and better soils (> 35 GP, figure 5) due to the higher yields and related higher P withdrawals, in particular in rape and grains. In consequence, the soil P content declines more rapidly than in soils with lower quality. If straw is removed additionally, the deficit increased markedly.
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kg/ha P2O5, without removal of straw and leaves
GP
GP
GP
mean
Figure 5: Phosphorus balances of arable land in accordance to soil quality from 2001 to 2008 (GP ground points) (MINISTERIUM FÜR LANDWIRTSCHAFT, UMWELT UND VERBRAUCHERSCHUTZ M-V 2009). The degradation of the soil P status in M-V over time is presented in figure 6. From 1993 to 1995 large parts of the area were optimally supplied with P (level C). In some areas soil was even oversupplied (level D and E). In the following years (2002 – 2004) large areas showed still soil P optimum, while only few areas were oversupplied, but increasingly areas showed a negative P trend (level A and B). (For more detailed information about classification of soils according to P-content please see SCHICK et al. 2013: Report on P status in agricultural soils of relevant areas of the Baltic Sea Region.) Phosphorus 1993-1995 A B C D E
Figure 6: Changes of the nutrient balance in soils in M-V during one decade (Kuchenbuch 2006).
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2.2 Phosphorus status of agricultural soils in Schleswig-Holstein Aside from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein (S-H) is the second German federal state bordering the Baltic Sea coast. In this chapter we present information about P status of arable land and grassland (divided into light soils and medium to heavy soils respectively) in S-H from the Chamber of Agriculture S-H and LUFA-ITL GmbH, Agrolab Laboratory Group (LAUSEN & GOSCH 2012). Results from investigation of 812.000 soil samples (1999 to 2012; LUFA ITL GmbH, and Agrolab Group) were used for this survey. The share of soil samples was 77 % from arable land and 33 % of grassland. Samples from grassland were mainly from light soils. In contrast medium to heavy soils were predominant on arable land. Tillage is mainly practiced on heavier soils. Soils with a lower proportion than 12 % of clay were ranked among light soils (sand and medium clay-sand). The group of heavy soils includes medium and heavy soils, because the share of heavy soils (clay-loam and more clayey) was relatively low. The classification of the soils was taken on basis of the finger method during laboratory study.
The P supply levels of arable and grassland with regard to the soil quality are represented in figures 7 and 8. Among arable land with light soils level C (optimum supply) is dominating (59 %) and increased slightly during the observation period. The amount of level A and B (undersupplied) was reduced by 4 %. Among the heavy soils the share of level C dropped from 50 to 41 % in behalf of level A and B. This means that half of the medium to heavy arable soils is undersupplied with P. Considering only medium soils, this amount is even higher. On grassland areas level A has a similar share as on arable land. Medium to heavy soils showed a strong increase of level A from 5 to 11 %, consequently more than 10 % of the evaluated grassland area show a poor P status (level A). In both soil groups (light and heavy) the share of level B and C is about 40 %, whereby the share of level C slightly declined. Summarizing both ways of land use and all soil types showed that the share of oversupplied (level D and E) soils is hardly exceeding 10 % and is lowest in light grassland soils (4 %). The project is partly financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund
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Light soils
Medium to heavy soils
100%
100%
90%
90%
E
80%
E
80%
70%
D
60%
70%
D
60%
50%
C
40%
50%
C
40% B
30%
20%
B
30%
20% A
2011
2009
2007
2005
2003
2001
A
1999
2011
2009
2007
2005
0%
2003
0%
2001
10%
1999
10%
Figure 7: Share of phosphorus levels in light and medium to heavy arable soils in S-H from 1999 to 2012 (LAUSEN & GOSCH 2012). Medium to heavy soils
Light soils 100%
100%
90%
90% E
80%
E
80% 70%
70%
D
D
60%
60% 50%
C
50%
C
40%
40% B
30%
B
30%
20%
20% A
10%
A
10%
2011
2009
2007
2005
2003
2001
2011
2009
2007
2005
2003
2001
1999
1999
0%
0%
Figure 8: Share of phosphorus levels in light and medium grassland soils in S-H from 1999 to 2012 (LAUSEN & GOSCH 2012).
The project is partly financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund
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2.3 P-leaching in Germany In figure 11 the P losses into open waters in Germany are shown. Diffuse sources originate from agriculture (divided into erosion, ground water, runoff and drainages), from urban areas and atmospheric depositions. Point sources are including municipal and industrial waste-waters. Nutrient emissions from waste-waters were significantly reduced in the last few years due to expansion of the sewage
treatment
plants
and
to
improved
cleaning
technologies
(Bayerische
Staatsministerien für –Landwirtschaft und Forsten; -Landesentwicklung und Umweltfragen 2002). In agriculture, there is still need for action concerning the reduction of emissions into waters – by further development of the Good Practice and hence reduction of nutrient emissions.
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1983-1987: 91779 t/a (19408 t/a)*
surface runoff 2%
Diffuse sources: urban areas 9%
erosion (lateral transport) 8%
tile drainage (vertical transport) 4%
Point sources 70%
ground water 7% Agricultural sources 21%
1998-2000 33159 t/a (20525 t/a)* Diffuse sources: urban areas 10%
Point sources 27%
tile drainage (vertical transport) 10%
Agricultural sources 63%
surface runoff 9%
ground water 17% erosion (lateral transport) 27%
*numbers in brackets show the amounts of P-input of the four agricultural sources. Figure 11: P-input into the river systems of Germany and its pathways (acc. to BEHRENDT et al. 2003; modified by WERNER et al. 2006).
In 2005, the P emissions into open waters in Germany amounted to approx. 23,000 tons per year (figure 12). In comparison to the year 1985 (58,000 tons per year), the P losses were The project is partly financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund
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reduced by approx. 61 %. That means that the aim to reduce P losses into the seas by 50 % was achieved in all river basins. This is the result of the reduction of the input from point sources (86 %). Despite of the tremendous reduction, point sources were still contributing 35 % to the total P emissions in 2005. In contrast, the losses from diffuse sources were only reduced by 29 %. The largest proportion (71 %) of this decrease was due to the reduction of losses from urban areas (overflow collecting of waste waters, sewage separation, local residents who were not connected to a municipal sewage plant or sewerage system). Concerning the diffuse sources for P, the losses by erosion (22 %) and losses via groundwater (20 %) are the dominant pathways (UMWELTBUNDESAMT 2009).
Figure 12: P emissions from point sources and diffuse sources into the waters in Germany (UMWELTBUNDESAMT 2009).
P losses to surface waters in the Baltic Sea catchment area were reduced from 3,645 t a-1 (1985) to 865 t a-1 (2005), which means a decline by 76 %. This is due to the reduction of emission from point sources (93 %) (figure 13), so that point sources are not the dominant emission path any more. In 2005 dominant sources were diffuse sources (79 % of total P losses), whereby agriculture had a share of 63 %. P emissions to the Baltic Sea from diffuse sources declined by 33 % during the investigation period. This is the result of the reduction The project is partly financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund
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of P losses from runoff from paved areas (reduced by 58 %) and from groundwater (reduced by 46 %). Higher losses by erosion, groundwater and drainage occured from 1995 to 2000, but declined from 2000-2005. So emission could be reduced below the level of 1985. At the same time emission from runoff mainly from agricultural areas increased from 1985 to 2005 by 31 %. The majority of the emission originates from ground water (29 %) and erosion (19 %) (UMWELTBUNDESAMT 2009).
Total phosphorus emissions in kilotons per year 2003-2005 1998-2002 1993-1997 1988-1992 1983-1987
atmospheric deposition
erosion
ground water
drainage
urban areas
point sources
runoff
Figure 13: P emissions from point and diffuse sources in the German Baltic Sea catchment area (FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCY 2009).
2.4 Processes effecting the phosphorus content of soils Due to the processes of mobilization and sorption of P in the soil there is a variability of the plant available P contents in the soil during the year. Normally the available P content is higher in spring with beginning of the vegetation period than in autumn after the harvest. This is confirmed by results from a long-term field experiment investigating different fertilization treatments (figure 9) (EICHLER-LÖBERMANN & BUSCH 2012).
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72 67 62 57
without
52
TSP autmn
47
manure
42
compost
37
compost x TSP
32 27 22 Sep99 Mar00 Sep00
Sep03 Mar03 Sep04
Sep07 Mar08 Sep08
Figure 14: Impact of the date of soil sampling on the content of plant available P in soil (Pdl) (kg ha-1) in a field experiment in Rostock (TSP = triplesuperphopshat) (EICHLER-LÖBERMANN & BUSCH 2012).
The P uptake efficiency of crops varies widely. Well adapted plant species develop strategies to enhance the acquisition of P from soil. For example, they explore a greater volume of soil trough modified root morphology like higher root hair density and root length and they increase the root: shoot ratio. Furthermore, the availability of P compounds can be improved by crops through rhizosphere modification like shifting pH and excretion of protons, organic acids and enzymes. In a perennial field experiment at the University of Rostock the P uptake was investigated in dependence of the cultivated catch crop, the mineral P supply and P supply with organic fertilizers.
The results showed that the P uptake of the main crops was very high after the cultivation of seradella or phacelia as catch crops (figure 10). This indicates an intensive mobilization of P reserves in the soil by these catch crops.
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Figure 15: Impact of green manure on the P uptake, as affected by catch crops in comparison to mineral fertilization (field experiment Rostock, average 1999-2001) (EICHLER-LÖBERMANN & BUSCH 2012).
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3 Importance of manure for P maintenance and P leaching The application of manure from livestock farms is an important source to increase the P status of soils. 3.1 Livestock The intensity of livestock in the federal states of Germany is determined by keeping animal species. Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia have particularly high numbers of pigs per hectare land area. In 2010 more than half of the pigs in Germany were kept in these two federal states. Poultry production is particularly concentrated in Lower Saxony (45 %). In Bavaria 25 % of Germany`s cattle are kept, resulting in high livestock units per hectare. Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein have also high cattle numbers per area. About 40 % of all cattle are kept in these three federal states. The states of the former East Germany are characterized by a low intensity of animal husbandry (figure 14). These five states nearly cover one third of the agricultural area, but there only 15 % of the pigs and 18 % of the cattle are kept. Only the density of poultry is as high as in former Western Germany areas (STATISTISCHES BUNDESAMT 2011).
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Schleswig Holstein MecklenburgWestern Pomerania Hamburg Bremen Lower Saxony
Brandenburg
SaxonyAnhalt
Berlin
North RhineWestphalia Saxony
Thuringia Hesse RhinelandPalatinate
Saarland Bavaria
Baden Württemberg
Livestock Unis per Hectare of agricultural area less than 0,5 0,8 to less than 0,9
0,5 to less than 0,5 0,9 to less than 1,0
0,6 to less than 0,8 1,0 and more
Figure 16: Regional distribution of livestock in Germany in 2010 (Statistisches Bundesamt 2011).
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3.2 Use of Manure In this chapter the results from a survey of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Statistisches Bundesamt 2011) are presented.
3.2.1 Application of Manure Manure from livestock farms is mainly applied on the same farm. Nearly 126,800 livestock farms in Germany apply manure on their fields (6 million hectares). In addition, manure is also used as fertilizer on farms without animals. Up to 7,500 farms buy manure and apply it to an area of 326,000 hectares. Farms with large animal populations, but without sufficient land area, are not able to use the whole amount of their own manure and sell it to other farmers. The ammonia emissions arising during the application of liquid manure make a quick incorporation into the soil necessary. On 43 % of the agricultural area liquid manure is incorporated immediately during the first 4 hours after application. On farms with larger herds (200 livestock units and more) immediate incorporation is carried out more often (54 %) than on farms with livestock units less than 50 animals (36 %). Labor efficiency and technical equipment are regarded as reasons for this.
Solid manure is applied on 154,500 animal farms and on 5,500 farms without livestock. The area supplied with solid manure covers nearly 3.0 million hectares. Incorporation of the manure during the first 4 hours after application is realized on 716,500 hectares (24 %). Large livestock farms realize incorporation of solid manure more often than smaller farms (like for liquid manure).
3.2.2 Storage of manure In Germany, 122,700 farms have storage facilities for liquid manure with an overall storage for 130 million cubic meters. About 94 % of liquid manure is stored in special tanks. The other 6 % are deposited in soil-storages until application. Covering the storages helps to reduce the nutrient emission.
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Storage facilities for solid manure are available in 144,200 farms. These storages cover an area of 21.0 million square meters. Solid manure is normally stored outdoors. Only 9 % of the farms are able to store the solid manure under a cover. On 60,700 farms there are additionally facilities to store 18.2 million cubic meters of slurry.
3.2.3 Manure used for installations of renewable energies 63,900 farms have operating installations for the use of renewable energies. This does not include installations which are outsourced to an independent company (e.g. for tax reasons). The operation of biogas plants is closely connected to agricultural production. A survey of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany included about 4,000 biogas plants. 75 % of the surveyed plants used other raw materials beside maize. In 70 % of the biogas plants the amount of the liquid manure was more than 30 % of the digesting substrate.
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4 Conclusion
The phosphorus input and output in Germany is almost balanced. P losses into open waters in Germany and also in the German catchment area of the Baltic Sea were reduced from 1985 to 2005 remarkably. Nowadays diffuse sources for P emission are dominating, particularly originating from erosion and groundwater. However, there is still need to reduce P losses from agricultural land into waters. Measures for accurate –fertilizer application and further development of the Good Agricultural Practice are most effective to reduce nutrient emissions. Possible actions are for instance covering of the manure storages and short dwell time for storages at field edges, incorporation of liquid and solid manure into the soil during the first 4 hours after application or the optimization of the use of soil P stores by crop rotation or catch crops. The two German federal states Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (M-V) and Schleswig-Holstein (SH) which border on the Baltic Sea are characterized by declining P contents in the soils. In SH and M-V less than 10 % of the arable land is oversupplied, which has positive effects on P inputs into the Baltic Sea in the future To prevent yield effects of negative P balances special attention should be given to the better soils. We conclude that closing the P cycle on farms is still an important object for the German agriculture.
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5 References Bayerische Staatsministerien für –Landwirtschaft und Forsten, - Landesentwicklung und Umweltfragen (ed.) (2002): Merkblatt Phosphordüngung und Umweltschutz. Erarbeitet von der Bayerischen Landesanstalt für Bodenkultur und Pflanzenbau Freising Behrendt, H.; Bach, M.; Kunkel, R.; Opitz, D.; Pagenkopf, W.G.; Scholz, G.; Wendland, F. (2003): Internationale Harmonisierung von Nährstoffeinträgen aus diffusen und punktuellen Quellen in die Oberflächengewässer Deutschlands. UBA-Texte 82/03, Umweltbundesamt, Berlin Eichler-Löbermann, B.; Busch, S. (2012): Umweltgerechte Landbewirtschaftung. Universität Rostock, Zentrum für Qualitätssicherung in Studium und Weiterbildung (Hrsg.), Rostock Kuchenbuch, R.O. (2006): Veränderungen im Nährstoff-Versorgungszustand der Böden in M-V über eine Dekade. 9. Düngungstag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern LUFA Rostock der LMS, 23. Februar 2006, Rostock Lausen, P; Gosch, K. (2012): Bodengehalte in Schleswig-Holstein untersucht. Die Bodenfruchtbarkeit ist vielfach rückläufig. Bauernblatt 30: 24-28 Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz MecklenburgVorpommern (ed.) (2009): Düngungsniveau und Nährstoffbilanzen auf dem Ackerland von MV – Phosphor und Kalium. URL: http://www.lmsberatung.de/upload/59/1260968508_16311_18966.pdf (20.08.2013) Rogasik,J.; Funder, U.; Schnug, E. (2004): Kommen wir im Jahr 2025 zu geschlossenen Nährstoffkreisläufen? Landbauforschung Völkenrode Sonderheft 274: 37-55 Schick et al. 2013: Report on P status in agricultural soils of relevant areas of the Baltic Sea Region. Baltic Manure Knowledge Report. Statistisches Bundesamt (ed.) (2011): Wer produziert unsere Nahrungsmittel? Begleitmaterial zur Pressekonferenz am 27. Januar 2011 in Berlin Aktuelle Ergebnisse der Landwirtschaftszählung 2010 Umweltbundesamt (ed.) (2009): Daten zur Umwelt. Einträge von NährSchadstoffen.URL:http://www.umweltbundesamt-daten-zur-umwelt.de umweltdaten/public/theme.do?nodeIdent=2395 (10.06.2013)
und
Werner, W.; Trimborn, M.; Pihl, U. (2006): Prediction of the P-leaching potential of arable soils in areas with high livestock densities. J Zhejiang Univ SCIENCE B 7, 515-520 The project is partly financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund
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Zorn, W.; Schröter, H.; Wagner, S.; Heubach, M. (2012): Phosphordynamik im Boden nach langjähriger pflugloser Bodenbearbeitung – Konsequenzen für die P-Düngung im Trockengebiet. In: Internationale wissenschaftliche Konferenz; Hochschule Anhalt (Hrsg.): Nährstoff- und Wasserversorgung der Pflanzenbestände unter den Bedingungen der Klimaerwärmung. 18./19. 10. 2012, Bernburg-Strenzfeld, 10-11
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This report in brief
About the project
The present report gives a general overview on the phosphorus (P) status of agricultural soils in Germany and highlights the use of manure as a P source.
The Baltic Sea Region is an area of intensive agricultural production. Animal manure is often considered to be a waste product and an environmental problem.
An efficient use of phosphorus (P) is important for a sustainable agriculture, since P is a non-renewable limited resource and essential for plant production. Furthermore, lower P inputs help to reduce P losses from field into waters bodies, were P causes algae blooms and oxygen depletion.
The long-term strategic objective of the project Baltic Manure is to change the general perception of manure from a waste product to a resource. This is done through research and by identifying inherent business opportunities with the proper manure handling technologies and policy framework.
The two German federal states Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (M-V) and Schleswig-Holstein (S-H) which border on the Baltic Sea are characterized by declining P contents in the soils. In S-H and M-V more than 90 % of the arable land has optimal or suboptimal P concentrations in soil. This will lead to low P inputs into the Baltic Sea in the future. However, in order to prevent negative yield effects an adequate P supply of soils is recommended. Closing the P cycle on farms is still an important objective for the German agriculture.
To achieve this objective, three interconnected manure forums has been established with the focus areas of Knowledge, Policy and Business. Read more at www.balticmanure.eu.
This report on the P status in Germany was prepared as part of work package 4 on manure standards in the project Baltic Manure.
www.balticmanure.eu
Part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund)
