The humus-trend-scale - a method to get a feeling for humus dynamics in soil

Wien

2014

S. 38

Artikel aus einer ZeitschriftUnselbständiges Werk

200190233

The assessment of humus dynamics of agricultural soils is of high interest from an agronomical and an ecological point of view. The content of humus in soils is linked to many important parameters like e.g. water holding capacity, stability of aggregates, and storage capacity of nutrients and is influenced by land management. Humus balance methods intend to support farmers in maintaining soil fertility of their land. Interestingly, in parts of Germany financial transfers for farmers are linked to the application of humus balance spreadsheet programs. My aim was to broaden this important topic for a wider range of people e.g. pupils, people interested in ecology, farmers and teachers. This had to be done by finding a didactically different concept. The Humus-Trend-Scale is based on the humus balance methods according to Leithold, G.; Hülsbergen, K.-J.; Michel, D. & Schönmeier, H. (1997) and the standards of VDLUFA- from 30. April 2004 according to Körschens, M., Rogasik, J., Schulz, E. et al. From the point of didactics it is based on the method of Maria Montessori and Sensory Integration (Jane Ayres, Ulla Kiesling) where material, which addresses several senses, is used. The method is didactically prepared in a way that visual (colours, size) and tactile (weight) stimuli help the user to "understand" the effect of cultures and organic fertilization on arable farm land. The users can easily discover if a crop rotation shows a positive or negative trend on the content of humus within the soil. People with no or little knowledge of farming get a basic understanding what farming means to soil fertility. Especially farmers get a better feeling about the humus dynamics in relations of cash crops to one another and between cash crops and organic fertilization like green manure, cover crops, compost, legumes, straw etc. First applications of the Humus-Trend-Scale on field days and as part of the "BOKU-Mobil" program brought very positive response from farmers as well as from pupils and teachers.