| title: | The relationships between nutrient cycling and grassland phytoproductivity depending on stand composition, defoliation frequency and fertilizer application |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF5751 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| subject: |
4.2. Crop Sciences (inc. Horticulture) |
| status: | accepted |
| institution: | EAU Faculty of Agronomy |
| head of project: | Rein Viiralt |
| duration: | 01.01.2004 - 31.12.2007 |
| description: | The main goals of the project are the following: 1. To find out the differencies in nutrient cycles between the grasslands without economic use of the grass yield (i.e. cut grass remains at its growing place), and the swards with yield removing (for forage, compost, etc.) in case of different nutrition regimes of the sward. The different rates of mineral fertilizers and the amounts of returned grass clippings (as mulch) will be used. 2. To investigate the process of decomposing of organic matter remained in the soil and its surface in grassland, and to find out the main factors influencing this process. 3. To study the dynamics of nutrients depending on the amount of phytomass being returned as mulch 4. To research the botanical composition of sward, the sward density and the dynamics of plant roots depending on the amount of nutrients in cycle, and on their returning method into soil. 5. To determine the loss of nutrients in case of different nutrition regimes of pure-grass and legume-rich sward (different amounts of mineral fertilizers, the amounts of cut plant remains, or the amount of returnable clippings). The results of the present project will enable to create the following: 1) The optimized fertilizing schemes for grasslands and turfgrasses depending on species composition of the sward and its defoliation frequency; 2) To minimize the emissions to environment from nutrient cycles of different grassland systems (incl. lawns). |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Arno Kanal | TÜ Geogr Inst. | dotsent | |
| 2. | Toomas Laidna | EPMÜ AG RT | lektor | |
| 3. | Rein Lillak | EPMÜ AG RT | dotsent | |
| 4. | Argaadi Parol | EPMÜ AG RT | dotsent | |
| 5. | Are Selge | EPMÜ AG RT | vanemteadur, dotsent | |
| 6. | Rein Viiralt | EAU Faculty of Agronomy | Professor, Head | |