TGS BIOM – Biomass accumulation / soil enrichment

• The organic matter content in the soil is low – only 2-10 %, but its importance is huge. It helps to maintain soil moisture, improves its structure, provides nutrients and stimulates soil biota.
• Plants consume some of the soil's organic matter every year. The above-ground and under-ground organic biomass produced by cover/catch crops, improves soil structure, aerates, maintains nutrients, activates microorganisms and their diversity.
• For example, dry weight of red clover (yield 2.4 SM t/ha) can yield 82 kg N, 7.4 kg P and 93 kg K per hectare.
• In addition to providing nitrogen and other nutrients for the following crops, the produced biomass of the cover/catch crop also replenishes the soil's organic matter supply. However, this depends on the quality of the green biomass of the embedded plants. Soil humus is increased by organic matter with a carbon to nitrogen ratio close to 15-20 (for example, by adding mustard or radishes at their flowering stage). Of course, the soil will not be severely improved by a single growing of cover/catch crops, but doing this systematically and over a period of years will increase the organic matter in the soil.
• If the carbon to nitrogen (C: N) ratio is low (up to 10: 1) (for example, radish or mustard before flowering or other young plants), the embedded plants will decay faster, more easily release nitrogen, but feed only crop rotation plants or soil microorganisms. When sowing various plants (legumes and grasses), biomass is chemically superior to single plant biomass (with varying C: N ratios).
• At least 3-4 weeks should elapse between incorporation of the cover/catch crop biomass and sowing the next crops.
• The richer the soil, the less influence will be noticed. The larger effect is obtained on lighter, poorer soils.