Abstract
In an experiment, two types of compost were tested on natural grassland in order to improve the productivity of a natural sward on solonetz soil. Both composts were made of on-farm produced sheep manure, but the second one was enriched in phosphorus. These fertilizers/composts are officially authorized and can be applied in organic farming. Zero application and three rates of fertilizer were tested (10 t ha-1, 20 t ha-1, 30 t ha-1) on 30 m2 experimental plots wit four replications. Dry matter, crude protein and net energy content for maintenance were measured and determined and their yields per unit area were calculated. We found that all the treated plots produced significantly higher yield than the control ones, and in some cases the yields were almost three times higher. However, the optimal compost dose varied, depending on the examined parameter. Based on the evaluation of the experiment results along with rainfall data, it was concluded that, with higher precipitation, the positive effect of the compost application was bigger. The difference between the natural and enriched compost is remarkable, but it has to be mentioned that even the natural compost showed good results; therefore, it is also effective in improving the fertility of grassland.
Highlights
European regulations, such as Natura 2000 and Agri-environment Schemes (AES) provide strict framework for grassland management
The laboratory investigations included dry matter (DM) content, crude protein (CP) content and net energy used for maintenance (NEm) and were carried out by standard methods
Precipitation It is known that the decomposition and the utilization of organic fertilizers are highly dependent on moisture conditions on grasslands
Summary
European regulations, such as Natura 2000 and Agri-environment Schemes (AES) provide strict framework for grassland management These regulations prohibit the application of manure and mineral fertilizers on natural grasslands, the nutrient recycling on grasslands depends on excretes from grazing animals. Environmentalists in general have a fear that fertilizing natural and semi-natural grasslands will cause a decrease in diversity, but – examining the species richness of grasslands participating in AES – de Sainte Marie (2014) mentioned that frequently and moderately manured areas showed better species diversity than those without fertilization This means that, with reasonable nutrient management, grasslands can improve their productibility while preserving or even improving the biodiversity of the sward. In their experiment, Pozdíšek et al (2008) experienced that, with organic fertilizer, the yield of grasslands can be improved
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