Legumes as nitrogen suppliers of grassland on fen soil: Leguminosen als stickstofflieferanten für niedermoorgrünland

Abstract

A 6-year trial was laid out with varied PK fertilization on fen soil and analysed for the capability of undersown clover species to fix atmospheric nitrogen. No mineral nitrogen was applied. On an average of the six test years, the share of white clover in the total crop yield of the sward was 17% after sowing once and that of red clover or Swedish clover was 19% after sowing twice. The annual mean shares of these two clover variants in the total yield varied only slightly over the test period. White clover showed typical seasonal dynamics in the test years, with yield portions increasing from spring to late summer. Undersown red and Swedish clovers reached the highest yield percentages in their 2nd and 3rd growths. The variants grown without PK fertilizer and clover yielded 45 dt DM ha − 1. With PK fertilizer dry matter yields increased to 57 and 68 dt ha − 1, respectively. With supplemental white clover or red/Swedish clover sown into the sward, substantial amounts of symbiotic nitrogen were accumulated in the harvestable plant matter, giving a total dry matter yield of 76 dt ha − 1. Clover yield shares up to 30% resulted in increasing DM yields which, however, declined again with even larger shares of clover. As to the ingredients of grasses, herbs and clover, the differences were mostly significant. On an average of the six test years, nitrogen fixation was 58.4 kg ha − 1 for white clover and 46.6 kg ha − 1 for red/Swedish clover.