Hein Berge - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Hein Berge

Water Resources Research, 1995

The paper presents a robust Darcy-based one-dimensional soil water balance model (SAWAH) for simu... more The paper presents a robust Darcy-based one-dimensional soil water balance model (SAWAH) for simulating riceland hydrology. Experimental data from an upland rice toposequence showing highly variable groundwater and volumetric soil water contents θ ...

Although apparently the conservation of natural resources such as water and soil does not represe... more Although apparently the conservation of natural resources such as water and soil does not represent important concerns for our society, the evolution of the world population and the degradation of these resources pose a challenge to improving agricultural food production capacity and conserving, and in some cases restoring, the environmental quality. Unfortunately, the history contains numerous examples of abandonment of these resources (McNeill 1992, Montgomery 2007). Although most of the agronomic conservation practices have been known for millennia, their implementation has often been hindered by non-agricultural motives (Davis et al. 2012). The European project CATCH-C (ten Berge 2011) started last year with the aim of evaluating sustainable soil management practices and exploring the difficulties for their adoption, both at farm and institutional level, to overcome them in the near future. As a first step with that purpose, a selection of best management practices (BMPs) based ...

In spite of the great effort of scientific research exploring the influence of agricultural pract... more In spite of the great effort of scientific research exploring the influence of agricultural practices on soil quality, many aspects remain unclear, possibly precluding a more general adoption of the best management systems by farmers and land use planners. Among other causes of this knowledge gap, the wide variety of agricultural practices due to different climates, landforms, soils, and crop types make hard to find either a general best management system or at least common rules of larger applicability. Nevertheless the more important problem is that we usually consider soil as an invariant entity which does not change, or if it does, its changes are controlled. The purpose of this report is the discussion of the results of a meta-analysis of the effects of agricultural management practices on physical aspects of soil quality, throughout the published research data of countries of the central and western part of the European continent. Soil physical quality was evaluated through several indicators which were evaluated in the research reports found. The indicators were: bulk density, resistance to penetration, stability of aggregates, permeability and water and sediment yield. The results indicate that there are agricultural practices which could be classified as convenient, although their possible advantages are not always evident, as, for instance, direct drilling as compared to conventional tillage, where the farm operations induce a certain compaction not always alleviated in absence of tillage. To further explore some of the results, the evolution of some properties of a clay soil subject to a long term experiment in dry farming conditions in southern Spain is considered. The evolution of the soil properties must be taken into account, for a more precise evaluation of the efficiency of management practices.

PloS one, Jan 1, 2012

Mineral carbonation of basic silicate minerals regulates atmospheric CO 2 on geological time scal... more Mineral carbonation of basic silicate minerals regulates atmospheric CO 2 on geological time scales by locking up carbon. Mining and spreading onto the earth's surface of fast-weathering silicates, such as olivine, has been proposed to speed up this natural CO 2 sequestration ('enhanced weathering'). While agriculture may offer an existing infrastructure, weathering rate and impacts on soil and plant are largely unknown. Our objectives were to assess weathering of olivine in soil, and its effects on plant growth and nutrient uptake. In a pot experiment with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), weathering during 32 weeks was inferred from bioavailability of magnesium (Mg) in soil and plant. Olivine doses were equivalent to 1630 (OLIV1), 8150, 40700 and 204000 (OLIV4) kg ha 21 . Alternatively, the soluble Mg salt kieserite was applied for reference. Olivine increased plant growth (+15.6%) and plant K concentration (+16.5%) in OLIV4. At all doses, olivine increased bioavailability of Mg and Ni in soil, as well as uptake of Mg, Si and Ni in plants. Olivine suppressed Ca uptake. Weathering estimated from a Mg balance was equivalent to 240 kg ha 21 (14.8% of dose, OLIV1) to 2240 kg ha 21 (1.1%, OLIV4). This corresponds to gross CO 2 sequestration of 290 to 2690 kg ha 21 (29 10 3 to 269 10 3 kg km 22 .) Alternatively, weathering estimated from similarity with kieserite treatments ranged from 13% to 58% for OLIV1. The Olsen model for olivine carbonation predicted 4.0% to 9.0% weathering for our case, independent of olivine dose. Our % values observed at high doses were smaller than this, suggesting negative feedbacks in soil. Yet, weathering appears fast enough to support the 'enhanced weathering' concept. In agriculture, olivine doses must remain within limits to avoid imbalances in plant nutrition, notably at low Ca availability; and to avoid Ni accumulation in soil and crop. Citation: ten Berge HFM, van der Meer HG, Steenhuizen JW, Goedhart PW, Knops P, et al. (2012) Olivine Weathering in Soil, and Its Effects on Growth and Nutrient Uptake in Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.): A Pot Experiment. PLoS ONE 7(8): e42098.

Journal of Environment Quality, 2010

Nitrate leaching in intensive grassland- and silage maize-based dairy farming systems on sandy so... more Nitrate leaching in intensive grassland- and silage maize-based dairy farming systems on sandy soil is a main environmental concern. Here, statistical relationships are presented between management practices and environmental conditions and nitrate concentration in shallow groundwater (0.8 m depth) at farm, field, and point scales in The Netherlands, based on data collected in a participatory approach over a 7-yr period at one experimental and eight pilot commercial dairy farms on sandy soil. Farm milk production ranged from 10 to 24 Mg ha(-1). Soil and hydrological characteristics were derived from surveys and weather conditions from meteorological stations. Statistical analyses were performed with multiple regression models. Mean nitrate concentration at farm scale decreased from 79 mg L(-1) in 1999 to 63 in 2006, with average nitrate concentration in groundwater decreasing under grassland but increasing under maize land over the monitoring period. The effects of management practices on nitrate concentration varied with spatial scale. At farm scale, nitrogen surplus, grazing intensity, and the relative areas of grassland and maize land significantly contributed to explaining the variance in nitrate concentration in groundwater. Mean nitrate concentration was negatively correlated to the concentration of dissolved organic carbon in the shallow groundwater. At field scale, management practices and soil, hydrological, and climatic conditions significantly contributed to explaining the variance in nitrate concentration in groundwater under grassland and maize land. We conclude that, on these intensive dairy farms, additional measures are needed to comply with the European Union water quality standard in groundwater of 50 mg nitrate L(-1). The most promising measures are omitting fertilization of catch crops and reducing fertilization levels of first-year maize in the rotation.

Field Crops Research, 1997

European Journal of Agronomy, 2012

A low basal N application combined with in-season adjustment of the sidedressNrate has been propo... more A low basal N application combined with in-season adjustment of the sidedressNrate has been proposed as a means to saveN in growing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). We hypothesize that a measurement of canopy reflectance provides information which can be used to adjust sidedressNrate. The objective of our work was to develop and test a canopy reflectance-based Nsidedress system for potato