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Excessive Nitrate Limits the Sustainability of Deep Compost Mulch in Organic Market Gardening

Author

Listed:
  • Benjamin Ruch

    (Organic Farming and Cropping Systems, University of Kassel, Nordbahnhofstr. 1 a, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany)

  • Margita Hefner

    (Organic Farming and Cropping Systems, University of Kassel, Nordbahnhofstr. 1 a, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany)

  • André Sradnick

    (Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) e.V., Theodor-Echtermeyer-Weg 1, 14979 Großbeeren, Germany)

Abstract

Market gardening is a widespread practice of bio-intensive vegetable production characterized by direct marketing, small-scale farming structures, high crop densities, and innovative cultivation approaches. Currently, deep compost mulch (DCM) is a popular trend among related growing techniques. The combination of no-till and a permanent mulch of compost aims to improve soil fertility, regulate soil temperature, retain soil moisture, and control weeds. To address the problem of perennial weeds in organic no-till, deep mulch layers of typically 150 mm are used. The amount of compost required and the associated N inputs are immense and carry the risk of environmentally harmful N surpluses that can be lost through nitrate leaching or denitrification. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of compost as mulch and to investigate N dynamics under DCM. For this purpose, a literature review was conducted, and soil inorganic nitrogen (N min -N) was measured under on-farm conditions up to a soil depth of 900 mm in a market garden with DCM in Germany for one year. Furthermore, based on the collected data, the different N pathways were calculated using the N-Expert and NDICEA models and simulated for two additional scenarios. Results from field measurements showed a strongly increased N-surplus not taken up by the crops and a shift of N min -N to deeper soil layers for municipal organic waste compost (MW), with an average accumulation of 466 kg N min -N ha −1 at 600–900 mm depth. N inputs from DCM can be significantly reduced by the use of green waste compost (GW) with low bulk density or wood waste compost (WW) with an additional high C/N ratio.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin Ruch & Margita Hefner & André Sradnick, 2023. "Excessive Nitrate Limits the Sustainability of Deep Compost Mulch in Organic Market Gardening," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-13, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:5:p:1080-:d:1150295
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Gabriella Rossi & Claudio Beni & Ulderico Neri, 2024. "Organic Mulching: A Sustainable Technique to Improve Soil Quality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-11, November.

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