Paper details

Title:

The Effect of Pisum Sativum as Cover Crop on NUE and N-uptake by a Subsequent Sunflower Crop in Central Greece

Author(s):

Skoufogianni, E., Danalatos, N.G., Bartzialis, D., Efthimiadis, P.

Document(s):

Abstract:

Nitrogen is a key input for sustaining high yields in several crops, but the fertilizer N uptake efficiency in sunflower is relatively low (< 35%). A 2-year field experiment with sunflower was conducted in central Greece (Larissa area, Thessaly plain) in the years 2007 through 2009. The study soil is characterized by high clay content and vertic properties. The experiment was a factorial split plot design in three blocks. The first factor concerns the cultivation of Pisum sativum in the winter periods in 3 treatments: control, harvested or incorporated in the soil. The second factor was N-dressings at 4 levels (0, 50, 100, 150 kg/ha). The results point to a great positive effect of crop rotation with pisum especially if the cover crop is incorporated into the top soil. The sun-seed yield is ranging from 2.6 t/ha to 3.5 t/ha depending on N-dressing increased substantially in the crop rotation plots and fluctuated from 4.6 (zero N-application) to 6.34 t/ha (dressing 150 N/ha). The above yield increases were due to the combination of the increase in the basic nitrogen uptake (of about 120kg/ha) and the fertilization recovery fraction by 44% (from 29 to 73%) in the rotational systems. The NUE (represented as a well-fitted line when plotting the seed yield versus the N¬uptake for all treatments) was about 22 kg/kg in both years.

Keywords:

bioenergy, crop rotation, Greece, sunflower, pisum, nitrogen use

Topic:

Biomass Resources

Subtopic:

Energy crops and energy grasses

Event:

20th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition

Session:

1DV.2.6

Pages:

487 - 491

ISBN:

978-88-89407-54-7

Paper DOI:

10.5071/20thEUBCE2012-1DV.2.6

Price:

FREE