Articles
PRACTICE MEETS RESEARCH
The main intention of these farm registrations was to search for environment friendly production systems in practice.
Nowadays registrations are developed for research on sector and on farm level.
In this paper a brief survey is given of both types of data recording.
Research on sector level shows developments of nutrient use of different agricultural and horticultural sectors in the Netherlands.
Research on farm level informs about effects of farm- and time-specific issues and management strategies of growers on the use of nutrients and on the actual effects of plant nutrition in practice.
Three one-year registration projects on farm level were focused on comparison of practically closed growing systems with free drainage systems.
Analyses of the data elucidated the use of water and nutrients at holdings that grow different crops and use various kinds of irrigation systems.
By comparing the use of fertilizers at holdings using a closed nutrient system with holdings using systems with free drainage, the amount of fertilizers that drains out to the environment (on farms with free drainage) could be estimated.
Also differences in use of nutrients were found on farms with corresponding crops and irrigation system.
To search for backgrounds of these differences, multi-year detailed registrations are necessary for monitoring farm-specific variables, time-specific issues and management strategies of the growers.
This more detailed farm information can lead to better understanding and validation of differences between farms and cropping systems in practice and can initialize and support fundamental research.