Articles
INFLUENCE OF CATCH CROPS ON LEACHING, YIELD AND QUALITY OF WHITE ASPARAGUS (ASPARAGUS OFFICINALIS L.)
Article number
479_60
Pages
439 – 446
Language
Abstract
Asparagus is the vegetable with the largest growing area of all vegetable species in Germany.
In 1996 German farmers produced asparagus on 13,324 ha.
For this reason solutions to reduce the environmental pollution of the groundwater by nutrients become more and more urgent.
This applies especially to asparagus which takes up nitrogen from the soil under Rhine-valley conditions only from the end of June until the beginning of October.
In the other months of the year nitrogen is at risk of leaching.
By using catch crops a contribution can be made to decrease nitrate entry into groundwater in autumn.
For this purpose sowing of oil radish (Ráphanus sativus var. oleifórmis) in the middle of August is well suited under the conditions of the Rhine Valley in Germany.
At this time of sowing, the oil radish can still develop and effectively fix nitrogen.
The amount of fixed nitrogen depends on the soil conditions.
The influence of oil radish on the nitrogen balance in the course of the year and the development of asparagus was therefore compared on two soils with a different content of organic matter (0.3% and 1.4%). The oil radish died with the appearance of frost in late autumn.
At the end of winter, the plant material is worked into the soil.
Such a measure is especially important at locations with a higher content of organic matter in the soil, to reduce the leaching of nitrate in autumn.
The results indicate advantages of this method of using catch crops on the yield of asparagus spears.
However, the effects are not significant.
Altogether, the dependence of the asparagus yield on the content of organic matter in the soil was highly significant.
In 1996 German farmers produced asparagus on 13,324 ha.
For this reason solutions to reduce the environmental pollution of the groundwater by nutrients become more and more urgent.
This applies especially to asparagus which takes up nitrogen from the soil under Rhine-valley conditions only from the end of June until the beginning of October.
In the other months of the year nitrogen is at risk of leaching.
By using catch crops a contribution can be made to decrease nitrate entry into groundwater in autumn.
For this purpose sowing of oil radish (Ráphanus sativus var. oleifórmis) in the middle of August is well suited under the conditions of the Rhine Valley in Germany.
At this time of sowing, the oil radish can still develop and effectively fix nitrogen.
The amount of fixed nitrogen depends on the soil conditions.
The influence of oil radish on the nitrogen balance in the course of the year and the development of asparagus was therefore compared on two soils with a different content of organic matter (0.3% and 1.4%). The oil radish died with the appearance of frost in late autumn.
At the end of winter, the plant material is worked into the soil.
Such a measure is especially important at locations with a higher content of organic matter in the soil, to reduce the leaching of nitrate in autumn.
The results indicate advantages of this method of using catch crops on the yield of asparagus spears.
However, the effects are not significant.
Altogether, the dependence of the asparagus yield on the content of organic matter in the soil was highly significant.
Publication
Authors
P.-J. Paschold, B. Artelt, G. Hermann
Keywords
Asparagus officinalis L., Ráphanus sativus var. oleifórmis, Environment, N-leaching, Asparagus quality
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