Incorporating clover into grasslands
Status: Ongoing, since 2013
Contact persons: Prof Dave Chadwick / Prof Davey Jones / Dr Prysor Williams
Funding sources: AHDB, HCC, QMS
Background: Reducing the dependency of agriculture on nitrogen fertiliser is crucial to help the sector meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, reduce the frequency of eutrophication of waterbodies, and to reduce costs. In grazing livestock systems, clover can fix atmospheric nitrogen and thereby help enhance the yield of grass. The high protein content of clover can also help with animal growth rates. However, there is still work to do on identifying the real environmental and economic cost savings and opportunities available through greater use of clover in grassland systems.
Aims:
- To compare the performance of a grass/clover sward receiving no nitrogen fertilisation with a pure grass sward receiving nitrogen fertilisation
- To assess the effects of clover density on greenhouse gas (N2O) emissions and soil nitrogen dynamics in comparison to grass only swards receiving synthetic fertiliser
- To monitor actual nitrogen fixation by clover relative to quoted values and to assess accuracy of fertiliser recommendations
- To test novel real-time in situ soil nitrate sensors and microdialysis technology
- To examine the difference in greenhouse gas emissions from ‘urine patches’ from sheep on a diet of grass ± clover to assess the environmental impacts associated with sward composition
Collaborators: Laura Cardenas (Rothamsted Research), Murray Lark (University of Nottingham)
Outputs:
- Can In-Situ Soil Nitrate Measurements Improve Nitrogen-Use Efficiency in Agricultural Systems? Jones, D. L., Chadwick, D. R., Rengaraj, S., Wu, D., Williams, A. P., Hill, P. W., Miller, A. J., Lark, R. M., Rosolem, C. A., Damin, V. & Shaw, R., 1 Dec 2018, Proceedings 1466-1314. International Fertiliser Society, Vol. 825. p. 1-32 32
- Characterising the within-field scale spatial variation of nitrogen in a grassland soil to inform the efficient design of in-situ nitrogen sensor networks for precision agriculture Shaw, R., Lark, R. M., Williams, A. P., Chadwick, D. R. & Jones, D., 16 Aug 2016, In : Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 230, p. 294-306
- Assessing Soil Nitrogen Availability using Microdialysis-Derived Diffusive Flux Measurements Shaw, R., Williams, A. & Jones, D., 25 Sep 2014, In : Soil Science Society of America Journal. 78, 5, p. 1797-1803
- Assessing the Potential for Ion Selective Electrodes and Dual Wavelength UV Spectroscopy as a Rapid on-Farm Measurement of Soil Nitrate Concentration
Shaw, R., Williams, A., Miller, A. & Jones, D., 2 Jul 2013, In : Agriculture. 3, 3, p. 327-341
Photos
Figure 1. Greenhouse gas collection during (top) and following (bottom) the establishment of grass ± clover.