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This report presents the methods and results from preliminary trials with composting marine residual raw materials under the auspices of MARIGREEN, a project funded by the ERA-NET BlueBio cofund program. The main goal of MARIGREEN is to upgrade poorly utilized residual raw materials from blue value chains (fish, shells, algae) for use as fertilizer and biostimulants in organic farming. The project is led by UPB (Romania) and is in collaboration with USAMV (Romania), AUTh (Greece), DTU (Denmark), UCPH (Denmark), NORCE (Norway), and the industrial partners Alumichem AS (Denmark), Norgeskjell AS (Norway), Sigurd Folland AS (Norway), Fjordlaks AS (Norway), and Algea AS (Norway). The compost experiments were carried out at three different levels: small-scale (2 litres) in so-called Dewar flasks; medium-scale (140 liters) with a Jordakompost® insulated compost drum; and large-scale (approx. 7 m3) with windrow composting. The first experiments in the Dewar flasks were based on known raw materials such as horse dung, sawdust, and straw and were intended to familiarize ourselves with the equipment and the method, which is called a self-heating test. This test is usually used to estimate the maturity and stability of finished compost, but here we wanted to look at heat development in fresh material. The trials with the familiar raw materials were followed by trials with the marine residual raw materials, tangle kelp, two types of algae fiber from processing rockweed (brown seaweed), ground fish bones from hydrolyzed cod heads, and dried fish meal from fish in the cod family. These materials have, to our knowledge, not yet been tested in Dewar flasks. As an alternative bulking material in the Dewar bottles and in the compost drum, we experimented with expanded clay aggregates (Leca®). The experiment with horse dung confirmed that the Dewar flasks can be used to estimate the potential for heat generation in fresh material. The marine residual raw materials also developed heat, in several cases above 45 °C (which is the lower limit for being thermophilic) and in some cases up to 60 °C, including algae fiber alone with Leca®. The mixture with algae fiber and Leca® was used to make compost in the compost drum, but on this scale, the temperature never exceeded 30 °C. This may be due to the fact that the room was cold at the start (below 5 °C), that the drum gave off too much heat, that there was too little easily available nitrogen or carbon, or that the ratio between algae fiber and Leca® was incorrect. On a large-scale level, we built a compost windrow with a mixture of algae fiber, bedding from cattle, wood chips from conifers, and sediment from acidified, ground-up residues from codfish, which contained substantial bones. This mixture gave rise to temperatures above 60 °C for short periods. Many useful experiences came out of these initial experiments, which are being used to plan further experiments with marine residues. The Dewar flasks are suitable for estimating the potential compostability of fresh materials, but they have their limitations. The dynamics of a compost mixture change when the volume is increased from 2 liters to several cubic meters. And the bottles cannot be used to produce "finished" compost, which depends on being in contact with a variety of organisms over a long period of time. The experiments confirm that marine residues are suitable as raw materials in compost, both in combination with familiar materials such as horse dung and wood chips, but also alone (with Leca®). The Leca® aggregates, which do not contain carbon or nitrogen, work well as a structural material.

There is a need to take care of the nutrients in the system. Anaerobic digestion is a valuable way to convert the nutrients and produce renewable energy. A model is presented that use grass-clover as feedstock for anaerobic digestion and separate the digestate in 3 fractions. Anaerobic digestion and separation have positive effect on N2O-emissions. But a very dilute solution of ammonia and sulfur generated high emissions when applied to the soil with 100 kg N per hectare.

Background: Fertilization with organic waste compost can close the nutrient cycles between urban and rural environments. However, its effect on yield and soil fertility must be investigated. Aim: This study investigated the long-term effect of compost on soil nutrient and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) concentration, nutrient budgets, and nitrogen (N) mineralization and efficiency. Methods: After 21 years of annual compost application (100/400 kg N ha–1 year–1 [100BC/400BC]) alone and combined with mineral fertilization, soil was analyzed for pH, organic carbon (SOC), nutrient (total N and P, Nmin, extractable CAL-P, CAL-K, and Mg), and PTE (Cu, Ni, Zn) concentrations. Yields were recorded and nutrient/PTE budgets and apparent net mineralization (ANM, only 2019) were calculated. Results: N efficiency was the highest in maize and for mineral fertilization. Compost application led to lower N efficiencies, but increased ANM, SOC, pH, and soil N, and surpluses of N, P, and all PTEs. Higher PTE concentrations were only found in 400BC for Cu. Nutrient budgets correlated with soil nutrient concentration. A surplus of 16.1 kg P ha–1 year–1 and 19.5 kg K ha–1 year–1 resulted in 1 mg kg–1 increase in CAL-P and CAL-K over 21 years. Conclusion: Compost application supplies nutrients to crops with a minor risk of soil-accumulation of PTEs. However, the nutrient stoichiometry provided by compost does not match crop offtakes causing imbalances. Synchronization of compost N mineralization and plant N demand does not match and limits the yield effect. In winter wheat only 65–70% of N mineralization occurred during the growth period.

Agroecology can be defined as an integrated approach to agriculture and food systems, combining ecological and social principles to agricultural management and food systems design. Thanks to its holistic approach towards sustainability, agroecology can help tackle climate change challenges, from both mitigation and adaptation perspectives. Agroecological practices such as the use of cover crops and green manures have the potential to increase carbon stored in the soil, as well as soil fertility, mitigating climate change and at the same time improving crop productivity. Nonetheless, it has been shown that practices that can have a positive effect on carbon sequestration might increase emissions of other greenhouse gasses, such as nitrous oxide. This webinar will provide an overview on agroecological practices and climate change, and present results from field experiments on the effect of cover crops on carbon and nitrogen in the soil, with related implications for climate change mitigation.

This final report from the project “Residual materials from marine industries as fertilisers in organic agriculture” is an example of blue-green collaboration. Such collaboration has been a strategic goal for many Norwegian research and innovation activities since the terms bioeconomy and circular economy came high on the agenda. Significant amounts of residual raw materials from marine industry are still poorly utilized. Traditionally, seaweeds and residues of fish and other sea animals were applied as feed and fertilisers along the coast of Norway, as elsewhere in coastal regions. These valuable materials should still be applied in agriculture, but the application needs to be adapted to a more professional and large-scale production. Organic agriculture aims at being selfsufficient in nutrients and other inputs for the production. A further aim is to recycle nutrients and organic matter not only inside the farm by feeding manure-producing animals, but by recycling nutrients lost from the farm by sales of products, and by runoff and emissions. The RESTOR project (2018-2022) has provided resources for establishing a significant research and developmental work on marine-derived fertilisers at the Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture (NORSØK). Marine derived fertilisers, especially from sustainable collection or capture of natural renewable resources, may fit well to the aims of organic agriculture. The project has tested residual materials rich in bones from industry processing white fish species (cod, saithe, longfish etc.), and residual material from chemical extraction of rockweed. The materials have been tested as fertilisers and soil amendments, with controlled trials indoor and in the field. A general result is a very rapid growth effect of fishbones in the year of application, with a residual effect in subsequent years resembling that of dried poultry manure. The algae fiber has no immediate fertiliser effect but has a significant residual growth effect. Due to the content of cadmium (Cd), algae fiber is a class II soil amendment product. This implies that it may be applied with up to 20 tons of dry matter per hectare over 10 years, according to Norwegian regulation. An amount close to this level was tested in ryegrass in 2020. The tetany ratio, which is an assessment calculated to assess the risk of tetany in ruminants based on the concentrations of potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca) in plant material applied as feed, was then well above the critical level. Hence, we recommend that the material should not be applied at a higher rate than 10 tons per hectare over 5 years (half the maximal rate for each application), to avoid excess uptake of potassium in crop plants. When applied as the single fertiliser material, both fishbones and algae fiber are unbalanced and should be blended with other materials. The project tested a mix where 30% of the nitrogen (N) was derived from algae fiber and 70% from fishbones. This fertiliser gave good yields both in the year of application, and in one or more subsequent growing seasons. With higher prices on energy, there is increased interest for alternative sources of plant nutrients which may complete existing fossil resources. Most European countries are currently dependent on importing phosphorus (P) and potassium, which is a challenge in a world with increasing levels of conflicts. Significant amounts of nutrients are found in the sea, but we still need both research and developmental work to establish value chains for marine-derived fertilisers which may complete the currently applied fertilisers in both conventional and certified organic agriculture. We also need adapted regulations for such products. A proposal for new regulation on organic fertilisers in Norway includes strict limits for arsenic (As), which may significantly hamper the utilization of seaweed material in fertilisers and for soil amendment. We need more research to assess such limit values. The R&D work with marine-derived fertilisers is well established, and continues, both at NORSØK and with other research organizations.

This paper investigates how pig housing relates to diversity and circularity of farms and how this influences the capacity of European organic pig producers to cope with economic, legislation, labour and climate-related shocks. It identifies resilience strategies of pig producers in Europe by analysing resilience capacity and attributes to different shocks, namely input and output price shocks, disease outbreaks, climate change, legislation change and labour fluctuations. Based on narratives of 18 pig producers, this paper finds three resilience strategies: an efficiency-based strategy, a nutrient substitution strategy and a farm diversification strategy. Non-resiliency is mostly found among the producers with an all-year outdoor production system following the nutrient substitution strategy related to low feed self-sufficiency. The producers follow an efficiency-based strategy when they cannot accumulate reserves sufficient to cope with shocks. Non-resilience among the farm diversification strategy is related to direct marketing that is labour intensive requires the ability to pay decent wages. To increase the resilience of pig producers in Europe, policies should recognise that these different strategies exist and tailor policies differently for different types of producers. 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Animal Consortium. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Modification of soil food webs by land management may alter the response of ecosystem processes to climate extremes, but empirical support is limited and the mechanisms involved remain unclear. Here we quantify how grassland management modifies the transfer of recent photosynthates and soil nitrogen through plants and soil food webs during a post-drought period in a controlled field experiment, using in situ 13C and 15N pulse-labelling in intensively and extensively managed fields. We show that intensive management decrease plant carbon (C) capture and its transfer through components of food webs and soil respiration compared to extensive management. We observe a legacy effect of drought on C transfer pathways mainly in intensively managed grasslands, by increasing plant C assimilation and 13C released as soil CO2 efflux but decreasing its transfer to roots, bacteria and Collembola. Our work provides insight into the interactive effects of grassland management and drought on C transfer pathways, and highlights that capture and rapid transfer of photosynthates through multi-trophic networks are key for maintaining grassland resistance to drought.

Presentation of Peas and Love project and relevant factors on high-quality crops and plant based diets at Plant Link Day conference.

The Green Protein Network gathers startups, corporates and universities to explore the challenges and possibilities within new innovative green protein sources. The group sets the agenda for the network and we will cover topics like new ingredients sources, consumer insights, new technologies and market trends. Join the Green Protein Network if you want to get inspiration, find new partners, share and gain knowledge and be part of finding new innovative solutions.

Insects have shown to be a potential nutritional replacement in poultry nutrition as substitute of traditional protein sources, with positive effects on gut microbiota. However, only few studies have investigated the effects of live black soldier fly (BSF) live larvae provision on short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and microbiota composition in chicken’s gut. Label naked neck (LNN, n. 240) chickens were reared in an organic production system from 21 to 82 days of age and randomly allocated into four experimental groups (10 birds/pen, 6 replicates/treatment) according to bird gender and larvae provision. Experimental groups were fed with 10% supplementation of BSF live larvae, based on the expected daily feed intake (DFI). At slaughter, samples of cecal digesta were collected from 60 animals (15 birds/treatment), frozen and stored at -80°C until to be analyzed by SPME-CG-MS and DNA sequencing techniques, respectively. Results showed that seven SCFAs were identified, with butyrate as the most abundant. Even if no significant differences were found between treatments, the cecal SCFAs concentration in insect-fed animals were noticed to be less variable than control group. Cecal microbiota analyses of birds fed with BSF live larvae, showed a higher incidence of Coprobacillus, Synergistaceae and Christensenellaceae, with the latter to having the potential to degrade chitin’s insect meal, a compound with immunoregulatory properties. In conclusion, results showed that even a dietary 10% supplementation of BSF live larvae can slightly improve microbiota profile and potentially, SCFAs production in LNN chickens. These results confirm what observed in recent studies on broilers, but with lower (5% of DFI) live larvae inclusion levels. Financial support for Poultrynsect project was provided by transnational funding bodies under the Joint SUSFOOD2/CORE Organic Call 2019.

Introduction. Few studies on the effects of live larvae provision in poultry have been previously conducted [1,2,3]. However, trials on the long-term provision of live larvae in chicken reared for meat consumption have never been performed before. This study evaluated the impact of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) live larvae provision on growth performance and larvae consumption behavior of intermediate-growing strains. Material and methods. A total of 240 Label naked neck birds were reared from 21 to 82 days of age, and four experimental groups (10 birds/pen, 6 replicates/treatment) were considered according to the birds’ gender and larvae provision. Experimental groups were fed 10% supplementation of BSF live larvae based on the daily feed intake. The live weight (LW), feed conversion ratio (FCR), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG) were evaluated considering two periods: 21-35d and 35-82d. The larvae were provided daily and consumption times were analyzed considering periods of 10 days (5 time frame-T1,T2,T3,T4,T5). Data were analyzed by means of a GLMM (SPSS software, P

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of animal manure may be beneficial to reduce fossil fuel usage and emission of greenhouse gases, but on farm level, the long-term effect of this technology on soil organic matter (SOM) and changes in concentrations over time is unknown. Of special concern is whether AD of the slurry will reduce SOM due to less input if easily decomposable C to the soil. A field experiment was established in 2011 to reveal effects on important soil and crop characteristics when slurry from a herd of organically managed dairy cows is treated by AD. Five treatments were compared, where non-digested slurry (US) and AD slurry were applied at two rates of total N (110 and 220 kg ha-1 y-1) and with a non-fertilised control (CON). The rate of manure application (30 vs. 60 t of manure per ha and year) affected soil nutrient concentrations but not SOM content. The average estimated total C input was 92 and 184 kg C ha-1 year-1 for the low and high rates of the AD slurry treatments, and 179 and 358 kg C ha-1 year-1 for the low and high rates of the US treatments. Yet, in our field study there was no difference in the long-term effect of ADS and US application and application rate in SOM content. The accumulated N and P fertilization during 2011-2021 was about -32 N ha-1 and 45 kg P ha-1 with low rate of both ADS and US and 385 kg N ha-1 and 78 kg P ha-1 with high rate of ADS and US. The CON had a cumulative deficit of -415 kg N ha-1 and -10 kg P ha-1. Addition of ADS or US did not have a significant impact on SOM storage, nevertheless the high rates of organic fertilizers increased the accumulated N and P fertilization during 2011-2021.

The POULTRYNSECT Work Package 3 “Laboratory and Sensorial Analyses” aims to evaluate the impact of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) live larvae inclusion as feed ingredient in chicken diet on chicken health and meat quality. Animal welfare and health affect many metabolic processes, which may impact meat quality after slaughter . Differences in feed composition may also be translated to differences in chemical composition of meat and thus changes in sensory attributes. In this report the meat composition preliminary results obtained from the first in vivo feeding trial performed with Label Naked Neck chicken are summarized. Besides chemical composition such as protein content and pH, physical parameters including drip loss, thaw loss and instrumental tenderness are reported and complemented by analysis of in vitro protein digestibility and content of oxidation products to evaluate potential health implications for human consumption.

• Broiler production has slightly higher protein efficiency than egg production • Laying hen production achieved higher single score results than broiler production • The production of feed has by far the largest share of the environmental impact of the entire production • Decrease of environmental impact due to introduction of larvae

Live larvae fed to poultry has shown to provide good nutrients and bioactive compounds with positive effects on bird's health. However, trials on chicken reared for meat consumption are still scarce. A total of 240 Label naked neck (LNN) birds were reared from 21 to 82 days of age, and four experimental groups (10 birds/pen, 6 replicates/treatment) were considered according to the birds’ gender and larvae provision. Experimental groups were fed 10% supplementation of black soldier fly (BSF) live larvae based on the daily feed intake. Birds (12/diet, 2 birds/pen) were slaughtered according to the standard EU regulations. Following storage at 4°C for 24 h, breast fillets were excised, vacuum packaged and transported to the laboratory for analysis. Vacuum packed breasts were cooked in a water bath at 75°C for 45 min, then breast color and drip loss were measured. Sensory descriptive analysis was performed, in duplicate, by 11 trained judges, experts in sensory evaluation with a specific software for sensory data acquisition, (FIZZ Biosystèmes), using a nine points intensity scale. Results were elaborated by a statistical analysis using R software. Color measurement, drip loss percentage and sensorial profiles were analyzed through the ANOVA and post hoc test (Tukey’s HSD). No significant differences were found in mean percentages of drip loss while color measurement showed only differences based on chicken gender and only for the b* (yellowness) parameter that resulted higher in females. Concerning sensory evaluation, no significant differences were found. In conclusion, results highlighted that a dietary 10% supplementation of BSF live larvae did not affected sensorial quality of breast fillets of LNN chickens reared in an organic production system. The authors acknowledge the financial support for Poultrynsect project provided by transnational funding bodies under the Joint SUSFOOD2/CORE Organic Call 2019.

Effects of live larvae provision on poultry chemical blood parameters have been poorly investigated. This study aims to evaluate the changes in blood chemistry parameters in medium-growing chickens supplemented black soldier fly (BSF) live larvae. Two hundred and forty 21d old sexed Label Naked Neck birds were divided into 4 experimental groups: females fed basal organic feed (BOF), males fed BOF, females fed BOF + 10% BSF live larvae supplementation based on the expected daily feed intake (DFI) and males fed BOF + 10% BSF live larvae supplementation based on the DFI (6 replicates/diet, 10 birds/replicate). Blood samples were collected at slaughter (82d old) from 2 birds/pen (12 birds/treatment). Serum samples were used for biochemical analysis. A compact liquid chemistry analyzer system (BT 1500 vet–Futurlab) was used to determine the concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (U/I), aspartate aminotransferase (U/I), creatinine total proteins (mg/dl), uric acid (mg/dl), cholesterol (mg/dl), triglycerides (mg/dl), gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT, U/I), phosphorus (mg/dl) and magnesium (mg/dl). Data were analyzed by GLMM (SPSS software, P0.05) in both sexes, thus being indicative of a good health status of the birds. Moreover, the GGT was detected in lower concentrations in the supplemented groups than in the control groups (P

This Deliverable D5.7 is a ‘Technical report on alternative fertiliser’. It is a shorter version, containing key facts and characteristics about the material investigated and described in the much longer ‘Summary paper of alternative fertilisers’ (Deliverable D5.6), from the Horizon2020 project "Organic-PLUS" (2018-2022). In organic farming, a considerable amount of nutrients and organic matter are derived from conventional farming as fertilisers from organic sources are not available in sufficient quantities, in particular for stockless organic farms or intensive vegetable and fruit production. Furthermore, the EU Regulation on Organic Food and Farming restricts the use of recycling fertilisers from urban sources. Relying on fertilisers from conventional production is a challenge for the integrity of organic production. The ‘contentious fertilisers’ include animal manure and other animal-derived products such as hydrolysed proteins or keratins from non-organic, conventional, animal husbandry, but also plant-derived products such as vinasse from conventional sugar-beet production. Furthermore, there may be issues with veterinary drugs and pesticide residues in such fertilisers, as shown for liquid vinasse-based fertiliser which contained residues of pyralid, a herbicide used frequently in conventional sugar beet farming (e.g. McKinnon et al. 2021). In addition, the rapidly increasing demand for vegan products and the reduced consumption of meat for environmental reasons contributes to the importance of finding alternatives to animal-derived fertilisers in general. We also addressed other soil-related contentious inputs in Work Package 5 in Organic-PLUS: Within Deliverable 5.1 the current use of peat in growing media, plastic for mulch films and fertilisers in organic agriculture was assessed, followed by a report discussing possible alternatives to these contentious inputs (Deliverable 5.2). The topics of peat in growing media and biodegradable plastic for mulching made from renewable materials have been described in separate deliverables (D5.8; D5.9; D5.10; D5.11). For alternative fertilisers, several trials have been conducted with funding from Organic-PLUS in five countries: Norway (NORSØK), UK (CU), Denmark (ICOEL), Poland (CUT) and Germany (UHOH). In work package SOIL, Task 5.4 “Examination of promising alternatives, fertilisers” the trials investigated the use of the alternative fertilisers in the open field, protected cropping and in pot trials in organic vegetable production and in arable farming. For some trials, fertiliser effects were assessed for the main crop and the residual effects were tested in subsequent crops. In Task 5.4, we have collaborated to produce two deliverables, D5.6 and 5.7, where D5.6 is a summary paper describing the output of the fertiliser trials. As outlined this deliverable (D5.7) is a technical report describing some essential characteristics of the fertiliser materials which were tested at different locations in Europe and reported in deliverable (5.6). To structure a scientific discussion about the future fertilisation inorganic agriculture, we have developed three categories to classify the fertilisers applied in Organic-PLUS: URBAN, VEGAN, and RESID: URBAN fertilisers are defined as materials which contribute to close the rural-urban nutrient and organic matter cycles by recycling resources derived from agricultural land, via urban food systems and back to the land. A relevant example which has been intensively studied in Organic-PLUS is digestate from source-separated organic household waste, which is used for biogas production by anaerobic digestion. These fertilisers are available in several European countries at the level of a municipality.

Pitch til ICROFS (International center for forskning i økologisk jordbrug og fødevaresystemer) forskerworkshop inden for det overordnede emne: "Produktionssystemer - robusthed og reduktion af emissioner"

Presentation of research group mission, project aim and background problem at the World Food Summit conference.

The project “Algae fibre for soil improvement” (FIMO) was conducted at NORSØK during 2021-22, to investigate how residual material from the production of seaweed extracts at a nearby industry, Algea AS in Kristiansund, may be applied as a soil amendment. The residue, called algae fibre, is a black paste with about 30% dry matter. The content of carbon is about 30%, and algae fibre also contains plant macronutrients such as potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and sulphur (S). However, the material has a high pH (about 9), contains potentially toxic elements («heavy metals»), and has a high concentration of sodium (Na), which can pose a challenge for plant growth. The high content of K may also challenge a balanced uptake of minerals in crop plants. Algae fibre from Algea is currently being incinerated. Soil applied for potato cultivation is intensively tilled, which may decrease the content of soil organic matter. In such soil, increased content of organic matter may increase the water storage capacity, reduce the mechanical resistance during soil tillage and be positive for soil living organisms. Can algae fibre be applied to increase the content of organic matter in soils which require such amendment? To investigate this overarching question, we carried out activities in five specific tasks (1-5): 1. To describe and quantify how algae fibre performs as a soil amendment. 2. To study how addition of algae fibre to soil affects the content of minerals (Na, K, As, Cd) in potatoes and grass. 3. To study if algae fibre can reduce problems caused by presence of black scurf fungi in the soil (a common disease in potato). 4. To propose a strategy for safe application of algae fibre based on the content of minerals (Na, K, As, Cd) in soil and algae fibre. 5. To communicate new knowledge to relevant end-users. Two field experiments established in former projects were applied for the FIMO studies. Algae fibre and other marine materials were applied as fertilisers in these experiments in 2019 or 2020. During 2021, several investigations were carried out in field and laboratory. Yields were recorded in ley in the experiment established in 2019, and potatoes and oats were grown with yield recordings in the field experiment established in 2020. For several soil characteristics such as respiration, water storage capacity and biology, the effect of previous application of algae fibre (AF) was studied. For comparison, experimental treatments not receiving any fertiliser (K0), or receiving dried poultry manure (GO) in 2019 (or 2020), were applied. Alga fibre applied in 2019 or 2020 had a significant positive effect on the growth of subsequent crops in 2021. The second-year grass-clover ley established in 2019 gave 5 tons of dry matter (DM) per hectare over two cuts in 2021 in the non-fertilised control, K0. Treatments fertilised by GO and AF in 2019 gave 9.1 and 16 tons of DM per hectare. Potatoes grown in 2021 gave 29 tons of tubers per hectare for K0, 42 tons for GO and 47 for AF. One of four replicate blocks in the 2020-experiment was used for the growing of oats in 2021. This crop was harvested as green fodder. Here, the yields did not vary significantly between the treatments, possibly due to a shorter growing period than for potatoes. K0 yielded 6.3 tons of DM per hectare, AF 6.6 and GO 7.0. The application of algae fibre increased soil concentrations of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) but did not increase the content of these elements in potato tubers. In oats, the As-concentration was higher in AF (50 µg per kg DM) than in GO and K0 (7 and 3 µg per kg DM), while the concentration of Cd showed an opposite pattern with 49 µg per kg DM in K0, 47 in GO, and 18 µg per kg DM in AF. The concentration of Na was higher in oats in AF. In potatoes, the concentrations of magnesium and K were slightly higher in AF. Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) commonly accumulate in soil, and hence, the application of such elements in fertilisers and soil amendments should be controlled and restricted. The national law on pollution states that the concentration of As in soil should not exceed 8 mg per kg dry soil. The national law on fertilisers and soil amendments of organic origin has no upper limit for As, but states that the concentrations of copper and nickel should not exceed 50% of the limits described in the law on pollution. Following the same logic for As, the concentration in dry soil should not exceed 4 mg per kg. From the current average concentration of As in soil typically applied for potato cultivation in the area studied here, 350 tons of algae fibre DM may be applied per hectare to reach this limit (if we assume that all As is accumulated in soil). However, the concentration of Cd in algae fibre categorises this material as a class II soil amendment product according to the law on fertilisers etc. Class II materials may be applied to agricultural soil with up to 20 tons of DM per hectare over a period of 10 years. With 25% DM, 20 tons of dry algae fibre corresponds to 80 tons of fresh material. One ton of algae fibre DM contains about 920 kg of K, which is much more than a potato crop requires. Hence, the amount of alga fibre needs to be adapted towards the smallest amount which may possibly be evenly spread with equipment for spreading of solid animal manure. A trial to study the effect of algae fibre mixed with soil from Sunndal infested with black scurf on the germination of potatoes was hampered by application of too large proportions of algae fibre, which formed a crust on the soil surface that may have hampered the germination. Soil respiration measured in the soil mixtures revealed that respiration increased significantly and rapidly with application of algae fibre to the soil. In soil amended with algae fibre, the pH increased, and we also found increased concentrations of ammonium acetate-lactate (AL) soluble K, Mg, calcium (Ca) and Na, and of As and Cd. Water storage capacity was not affected. Loss on ignition, which is a measure of soil organic material content, did not increase. However, the initial content of soil organic matter on the experimental site was high; 9-12%. The concentration of active carbon was lower in AF than in GO in 2021. The soil respiration (a proxy for microbial activity) and the numbers and groups of springtails measured in field in 2021 was higher in AF than in GO and K0 but the differences were not statistically significant. The density of springtails was considerably higher in AF, both for coloured species active on the soil surface and for white species dwelling in the topsoil, but the differences were not statistically significant. Bait lamina sticks were observed over time to record the «grazing» activity of soil fauna. Most bait was removed from the sticks in AF and K0, while the reduction of bait was significantly smaller in GO. For interpretation of soil biology studies, we must consider that fertilisers may affect the soil fauna directly, but also indirectly via the effect on plant production. We could not find any results pointing to a negative effect of algae fibre on the soil fauna. Overall, the FIMO project has shown that algae fibre can be applied as a soil amendment for potatoes and other agricultural crops. In the soil which was applied for the FIMO field experiments, we did not find any increase in the content of soil organic matter. The content of PTEs in soil needs investigation for safe application of soil amendments in class I or II. The project should be followed up by a field experiment to test application of algae fibre in practice, on soil with less organic material than in the present study, to find practical ways of spreading the material in field and to study how the plants and some key species of soil organisms react. Further investigations are also required to reveal whether algae fibre may increase the content of organic matter in soil where the initial content is low. Even if algae fibre as such may be rapidly decomposed in soil, increased plant growth may increase the amount of plant roots, which may increase the amount of relatively stable soil organic matter. High scores for soil biological activity in several tests indicate a positive effect that calls for further studies.

Although input use in organic agriculture is strictly regulated, and significantly less contentious inputs are applied in organic than in conventional farming systems, copper, mineral oil, external nutrient input, anthelmintics, antibiotics and vitamins are still commonly used among organic farmers in the EU, partly due to the scarce availability of alternative products and the difficulty of implementing preventive strategies. Moreover, besides the direction set by the European Commission’s organic regulation, only a handful of policy instruments exist at national levels to reduce the use of these contentious inputs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of the RELACS EU-funded project about the current use of copper, mineral oils, external nutrient inputs, anthelmintics, antibiotics and vitamins in organic farming in the EU. The paper is based on six internal reports developed in RELACS which relied on international surveys, in-depth interviews, multiple case study methods, database-based calculations, secondary data sources, plus a survey independent from the reports to map existing policy instruments and voluntary initiatives in the EU aiming to reduce the use of the six input categories. As a result, the paper gives a comprehensive overview of the current consumption of the six contentious inputs within the organic sector, highlighting potential alternative strategies in the pipeline, available preventive measures and the willingness of farmers towards adopting these solutions. It also informs about specific policy instruments already in force, as well as about ongoing voluntary initiatives to reduce contentious inputs. Due to the current dependence of organic farming systems on the six categories of contentious inputs, any sudden phase-out or ban on their usage would do more harm than good to the organic sector. Therefore, gradual, data-driven reduction measures are needed, which require significant further investments in targeted research, and in policy support measures, with the active involvement of agricultural stakeholders.

The Danish outdoor sow herds are efficient systems with low antibiotic usages and an important brand for Danish organic agriculture, but high risk of nutrient losses from the pastures challenge the production. A part of the solution is to implement trees in the paddocks, but inventive thinking regarding the paddock design and management is needed to increase the economic and environmental benefits of the trees.

A sustainably intensified (SI) organic vegetable rotation, employing plant-based fertilizers, more crops, reduced tillage, and cover crops was compared to common practice (CP) where plants were fertilized with animal manure, typically one crop was grown per season, soil was plowed and often left bare over winter. Second and third-year results are presented. Nitrogen (N) input obtained within the rotation from N 2 fixed by legume cover crops was higher under SI (34% potential self-sufficiency) than CP (5%). Marketable yields of cabbage, celeriac, leek, lettuce, and onion were similar, and aboveground dry matter increased by 16% under SI (8.6 Mg ha −1) compared to CP (7.5 Mg ha −1). Nitrogen use efficiency (N output/ N input) was 8–16% higher under SI compared to CP, mainly due to the full year clover. Nitrogen surface balance (N input–N output) was higher for SI compared to CP, indicating increased N leaching risk under SI. Short season and shallow-rooted crops under SI left more mineral N to 2.5 m depth in autumn than deeper-rooted crops under CP. Cover crops indicated to mitigate N leaching risk. Vegetable production can be intensified sustainably using more yielding crops, cover crops, reduced tillage, and plant-based fertilizers.

Systematic separation of cow and calf early after calving is common practice in both organic and conventional dairy farming. The main objective of this paper was to develop different scenarios for dam-calf contact and quantify their effects on milk uptake by the calf and environmental sustainability of the produced milk and meat from these systems. Scenarios were set up of organic dairy systems to analyse the effect of different dam-calf systems with either half-time or full-time contact between cow and calf for 28, 51 or 91 days. Based on experience from practice and literature, we assumed a total milk uptake of 1,110 kg ECM milk with part-time contact and 1,207 kg ECM milk with full-time contact over 91 days. These scenarios were compared to traditional calf rearing systems with direct separation after birth and milk feeding from a bucket with low or high milk feeding levels of 460 and 630 kg ECM, respectively, in the first 91 days. The scenarios were analysed at a milk production level of 9,000 kg ECM per cow per year and with a sensitivity analysis covering yield levels of 7,000, 11,000 and 13,000 kg ECM per cow per year. At a production level of 9,000 kg ECM per year and full-time dam-calf contact throughout the milk period, only 85% of the milk produced could be delivered to the dairy company, compared to 93% when a low-level of milk is fed from a bucket. This means that there were fewer kg products to bear the environmental impacts, and hence the carbon footprint and land use from production per kg of ECM milk and meat sold was increased by between 5 and 9%, while the corresponding increase in impact at the highest yield level of 13,000 kg ECM was only between 4 and 6%. Besides environmental sustainability of cow-calf contact systems, the broader context of such systems need to be analysed including animal welfare and the economic effect for the farmer.

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are a powerful tool for plant image analysis, but challenges remain in making them more accessible to researchers without a machine-learning background. We present RootPainter, an open-source graphical user interface based software tool for the rapid training of deep neural networks for use in biological image analysis. We evaluate RootPainter by training models for root length extraction from chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) roots in soil, biopore counting, and root nodule counting. We also compare dense annotations with corrective ones that are added during the training process based on the weaknesses of the current model. Five out of six times the models trained using RootPainter with corrective annotations created within 2 h produced measurements strongly correlating with manual measurements. Model accuracy had a significant correlation with annotation duration, indicating further improvements could be obtained with extended annotation. Our results show that a deep-learning model can be trained to a high accuracy for the three respective datasets of varying target objects, background, and image quality with < 2 h of annotation time. They indicate that, when using RootPainter, for many datasets it is possible to annotate, train, and complete data processing within 1 d.

Cover crops had shown a potential to improving carbon sequestration in soil and environmental quality, but these beneficial effects can be modulated by precipitation conditions. In this paper was evaluated the effectiveness of three cover crops on soil chemical properties and weed suppression. The experiments were performed on cambic chernozem soil from NARDI Fundulea Romania in two contrasting years regarding the amount of precipitation. Three cover crops were studied. The cover crop consisting of peas + triticale has increased more soil carbon content and infestation with weeds were lower as compared with cover crop consisting of peas or triticale. The differences concerning carbon sequestration, soil organic carbon, carbon to nitrogen ratio, weed suppression were influenced also by level of precipitations from experimental site. Cover crops were slow to impact C/N ratio of soil. In contrast, the floristic composition, and the degree of weed infestation were very significantly influenced by the composition of the cover crops. The use of cover crop mixtures offered an additional benefit to weed suppression that of individual cover crops.

IntroductionThis research has been aimed at evaluating the effects of live black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) (Hermetia illucens) on the growth, slaughtering performance, and blood parameters of medium-growing chickens.MethodsA total of 240, 28-day-old, Label Rouge Naked Neck chickens were allotted to four experimental groups, according to the gender (males-females) and to the absence (control group, C) or presence (larvae group, L) of a dietary supplementation with 10% live BSFL, on the basis of the expected average daily feed intake (ADFI) (6 replicates/diet, 10 chickens/replicate). The birds were weighed weekly, and the feed consumption was recorded to calculate the average live weight, feed conversion ratio (FCR), average daily gain (ADG), and the ADFI. At 82 days of age, 2 birds/replicate (12 birds/diet) were selected and slaughtered. The blood samples were collected, and the carcass traits (carcass, breast, thigh, and organ weights and yields) were assessed.Results and discussionsOverall, the administered live BSFL did not impair the growth and slaughtering performance, or the blood traits, while the C females showed a better FCR than the treated ones (P < 0.05). The live BSFL consumption time was longer for the females than for the males (P < 0.001). The weight of the immune organs (spleen and bursa of Fabricius) increased as the live BSFL supplementation increased (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the provision of live BSFL reduced the gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT, U/l) activity content in the blood (P < 0.05). Finally, both the leukocytes (%) and the monocytes (%) were more abundant in the C groups than in the larvae ones (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). In short, the supplementation of live BSFL can be used successfully as an environmental enrichment, without affecting the growth performance of male birds. Furthermore, the immune organ activity could be enhanced by the provision of live BSFL.

The Sureveg project is a international consortium funded by CORE Organic Cofund devoted to foster biodiversity (above and below ground) by using new agricultural practices related to crop association in a strip-crop scheme, and applitying digital technologies (robotics, sensorics)for a organic sustainable production.

The POWER project aimed to examine the effectiveness of innovations and best practice in achieving improved pig welfare, we also undertook an assessment of their environmental performance. Utilizing a life cycle approach, 13 breeding and 9 finishing systems were assessed against four environmental impact categories, including greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution and water scarcity. Following data collection on the farms, data was consistency checked and processed through a farm system model, before a life cycle impact assessment was undertaken. For the breeding systems, there was a large range in values, reflecting the diversity of systems. Enterprises with lower impacts generally comprised outdoor systems, with high sow productivity and less use of external feedstuffs. For the finishing systems, the range in environmental impacts was less, but again influenced by the time pigs were housed for, and the reliance on feed source and also the feeding period. Across all countries, the housing of pigs created additional GHG emissions from manure storage, versus those from pigs at pasture. Reliance on external feed sources also trended towards greater air pollution emissions and water usage, though this may be in part due to reliance on global impact databases for external inputs. Overall, the LCA indicated lower emissions from productive, outdoor housed breeding and finishing systems, but also lacks the ability to assess non-quantitative aspects of traditional systems that rely on local breeds that are less productive, but provide cultural and other public goods.

It is a bit of a compromise to start WLCs early enough for a good establishment and harvesting the last tomatoes. Our tomato crop was terminated 03 October and WLCs sown or planted 10 October. Most crops were better sown in plugs and planted out as conditions in autumn were inappropriate for good germination and seedling establishment. A few crops like Mizuna, brown mustard and winter purslane can be sown if a good seedbed is prepared. Under Danish conditions light is the limiting factor and plants are hardly growing from end-November until mid-February. The winter 2019/2020 was mild with only few hours of sun. Alternative: supplemental LED! Promising alternative WLCs to Asian greens/winter purslane/lettuce are peas, spinach (if a large leaved cultivar is chosen), celtuce (if night interruption is introduced) + pointed cabbage. The difference in tomato yields between INN2 and BAU decreased in the second year due to diseases for plants in the BAU system

It is a bit of a compromise to start WLCs early enough for a good establishment and harvesting the last tomatoes. Our tomato crop was terminated 03 October and WLCs sown or planted 10 October. Most crops were better sown in plugs and planted out as conditions in autumn were inappropriate for good germination and seedling establishment. A few crops like Mizuna, brown mustard and winter purslane can be sown if a good seedbed is prepared. Under Danish conditions light is the limiting factor and plants are hardly growing from end-November until mid-February. The winter 2019/2020 was mild with only few hours of sun. Alternative: supplemental LED! Promising alternative WLCs to Asian greens/winter purslane/lettuce are peas, spinach (if a large leaved cultivar is chosen), celtuce (if night interruption is introduced) + pointed cabbage. The difference in tomato yields between INN2 and BAU decreased in the second year due to diseases for plants in the BAU system

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of two different rotation programs on the crop yields and feed value (chemical composition and metabolizable energy values) in organic cottonseed cultivation. The crops used in the Rotation-I were Persian clover-silage maize, vetch/triticale mix stand-cotton (cottonseed) during 2014-2015 and 2016-2017. Rotation-II crops were: vetch/triticale mix stand-cotton (cottonseed), Persian clover-silage maize, during 2014-2015 and 2016-2017. The study was carried out in 2 different matched systems with 4 replications in the Menemen Plain in the Aegean Region of Turkey. In Rotation-I, significant differences in crop yield were found for Persian clover, maize silage and cottonseed with an increase of 3050 kg ha-1, 31740 kg ha-1 and 530 kg ha-1 between 2014-2015 and 2016-2017, respectively (p

At the Organic World COngress 2021 (Rennes, France) a Workshop about the SUREVEG project was held to rise awareness about strip croppping, biodiversity and smart machines

In precision agriculture (PA), vegetation indices (VI) are commonly used to evaluate the health of crops with the use of multi-spectral cameras. These are often mounted on drones and used at high altitudes, where the translation of focal points and subsequent changes in perspective do not pose any difficulties. In proximal sensing, however, these translations and distortions pose a significant challenge on data processing. In this work, a Parrot Sequoia camera was mounted at a fixed height of 1.2 m and used at 3 sec and 1.5 sec intervals on an organic strip-cropping field beneath. Reference imaging revealed that the multi-spectral lenses suffer from significant barrel distortion of 30%, while the higher resolution RGB lens has a barely distinguishable 1% pincushion distortion. The subsequent field images were stitched together using an open-source panorama software to automatically detect and correct distortions. The resulting mosaics were then shifted to correct the relative position of the separate lenses, allowing for VI calculation with mm accuracy. This method allows for analysing single plants for inter-crop and even intra-crop variation, allowing the automation of tasks in an organic multicrop environment.

In the biogas industry, feedstock plans are used to estimate methane production and nutrient content in the digestate, however, these predictions do not consider the mineralized nitrogen fraction of the feedstock, which is useful when determining the quality of the digestate. In this study, the artificial fiber bag technique, which is commonly used to study feedstock degradation in ruminants, was implemented in anaerobic digestion to quantify mineralization of N and S. The artificial fiber bags were used to enclose substrates but with access to inoculum because of small pores in the bags, thereby enabling digestion. The content of the bags was analyzed before and after digestion to quantify residual mass as well as N and S concentration in the substrate. The method was validated through batch anaerobic digestion of a single substrate with and without bags, where the bags showed little influence on methane production and degradation. Semi-continuous anaerobic digestion experiments showed higher substrate degradation and higher N and S release at thermophilic conditions using four different types of feedstocks and proved useful for solid feedstocks but less so for semi-solid feedstock. For N, most of the mineralization occurred during the first 15 days over a trial of 30 days.

The increasing demand of organic vegetables has driven conventional farmers to change their businesses in order to develop organic methods for cultivation and the use of alternative techniques to avoid damaging the soil and the quality of the products. In some cases, to enhance biodiversity and soil fertility, crops are established in a mixed pattern called ‘strip cropping’ where single or dual lines of a given species are alternated with a second compatible species, with the aim to enhance resilience, system sustainability, local nutrient recycling, and soil carbon storage. However, this husbandry of crops grown and mixed in a strip design pose new challenges regarding mechanisation, which in many cases can only be overcome by increasing human tasks. To counteract the additional labour of a multi-crop system, one of the main objectives of the ‘Sureveg’ CORE Organic Cofund ERA-Net European project is to evaluate the benefits of growing in alternate rows for the production of organic vegetables and includes the use of robots as a tool to facilitate the automation of the process, allowing the individual treatment of organic fertilization at plant level. Within the project framework a modular proof-of-concept version has been produced, combining several sensing technologies (3x LiDAR, plus a multispectral RGB-NIR camera) with actuation in the form of a robotic arm operating upside down. The present work describes a method to develop fertilization tasks with recycled organic waste in strip-cropping farms, based on detection of plant species (cabbage) using and liquid fertilizer application with a robot. For that, it is necessary to identify the crop (variable in the rows) and place the robot with respect to the plants to apply the product. Test fields were located at ETSIAAB - UPM (40°26’33.1"N, 3°43’41.9"W) where stripped crops were established and monitored along the growing season. In order to detect autonomously each single plant, point clouds of the three LiDAR units were combined, soil was removed applying a weighted threshold, and plants were identified using clustering and convolutional neural network methodologies. To trigger the actuation system, the decision on which plant had to be sprayed with the liquid fertilizer was taken according to two factors: 1) the estimated volume of every single plant, and 2) the multispectral indexes calculated using the RGB-NIR camera. The prototype is fully functional, and further test are needed to quantify its performance

The FreeBirds project has generated more insight in the relation between birds’ free-range use and health and welfare of layers and broilers, as well as to the consequences for the nutrient load of the soil. Furthermore, health and welfare of different strains of layers and broilers in organic systems was we investigated. In both broiler chickens and layers there was considerable individual variation in range use, and those “consistent rangers” could be distinguished from “inconsistent rangers”, who only visited the range on some days. Furthermore, it was found that broilers walked longer distances in the willow zone than in the grass zone of the range, which may indicate that the birds preferred the willow. When studying the ranging of layers, most of hens were found in the barn, but they also visited the other areas frequently. No relationships were found between welfare problems and range use in individuals. Manure and soil samples were analysed for parasite egg from 40 farms in Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands. Eggs from Ascaridia/Heterakis, the most common roundworms, were found in 71% of the farms. Furthermore, eggs from Capillaria (commonly called hair worm) were found in 7% of the manure samples. Very low levels or no parasite eggs were found in the soil samples in all countries. No relationship was found between parasite infection and free-range use, production or mortality in the hens. Flocks that had been treated with anti-parasite drugs had the same levels of parasites compared to the non-treated flocks. Nutrient load of the soil was studied in Italy and Belgium. On the Italian farms, high values were found for nitrate and phosphorus, and the highest concentrations were found close to the house and then in the superficial layer of the soil. Furthermore, differences were found in concentrations of total nitrogen and organic carbon in the surface soil layers and deeper layers. A decrease in soil pH was found in all the farms when sampling was moved away from the houses. In the Belgian farm outdoor runs with willow were found to have more mineralised nitrogen, than runs with hazelnut. This was probably due to that the runs with hazelnut had a regular grass mowing between the trees, and mowing was not performed in the runs with willow. The studies on the suitability of different strains of laying hens and broilers for organic production revealed that there were differences between hybrids regarding welfare and production. The Polish studies showed that the local broiler breed, Green-Legged Partridge, was more robust than the Sasso hybrid, and thereby more suitable for outdoor systems. In the Turkish study, white Atabey hens had higher egg production and a better feed utilisation than brown Atak-S hens. The Danish study found that Bovans Brown layers were either superior or equal to DeKalb White layers (DW) regarding all bird welfare and egg quality indicators. Furthermore, shelters in the range were highly used by the layers, and they seemed even more important for DW birds. The Swedish study found that gait score was significantly better in broilers in the outdoor range than in birds assessed indoors, although the number of chickens ranging at the time of visits was low in all flocks. The FreeBirds project suggest that in order to promote bird welfare, as well as, to mitigate nutrient accumulation, the birds should be encouraged to range more extensively. Furthermore, rotation of the free-range areas are strongly recommended, to reduce the soil nutrients and parasite eggs. Moreover, to decrease the nutrients the outdoor run should be used more extensively, and the ground cover close to the house could be covered with material that can be periodically removed and refreshed. It is important to note that both broiler and layer strains that are more suitable for organic production, in terms of welfare and range use, also are the strains that produce less.

Large volumes of residual materials are available from captured fish (cod, saithe and othe "white fish") in Norway.120 000 tons of material (backbones, heads etc) per year are not utilised. With 30% dry matter and 105 of DM as P, this may comprise about 3900 tons of P. Such an amount equals 25% of the total domestic application of P annually, in animal manure and mineral fertilisers. Fishbone material applied as fertiliser has immediate positive effect on plant growth, and significant effect on extractable soil P.

Third report (deliverable). The partners, University of Hohenheim (UHOH, Germany, coordinator of the work package (WP), INHORT (Institute of Horticulture, Poland), LAIM (Research Centre Laimburg, Italy) and FGI (Fruit Growing Institute, Bulgaria), continued their work in WP4. In designing the field trials in this WP, each partner (FGI, INHORT, UHOH) focused on alternative fertilizers and waste materials present in the different regions of the trial location. In addition, each partner used a control plot with zero fertilization and a plot fertilized with horn grit or animal manure as a control.

Extensive ruminant farming systems often face fluctuating pasture availability, resulting in two periods with very different forage quality. Tannins are natural bioactive compounds able to modify ruminants’ digestive metabolism thanks to their bioactive properties. To evaluate a differential effect of tannins in different feeding situations, according to the availability of pasture along the year, an in vitro rumen incubation trial was performed. Buffered sheep rumen content was incubated in vitro with two different substrates, vetch pasture (VP) and vetch hay (VH), in the presence of two different tannin extracts, from quebracho (QUE) and a mixture of quebracho and chestnut tannins (MIX). Each of the tannin extract was tested at 0, 15 and 30 g of tannin/kg DM. The gas production was determined at 3.5 and 24 h of fermentation. After 24 h in anaerobic conditions, volatile fatty acids (VFA), ammonia and fatty acids (FA) were analysed. Interesting significative two-way interactions with different tannin extracts were observed in some fermentation parameters. Adding MIX to VH treatment resulted in a higher depression (P < 0.050) of ammonia production and iso-VFA proportions, compared to QUE supplementation, while no differences were observed in VP treatment. QUE was more effective than MIX (P < 0.050) in reducing acetate/propionate ratio when supplemented to VH treatment. However, the MIX treatment showed a higher increase (P < 0.050) of CO2/CH4 ratio after 24 h of incubation when supplemented at 30 g/kg, compared to QUE treatment. MIX and QUE exerted similar effects on rumen biohydrogenation. Tannin extracts decreased the rumenic/linoleic acid ratio and iso-FA proportions (P < 0.050) only when added to the VH treatment. These results demonstrate that tannin extracts are more effective in modulating rumen metabolism when associated with a hay-based diet. Also, the MIX treatment was more effective in protecting proteins from ruminal degradation, a key point in grazing periods. Therefore, extensive husbandry could benefit from different strategies for using dietary tannin extracts according to season and pasture availability.

Cover crop (CC) mixtures including both legume and non-legume species have the potential to reduce nitrate leaching and increase N availability in the system through biological N2 fixation (BNF). However, the provision of multiple services depends on the biomass expression of functionally diverse species. Cover crop growth can be manipulated through management, but more knowledge is needed on species expression, and the effects on nitrate leaching and BNF. We investigated this in a long-term organic crop rotation experiment, where an undersown legume-based CC mixture, composed of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), chicory (Chicorium intybus L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), was grown under different cropping system and fertility management in three consecutive years. We found a linear complementary relation between legume and non-legume biomass when CC growth was the greatest. Non-legume biomass was high under non-N-limiting conditions, while legume biomass and N input via BNF were high where the risk of nitrate leaching was low, as shown by the low and stable nitrate leaching above a threshold of 0.4 Mg clover DM ha−1. Above this threshold, the percentage of N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) was high and stable (91 %), while lower and more variable with lower legume biomass. Overall, our results show that legume-based CC mixtures are self-regulating in terms of nitrate leaching reduction and N input via BNF.

Porject aim:: To reduce nutrient losses and emissions from organic sow herds by implementing trees in noveldesigns/conceptsto: - Increase nutrient uptakes by the trees - Increase nutrient removal (tree material) - Add value to the ‘occupied’ land area -> to encourage more farmers to implement trees And to improve biodiversity and carbon sequestration while maintaining the animal benefits of adopting trees… 1. Climate and environment 2. Biodiversity 3. Health and welfare

This POWER Practice Abstract recommends the use of automatic scrapers for reduced ammonia emissions, which remove manure daily or several times per day if needed. Daily scraping of the toilet area during the summer considerably decreases ammonia emissions, compared to scraping 1-3 times a week, since a dry and clean area has hardly to no detectable ammonia emissions.

To get more detailed information on nutrient budgets in organic apple orchards, a case study was conducted in the Alte Land region (Lower Saxony, Germany). Semi-structured inter-views with organic apple growers and soil analyses of selected orchard sites were performed in order to verify how the fertilization practices affect the level of soil nutrients. The test of several alternative sources of organic fertilizers was carried out in field trials on organic apple located in Switzerland (FIBL), Italy (LAIM), Bulgaria (FGI), Poland (IN-HORT) and Germany (UHOH). As production intensities differed between the locations, different target N levels were applied by the project partners. In addition, since the sources of alternative fertilizers differ depending on the European region, the choice of the fertilizers was based on the product availability for local farmers. In Germany, for instance, access to com-mercially produced biogas digestates and composts is easy for organic growers, but this is not the case in Bulgaria. However, a common standard fertilizer, horn grit, was used on all sites in addition to an unfertilized control to allow for a multi-site comparison. At FGI, INHORT and UHOH field trials in intensive apple orchards were done for two (FGI) or three years (INHORT, UHOH), testing the fertilizers under conditions of local cultivation practices. Moreover, in order to better understand the N dynamics, incubation (LAIM) and pot trials (FIBL, LAIM) were carried out.

The report provides guidelines for the development and implementation of fertilization strategies using alternative fertilizers in intensive organic apple orchards based on the findings of the DOMINO project. It shall be noted that further scientific journal contributions will be published to provide a more detailed insight of the findings of our project. The current guidelines aim to provide strategies for a site-specific adoption of fertilization strategies for alternative fertilizers.

Improving or maintaining soil health is crucial to support human needs, with the concept of soil quality connecting soil functions and sustainability concerns. In 2019, we assessed soil chemical, physical and biological properties in a long-term crop rotation experiment initiated in 1997 at Foulum, Denmark, with the aim of determining the long-term soil quality effects of the use of cover crops, animal manure, different crop sequences (with or without a legume-based ley) and organic vs conventional management. The concentration of soil organic carbon has been relatively stable across all treatments for 14 years prior to this investigation; in 2019, we found high aggregate stability, porosity, air permeability and pore organization in all treatments. Bulk density, air permeability and pore organization were affected to some extent by soil and crop management, with bulk density being the lowest in the organic treatment without cover crops, which had the most frequent harrowing. Earthworm density was the greatest in the organic system with grass-clover, especially following the ley year, thanks to a combination of high quality plant input and reduced soil disturbance. From a system perspective, none of the treatments investigated represented extremes, and all maintained good soil quality in the long-term. This indicates that long-term management should take into account the combination of different factors affecting soil quality.

Organic production in Europe is currently dependent on the input of fertilisers derived from conventional agriculture, such as farmyard manure, slurry and fertilisers derived from slaugther residues. A significant part of the nutrient flows in our food systems goes in one direction, from land to sea, via sewage and leaching. Harvesting marine organisms for fertilisation or utilising residual materials e.g. from fish industry as fertilisers, may close such nutrient gaps and promote active cycling of nutrients. At NORSØK, we are studying the use of algae fibre from seaweed (rich in potassium (K), magnesium and sulphur) and fishbones (rich in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and calcium) as fertilisers. In a pot experiment with ryegrass (11 treatments, 4 replicates, 5 harvests), high yields were produced with fishbones, and the short-term N availability was much higher than for mineral N fertiliser. The same result was confirmed in a field experiment with dried poultry manure as control treatment (1 fertilisation level, 5 fertilisers, 4 replicates, random block design), and an outdoor pot experiment (2 fertilisation levels, 5 fertilisers, 4 replicates, random block design). Plants with a long period of nutrient uptake benefited from algae fertiliser. However, seaweeds contain significant amounts of arsenic (As), and easily available K may impact a balanced mineral content in the food or feed products. Excess P in the fishbones may cause eutrophication of this fertiliser is applied to cover N demands of the crop. Research is needed to make a well-balanced commercial fertiliser.

Det intensive DoubleCrop sædskifte med dyrkning af grønsager har bidraget med viden om anvendelse af efterafgrøder i det økologiske grønsagssædskifte. Der opnået en øget N-effektivitet i det intensive sædskifte, uden det har kostet udbytte.

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe strategies used by European dairy farmers with cow-calf contact (CCC) systems. Farms allowing at least 7 days CCC in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland were interviewed between September 2018 and January 2019 following a standardised questionnaire. In total, 104 interviews were included in the analysis; no CCC farms were identified in Poland. Average herd size was 53±59 (mean ± SD) cows. Dam rearing was practiced on 34% of farms, while 12% used foster cows, 28% used a mix of dam and foster cows and 23% first let the calves suckle their dam and then manually milk fed them. On 46% of farms, the calves had full day contact (except at milking), while 5% practiced half day CCC and 36% let the calves suckle at milking. Farmers perceived several benefits with keeping cow and calf together, including improved overall health (79% of farms) and weight gains (84%) in calves. Udder health in suckled cows was most often perceived as the same (40% of farms) or improved (38%) as in systems with early separation. Common drivers for using CCC systems were improved calf health, more natural farming system and increased labour efficiency. The most commonly stated barrier for implementing CCC was barn construction, while stress responses when separating cows and calves were observed by many farmers (87% of farms). The study suggests that there is a range of different strategies allowing CCC used on European farms, and identifies research regarding suitable housing during the suckling period and routines for cow-calf separation as key.