Weed suppression greatly increased by plant diversity in intensively managed grasslands: A continental-scale experiment.

Grassland diversity can support sustainable intensification of grassland production through increased yields, reduced inputs and limited weed invasion. We report the effects of diversity on weed suppression from 3 years of a 31-site continental-scale field experiment.At each site, 15 grassland communities comprising four monocultures and 11 four-species mixtures based on a wide range of species' proportions were sown at two densities and managed by cutting.

Soil test phosphorus and cumulative phosphorus budgets in fertilized grassland.

We analyzed the linearity of relationships between soil test P (STP) and cumulative phosphorus (P) budget using data from six long-term fertilized grassland sites in four countries: France (Ercé and Gramond), Switzerland (Les Verrières), Canada (Lévis), and Finland (Maaninka and Siikajoki). STP was determined according to existing national guidelines. A linear-plateau model was used to determine the presence of deflection points in the relationships.

Soil nitrous oxide emissions after deposition of dairy cow excreta in eastern Canada.

Urine and dung deposited by grazing dairy cows are a major source of nitrous oxide (NO), a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to stratospheric ozone depletion. In this study, we quantified the emissions of NO after deposition of dairy cow excreta onto two grassland sites with contrasting soil types in eastern Canada. Our objectives were to determine the impact of excreta type, urine-N rate, time of the year, and soil type on annual NO emissions.

Methane yield from switchgrass and reed canarygrass grown in Eastern Canada.

Methane yields from silage made from switchgrass- and reed canarygrass-seeded plots with two N application rates and three harvest dates were assessed in Eastern Canada. The average specific methane yield from reed canarygrass-seeded plots (0.187 NL CH4 g VS(-1)) was less than from switchgrass-seeded plots (0.

Soil nitrous oxide emissions following band-incorporation of fertilizer nitrogen and swine manure.

Treatment of liquid swine manure (LSM) offers opportunities to improve manure nutrient management. However, N2O fluxes and cumulative emissions resulting from application of treated LSM are not well documented. Nitrous oxide emissions were monitored following band-incorporation of 100 kg N ha(-1) of either mineral fertilizer, raw LSM, or four pretreated LSMs (anaerobic digestion; anaerobic digestion + flocculation: filtration; decantation) at the four-leaf stage of corn (Zea mays L.

Methane yield from switchgrass harvested at different stages of development in Eastern Canada.

Mesophilic methane yield of ensiled switchgrass grown in Eastern Canada was assessed. Switchgrass was harvested at three stages of development, corresponding to mid-summer, late summer and early fall in 2007. The regrowth of plots harvested in mid-summer was also harvested in early fall as a two-cut strategy.

Gaseous nitrogen emissions and forage nitrogen uptake on soils fertilized with raw and treated swine manure.

Treatments to reduce solids content in liquid manure have been developed, but little information is available on gaseous N emissions and plant N uptake after application of treated liquid swine manure (LSM). We measured crop yield, N uptake, and NH3 and N2O losses after the application of mineral fertilizer (NH4 NO3), raw LSM, and LSM that was decanted, filtered, anaerobically digested, or chemically flocculated. The experiment was conducted from 2001 to 2003 on a loam and a sandy loam cropped to timothy (Phleum pratense L.

Precipitation of liquid swine manure phosphates using magnesium smelting by-products.

Swine manure contains considerable amounts of total (P) and soluble phosphorus (PO(4)-P) which may increase the soil P content when applied in excess to crop requirements and, consequently, risk water eutrophication. The feasibility of using magnesium (Mg) from the by-product of electrolysis and foundries (BPEF) for the removal of P from liquid swine manure was studied by adding up to 3 g of Mg as BPEF per liter of nursery (NU) and grower-finisher (GF) swine manure in 25-L plastic buckets. Changes in P and other elements were monitored for up to 360 h.

Nitrogen reserves, spring regrowth and winter survival of field-grown alfalfa (Medicago sativa) defoliated in the autumn.

Aims: The objective of the study was to characterize variations in proline, arginine, histidine, vegetative storage proteins, and cold-inducible gene expression in overwintering roots of field-grown alfalfa, in response to autumn defoliation, and in relation to spring regrowth and winter survival.

Methods: Field trials, established in 1996 in eastern Canada, consisted of two alfalfa cultivars ('AC Caribou' and 'WL 225') defoliated in 1997 and 1998 either only twice during the summer or three times with the third defoliation taken 400, 500 or 600 growing degree days (basis 5 degrees C) after the second summer defoliation.

Key Results: The root accumulation of proline, arginine, histidine and soluble proteins of 32, 19 and 15 kDa, characterized as alfalfa vegetative storage proteins, was reduced the following spring by an early autumn defoliation at 400 or 500 growing degree days in both cultivars; the 600-growing-degree-days defoliation treatment had less or no effect.

Oxygen deficiency affects carbohydrate reserves in overwintering forage crops.

Anaerobic conditions developing under an ice cover affect winter survival and spring regrowth of economically important perennial crops. The objective was to compare, during a prolonged period of low (<2%) O2 at low temperature, the concentration of carbohydrates of four plant species contrasting in their resistance to oxygen deficiency. Four perennial forage species, lucerne (Medicago sativa L.

Residual soil nitrate after potato harvest.

Nitrogen loss by leaching is a major problem, particularly with crops requiring large amounts of N fertilizer. We evaluated the effect of N fertilization and irrigation on residual soil nitrate following potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) harvests in the upper St-John River valley of New Brunswick, Canada.