Green crops may offer a practical substitute for capturing and supplying nitrogen for vegetable production when fertilizer prices rise.
In the Tasman region, research is being conducted to estimate the nitrogen collected from green crops and determine the profitability for growers.
The nine-month study, one of 12 projects nationally to evaluate novel ideas, is funded by the Rural Professionals Fund.
Alternative nitrogen source: green crops
Bhupesh Talwar/Unsplash
Dom Ferretti, a market gardener, and former scientist will collaborate with Sjef Lamers, a sustainable nutrition consultant, to conduct the research on a Brightwater farm, as per Horti Daily.
However, no statistics from New Zealand demonstrated the effectiveness of alternating large-scale arable crops with green crops.
Due to the rising price of fertilizer, environmental rules and regulations, and an increase in rain events, according to Dom, the moment is ideal to start working on market gardening.
Nitrogen fixation is the process by which green plants take atmospheric nitrogen and pull it into the soil.
Dom claimed that vegetable growers might employ more plants like clover, which are used in pastoral farming, to fix nitrogen.
As the study progresses, several measures will be made to show what happens to the nitrogen, including whether it dissolves into the groundwater or remains in the soil profile.
The collection of that data, according to Dom, will reveal whether there is a need for additional study even though it will be outside the project's budget and timetable.
Green crops could be economically advantageous for growers to include if they offer renewable nitrogen to the soil.
However, growers will need to purchase seed that is cultivated in New Zealand and is readily available at a fair price.
For healthy growth and productivity, stone fruit trees need an adequate annual supply of nitrogen, a crucial ingredient for synthesizing amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, etc., as per Cooperative Extension.
Ammonium or nitrate are the main forms of nitrogen that are taken by fine roots.
The type of soil, pH, temperature, soil moisture level, and season can all have an impact on this uptake.
For the nitrogen in the leaves to be remobilized back into the tree before defoliation and stored as reserves that subsequently support bloom and initial canopy development the following spring, maintaining a healthy leaf canopy well after harvest should also be a goal.
Before the roots begin to absorb soil nitrogen, these reserves are depleted.
For trees that generate fruit, the producer's objective should be to strike the right balance through fertilizer to promote healthy leaf and tree growth without sacrificing fruit quantity or quality.
Spring canopy formation is hampered by insufficient nitrogen stocks from the preceding fall.
If this continues throughout the growing season, the yield will be decreased due to the limited growth of the leaves and shoots.
In the fall, premature defoliation is possible. While twigs will be stunted and seem spindly with a red-colored bark, symptomatic leaves might appear chlorotic (yellowish) with a reddish coloring.
Fruits may be bright red but are frequently tiny and have a weak flavor.
