EU Rotate-N
Development of a model based decision support system to optimise nitrogen use in Horticultural Rotations.
Links to Project websites:
- EU ROTATE-N (organic and non-organic vegetable rotations in the
EU)
http://www.hri.ac.uk/eurotate/index.htm
- ENVEG (previous project on EU vegetables)
http://www.hri.ac.uk/enveg/index.htm
Background
Most fresh vegetables within Europe are produced in intensive rotations which rely heavily on large inputs of nitrogen fertiliser or organic sources to maintain the yield and quality of produce demanded by its customers. Most field vegetable crops use nitrogen inefficiently and often leave large residues of nitrogen in the soil after harvest, which can cause irreparable damage to the soil, water and the environment.
This project will help EU member states to:
- minimise hazards to the environment by adopting consistent approaches to improved efficiency of nitrogen use for different production systems and climatic regions of Europe
- optimise production of quality horticultural crops while enhancing the economic sustainability of horticultural production within the EU.
The four year project is led by HRI Wellesbourne in the UK and started in
January 2003. HDRA is one of nine EU participants.
The project has the following five work packages:
- Compile and integrate recent theories and knowledge to extend functionality of an existing Nitrogen use Decision Support System.
- Evaluation of the effects of varying levels of N supply on product quality and farm income.
- Development of the revised Decision Support System
- Assess new Decision Support System for fitness of purpose across cropping rotations in Europe.
- Evaluation of agricultural strategies with respect to N losses and economics - Case studies using the Decision support System.
HDRA will be providing its expertise in both the agronomic and economic aspects of commercial organic horticulture and its close contacts with the organic horticultural sector into this project and will therefore contribute to all work packages. On the agronomic side, it will provide existing soil nutrient and yield data from organic vegetable crops and conduct trials to assess and validate the new models.
Economics input into the project
HDRA will be involved in leading work package two. This will involve collection
of data, in an agreed format, on the effects of varying supply of N on marketable
yields from each participant country. HDRA will create production response
curves in order to be able to relate nitrogen supply to farm gate value for
major crops grown in field vegetable rotations. HDRA will store this information
together with data on agronomic yields, market specifications, farm gate values
and relevant CAP strategies for use in WP5. HDRA will work closely with the
model developers in WP3 to ensure that it will be programmed in a way to take
account of agronomic and economic database above. In work package 5 HDRA will
advise in the selection of suitable case studies, especially those related
to organic production. Then it will be involved in the evaluation of the strategies
generated from the model, from an agronomic, economic and policy aspect.
HDRA
Ryton Organic Gardens
Coventry
Warwickshire
United Kingdom
CV8 3LG
Tel: +44 (0) 24 7630 3517
Fax: +44 (0) 24 7663 9229
Email: research@hdra.org.uk
Top of pageGarden Organic is the working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA).
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