Summary
This field trial evaluated nitrate leaching losses across seven contrasting pasture management systems in integrated crop-livestock farms on sandy soils in northwest Europe over three winter seasons. Despite intensive grazing, all treatments maintained nitrate concentrations below WHO safety thresholds, with grass-clover leys achieving both low leaching losses and high nitrogen yields, suggesting that strategic use of leys can mitigate environmental nitrogen losses whilst maintaining productivity in high-input dairy systems.
UK applicability
The findings are directly applicable to UK dairy and mixed farming systems, particularly in regions with sandy or free-draining soils where winter nitrogen leaching is a concern. The demonstrated effectiveness of grass-clover leys in reducing nitrate leaching aligns with UK water quality regulations and could inform agri-environment scheme design.
Key measures
Nitrate leaching losses (kg NO₃-N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹), annual herbage yields (t DM ha⁻¹), nitrogen yields (kg N ha⁻¹), nitrogen field balance, sward composition
Outcomes reported
The study measured nitrate leaching losses across seven pasture management systems over three winter periods, and quantified annual herbage yields and nitrogen yields in integrated animal-crop grazing systems. All treatments remained below WHO thresholds for nitrate leaching, with losses ranging from 2.1 to 19.6 kg NO₃-N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ depending on management type.
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