Mitigation practices and sustainable cropping systems

We study how soil and crop management practices influence nutrient and pesticide leaching under differing climate and soil conditions. Our overall objective is to develop effective mitigation practices to reduce losses from agriculture, which is why our research is carried out in close collaboration with the agricultural industry and public authorities.

Our research is carried out at different scales, from laboratory experiments and soil columns, to field experiments and entire catchments. Experiments are carried out on tile-drained fields with individually-monitored plots under conventional, organic and integrated farming systems. These studies aim to improve our understanding of long-term system responses and test practical mitigation strategies to reduce losses of nitrogen, phosphorus and pesticides in drainage water and surface runoff.  A large number of lysimeters representing different ‘benchmark’ soil types in Sweden have been collected in a lysimeter station located at the Ultuna campus, which enables detailed studies of the effects of soil properties and cropping systems on leaching. These outdoor field and lysimeters experiments are complemented by short-term process studies carried out in a laboratory micro-lysimeter set-up.

Research is also carried out in small catchment areas: we are currently studying the use of artificial ponds and wetlands for phosphorus sedimentation and developing methods for identifying critical source areas for phosphorus losses.

(Photo: Jenny Kreuger)