Environmental friendly farming in Moldova - fertilising in – spring 2018 – example corn Struck, Ph.D. & Mr. Covali; Competitiveness Advisors; ENPARD TA project at the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development & Environment Introduce myself & Pavel; Competitiveness advisors at the ENPARD TA project to MAFI; Martin German, combing first hand practical experiences with advise services, since 1992 periodically in MD

Maintaining and increasing the soil fertility requires a holistic approach over a long period of time ! ! ! The objective of this presentation is to remind good agricultural practices, as the “law of the minimum” For all - including organic - farming businesses, balanced fertilizing is a must according to the demand of the target yield! The balance is the nutrients sum + residues of the pre-successor, + organic fertiliser + mineral fertiliser Record keeping is essential! Now for GlobalG.A.P. . . . & product traceability . . . I might be the advocate of devil in Moldova; all things important in organic farming are also essential for all others - balancing & record keeping -

Crop yields & soluble nutrient demands Black soils contain a lot of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, & Cilium; but a very little is available for crops ! The crop availability of the nutrients “N”; “P2O5 “ & “K2O” depends on the humus cycle, whether other chemical minerals are going into a solution, & water (unbound free water up to 152 l / m3) Humus consists of two forms “Nutrient Humus” & “Permanent Humus” 1 m3 black soil

Yields & nutrient demands We will focus on corn . . . Corn likes Mg

Corn Target yield 8,94 ton / ha Nutrient demand in kg / ha active matter "N“ "P2O5“ "K2O" 148 102 197 kg / ha nutrients We will focus on corn . . . Corn likes Mg

Corn fertilising Course of nutrient uptake Intensive N uptake before and during flowering and during the maturation of the corn P and Mg uptakes take place continuously throughout the growth The potash intake is largely complete for flowering Therefore, the use of organic fertilizer (for example manure) is very well possible We will focus on corn . . . Corn likes Mg

Corn seeding Seed requirement per hectare depending on the desired number of plants / m²; e. g. target 65.000 crops / ha; germination 90 % = 72.220 seeds / ha Low P-mobility in soil; often cold growth phases in spring, under-foot fertilisation promotes youth development & leads to yield-increase of 15% to 20% We will focus on corn . . . Corn likes Mg

Corn fertilising for 8,9 ton / ha Demand of mineral fertilise kg / ha active matter N 93 kg / ha active matter P2O5 83 K2O 112 We will focus on corn . . . Corn likes Mg

Corn fertilising – macro

Corn micro nutrients Soil analysis desirable -> Results of the Analysis done in Germany For Corn genberally MgO; normally sufficient residue of the pre-successor Sulphur – S; demand is largely covered by mineralization during growing season Boron; Corn is the grain with the highest boron requirement: Foliar fertilization of 150 g boron / ha from the 4-5 leaf stage Zinc; demand for zinc is high and the ability to acquire in the youth phase is low, Apply foliar fertilization with zinc at a level of 200 - 250 g zinc / ha might be necessary Manganese; corn has a good ability to acquire manganese, in case of deficiency or acute deficiency, foliar application should be made with 250-500 g manganese / ha

High yields = high amount organic residues = high level of humus reproduction = water & nutrient storage capacity = high content of soluble nutrients capacity . . . just two pictures of maize / corn roots at the same field but different fertilized* * “Hundred years trials” of the University Halle; on black soils 89,40 Corn yield in dt/ha 28,10

High yields – high costs !?!?

High yields – high costs !?!?

High yields – high costs !?!?

High yields – high costs !?!?

High yields – high costs !?!?

High yields – high costs !?!?