{"id":3261,"date":"2023-09-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/?p=3261"},"modified":"2023-10-02T19:08:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T18:08:43","slug":"leys-can-offer-soil-health-boost-in-crop-rotations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/leys-can-offer-soil-health-boost-in-crop-rotations\/","title":{"rendered":"Leys can offer soil health boost in crop rotations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The use of grass-clover leys in rotation with arable crops has the potential to maintain and increase soil carbon stocks in northern Europe\u2019s agricultural landscapes, while improving soil\u2019s physical properties and fertility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With pressures on nitrogen fertiliser supply, the use of leys in both arable and mixed farming is attractive as an option for biological nitrogen fixation, which can in turn reduce costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a presentation at the Symposium of the European Grassland Federation, researchers from Norway and Sweden said that results from long-term studies<\/a> in their countries show links between the frequency of such leys in rotations and key soil qualities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A case for inclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The work tested a range of rotations, as well as approaches to fertiliser and tillage, but in particular, field experiments in Sweden showed that ley-cereal rotations increased soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks compared to simple cereal rotations, regardless of whether crop residues were removed or left to incorporate into the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBased on the findings from these long-term studies in Sweden, we can repeatably conclude that leys have positive effects on SOC and should be included as much as possible in crop rotations,\u201d the researchers wrote in a peer-reviewed paper accompanying the Symposium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tailoring rotations for impact<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norwegian work underlined the impact of leys on soil characteristics. Rotations including ley had higher aggregate stability and earthworm density compared to programmes using conventional tillage \u2014 but it was also apparent that the period covered by ley in rotations is crucial in bringing about desirable qualities and stable carbon concentrations in soil. The researchers recommended a recommendation of minimum 50% ley inclusion in rotations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe inclusion of leys in crop rotations had a positive impact on soil structure, SOC and soil biology. SOC concentrations and stocks generally increase with the frequency of leys in rotations,\u201d the scientists said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, 1 or 2 years of ley in rotations may not be sufficient to maintain SOC over time under Nordic conditions in soil with relatively high SOC content.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil starting point is key<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also pointed to evidence from Norway suggesting that it is easier to raise soil organic carbon levels in land with low initial carbon levels than with high\u2014a note of caution against unrealistic expectations for \u2018carbon farming\u2019<\/a> land management options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSite history\u2026determines whether a certain rotation or management will lead to increasing or decreasing soil organic carbon stocks in absolute terms,\u201d they stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis means that, although leys will accumulate more carbon in soils than cereal-dominated rotations, even ley-dominated systems may result in decreasing soil organic carbon stocks.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The use of grass-clover leys in rotation with arable crops has the potential to maintain and increase soil carbon stocks in northern Europe\u2019s agricultural landscapes, while improving soil\u2019s physical properties and fertility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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