Research projects

Nitrate leaching is of great concern in North Rhine-Westphalia. With agriculture and horticulture being the major contributors, means to counteract nitrogen (N) losses are gaining importance. Using cover crops (CC) as catch crops is one strategy propagated. Besides taking up N, CC also contribute to soil organic matter accumulation and soil structure improvement. Therefore, this project aims at quantifying the carbon (C) and N immobilisation capacity of CC and the C and N mineralisation of their residues.

Nitrogen fertilization of intensively used grassland aims at maximising yield and optimizing quality. However, future fertilization strategies have to take limited resources and the aim of reducing negative side effects, such as gaseous (N2O, NH3, NOx) and liquid N losses (NO3-) into consideration. To reach this aim and apply the right amount of fertilizer, it is necessary to be able to predict the biomass development and N uptake in grassland.