Long term biomass experimental facility
Parent institution: Aarhus University, Department of Agroecology
Active since 2012
Active through 2012-now
Jorgensen, Uffe
email: uffe.jorgensen@agro.au.dk
FOULUM Agro Ecosystems contains a range of permanent, long-term experiments in arable and bioenergy crop ecosystems, which provides a basis for a detailed analysis of time- and gradient-dependent changes in ecosystem functioning. This can result from different cropping system management practices, i.e. conventional vs. organic and conventional vs. new innovative management practices, including intensity of tillage in combination with residue management and cover cropping, and maximizing primary production through double cropping systems and crops with long growing seasons. This comprises three long-term replicated field experiments representing major current and future agricultural systems in Denmark. Upgrades include equipment for climate manipulation (warming and precipitation changes) and mobile instruments for automatic and continuous measurements of biogeo-chemical cycling (net primary productivity, greenhouse gas fluxes, hydrological flows and nutrient losses).
Country: Denmark
Latitude: 56.49680556
Longitude: 9.575577778
Nearest town: Viborg
Distance from neaerst town: 15 km
The experiment aims at exploring possibilities for utilizing the whole growing season more efficiently and improving ecosystem services from agriculture. Grain crops utilize only part of the growing season for photosynthetic solar radiation capture, and perennial grass and optimised crop rotations utilising more than one crop per year have a longer phosynthetic active growing period.
The experiment is designed to evaluate long-term effects on productivity, carbon and nitrogen balances etc. of innovative cropping systems suited for delivering high amounts of sustainable feedstock for biorefineries that can extract both feed, food, fuel and fibers. Existing long-term experiments do not have such a focus on sustainable intensification and are thus not suited for estimating the prospects of new agricultural systems for developing the European bioeconomy in a changing climate. The experiment is quite new but the first data are very interesting and will be published within the coming year.
The small plot size of some treatments gives restrictions of space available for additional destructive treatments and measurements, while selected treatments have larger plots with available area for destructive measurements.
At the site there are also semifield and growth chamber facilities for more controlled experimentation
Experiments duration: Years;
Total area: 16000 m²
Available area: 16000 m²
The area available for new experimentation depends on the type of experimentation.unit size: 240 m²
Replicates number: 4
Electricity available on site.
Years measured: 1987-2019
Mean Temperature: 8.1 °C
February Mean Temperature: 1.6 °C
July Mean Temperature: 16.1 °C
Mean Annual Speed: 3.6 m/s
Max. Annual Speed: m/s
Dominant Direction: 191
Precipitation type: Rain, Snow;
Total annual precipitation: 754 mm
Mean snow cover duration: days
| Variable | Ecosystem | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Warming | Agrosystem | Planned |
| Precip | Agrosystem | Planned |
| Management - Nutrients (levels or nutrient type) | Agrosystem | Active |
| Management - rotation practice | Agrosystem | Active |
| Management - species and/or ecotype combinations | Agrosystem | Active |
| Management - traditional (or native) vs. new (or non-native) species | Agrosystem | Active |
Up to 12 people
Up to 8 people
No visitors allowed.
No beds on site
Showers on site
No laundry on site