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Crop production

Blichers Allé
Postbox 50
DK-8830 Tjele

Head of research unit:  Jørgen Christiansen
tel: +45 89991659
fax:


Profile

The research focuses on the interaction between soil, plants and climate with the objective of developing sustainable agricultural cropping systems. The cropping systems are studied with emphasis on different levels of inputs to the individual crops in the rotation. This contributes to the evaluation of overall consequences for production, economy and environment. The research focus in organic farming is on development of crop rotations and cropping systems with higher resource use efficiencies, production and quality and lower nitrogen losses. The research focus in conventional crop production is on development of non-inversion tillage systems, including quantification of nitrogen losses and greenhouse gas emissions for different tillage systems.

Algorithms are developed for fertiliser application in precision agriculture based on automatic measurements of plant and soil characteristics. Simulation models are developed for description of crop production and nutrient cycling at the field level aimed at use in farm level models. These simulation models are used to quantify nutrient losses from agriculture, and for assessment of the impact of climate change on agriculture and its impact on environment. New cropping systems are developed for adaptation to climate change and for reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

Research in forage crops includes developing and improving systems for forage feed for pig, including both silage and grazing. Research in grazing systems for cattle include both rotational grass and permanent grass, and the research is focused on grazing systems, which are economically feasible and environmentally acceptable. The research in energy and fibre crops (primarily Miscanthus and willow) is focused on production of high quality biomass with acceptable resources from genotype selection to crop growth and quality in the end-use. The quantification of the environmental effects of these cropping systems has high priority.