Track 2-07: Climate Change Impacts on Grassland Production, Composition, Distribution and Adaptation
Description
A 2-year field experiment was conducted at two sites in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany, to quantify and evaluate the carbon footprint of arable forage cropping systems (continuous silage maize, maize-wheat-grass rotation, perennial ryegrass ley) as affected by N fertilizer type and N amount. Total greenhouse gas emission showed a linear increase with N application, with mineral N supply resulting in a higher slope. Product carbon footprint ranged between -66 and 119 kg CO2eq/(GJ NEL) and revealed a quadratic or linear response to fertilizer N input, depending on the cropping system. At N input required for achieving maximum energy yield, perennial ryegrass caused lower emission per product unit than continuous maize or the maize-wheat-grass rotation. The data indicate potential for sustainable intensification when crop management options are adopted to increase resource use efficiency.
Citation
Herrmann, Antje; Claus, Sandra; Kluß, Christof; and Taube, Friedhelm, "Eco-Efficiency of Forage Production in Northern Germany" (2020). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 3.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/22/2-7/3
Eco-Efficiency of Forage Production in Northern Germany
A 2-year field experiment was conducted at two sites in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany, to quantify and evaluate the carbon footprint of arable forage cropping systems (continuous silage maize, maize-wheat-grass rotation, perennial ryegrass ley) as affected by N fertilizer type and N amount. Total greenhouse gas emission showed a linear increase with N application, with mineral N supply resulting in a higher slope. Product carbon footprint ranged between -66 and 119 kg CO2eq/(GJ NEL) and revealed a quadratic or linear response to fertilizer N input, depending on the cropping system. At N input required for achieving maximum energy yield, perennial ryegrass caused lower emission per product unit than continuous maize or the maize-wheat-grass rotation. The data indicate potential for sustainable intensification when crop management options are adopted to increase resource use efficiency.
