Trygve Aamlid - International Herbage Seed Group

Alternative (organic)
seed production systems
IHSG
workshop
8 July 2005
Trygve S. Aamlid, The Norwegian Crop Research
institute, div. Landvik

The need for organic seed
• About 5 mill ha is farmed organically in EU
+ EFTA
• About 50% of this is forage crops
• EU’s need for organic forage seed has been
stipulated to 2500-3500 tonnes per year
(Ole Grønbæk, DLF-Trofolium 2003)

Organic seed production
acreage in Denmark 1998-2004
Organic seed acreage, ha
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
Others
White clover
Red clover
Timothy
Perennial ryegrass
0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Organic seed production acreage in
Sweden and Norway 1998-2004
Organic seed acreage, ha
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
2002 2003 2004 2002 2003 2004
Others
White clover
Red clover
Timothy
Sweden
Norway

Are we going into a situation of
over-supply of organic seed ?
• Official policy of the Norwegian ministry of agriculture is
that 10% of the agricultural production should be organic by
2010.
• Despite intensive support / subsidies to organic farmers, the
conversion rate is still rather low. Per cent converted land
increased from about 1% in 1995 to about 3% in 2005.
• Most Norwegian customers have great confidence in
conventional agricultural products, and only a few are
willing to pay premiums for organic food.
(In fact, this often also applies to organic farmers
themeselves !)
• How is this situation in other countries ?

Do marketing systems for
organic seed work ?
• International databases are supposed to monitor
the availability of organic seed
– National database, Norway: www.mattilsynet.no (updated 5 May
2005)
– National database, Denmark: www.lr.dk/applikationer/oekosortsdb
(updated continuously)
– International database: www.organicXseed.com
(last updated 23 April 2004 !)
– Etc.
• Do the national and international databases work ?
• Do the seed companies or organic seed growers
use them ?

Challenges in organic seed production
1. Weed control / control of other cultural species
2. Establishment: How to produce a high seed yield already
in the first year
3. Nutrition of grass seed crops, especially on farms with no
or limited access to manure
4. Pest and disease control, notably in clovers
5. Harvesting of herbage legumes in the abscence of
chemical dessicators.
6. Market regulation
7. Harmonization of rules between countries
8. Others ?

WEED CONTROL
The certification limits for weed content have
to be just as low (er even lower !) for organic
compared with conventional seed lots
Example: Rumex – a noxious weed
Photo: J.A.Otterstad
Rumex
Red clover

Or quackgrass in meadow fescue...

But the clean-out of cultural
species may be even more difficult
White
clover
Timothy
Alsike
clover
Photo: J.A.Otterstad
Red clover
• Clovers – the worst weeds in organic timothy seed production
(and vice versa)
• Could the OECD certification standards be eased in this
particular case ?

SEED CROP ESTABLISHMENT
In organic seed production, we often see a clear
increase in seed yield from the first to the second
ley year
Seed yield, kg / ha
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1st ley year 2nd ley year 3rd ley year
Timothy
Meadow fescue
(Mean of 6 trials in Norway)

Seed crop establishment:
The importance of various seed yield
components
Seed head (panicle) number
Seeds per seed head
Seed weight
70%
20%
10%
The establishment phase – most critical in
organic seed production !

Establishment & weed control
-appropriate field selection / cropping history
-appropriate cover crops
After barley
After peas
Experiences from other countries ?

Establishment & weed control II
-appropriate sowing time / sowing method
Timothy sown on
the same date as
the spring wheat
cover crop
Delayed sowing of
timothy after two
harrowings for
weed control

Nutrition
•The nutrient
requirements of a
gras seed crop can
be met by manure,
but the allowances
for use of manure
from conventional
stock vary from
country to country
•Is there a need for
harmonization of
rules ?

From an organic meadow fescue
seed crop 2003-2004, Norway:
2003
First harvest
year
2004
Second seed
harvest year
Cow slurry
30 kg N / ha
Dried chicken
manure
60 kg N/daa
•What kinds of fertilizer products are allowed for
organic seed production in various countries ?
•Are they cost-effective ?

Seed production from mixed crops ?
From a Danish growers’ recommendation, 1923:
Seed producion of timothy should be carried out, as they used
to in former days, by sowing timothy together with alsike or
red clover.
The first year crop should be harvested as hay, and the
second year crop as timothy seed. If the clover is successful
in the first year, a high yield of timothy seed can be harvested
in the second year, even without any fertilizer input.
(Lindhard & Bagge, 1923, freely translated)
But how were purity requirements in 1923 ????

Second year
timothy crop
after sowing with
alsike clover
First year
timothy crop
after sowing
with red clover

The challenge of organic seed production from
mixed crops: Finding the optimal combination
Factor 1: Legume
1. T. alexandrinum
2. T.resupinatum
3. T.incarnatum
4. T. subterraneum
5. Medicago lupulina
6. Lotus corniculatus
7. Melilotus officinalis
5
2
6 7
8
3
4
Factor 2: Sowing
method
A. Grass and legume
seed mixed in every
row
B. Grass and legume
seed in every other
row. Interrow
cultivation in the
spring of ley year 1.
No fertilizer input in any treatment !

Plant height and coverage in the
autumn of the sowing year
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Høyde (cm) / Dekning (%)
No
Berseem
Persian
Crimson
Subclover
Medicago
Lotus
Melilotus
Plant height, cm % of soil coverage

Subclover
No companion
legume

Spring, ley year 1
Subclover –
dead mulch

Three of the legumes were biennial or
perennial and reduced grass seed yields
from first year crops
Medicago Lotus Melilotus

Timothy seed yield, ley year 1
(mean of four experiments)
Seed yield, kg/ha
400
300
200
100
100
83
113
104 102
93 92
86
120
98
53
88
61
66
55
74
0
No
Berseem
Persian
Crimson
Subclover
Medicago
Grass and legume seed m ixed in every row
Lotus
Melilotus
Grass and legume seed in every second row

% legume seed in pre-cleaned
timothy seed, ley year 1
No
Berseem clover
Persian clover
Crimson clover
Subterranean clover
Medicago
Lotus
Melilotus
Sown legume
0,0
0,0
0,0
0,0
0,0
0,8
7,9
10,4
White clover
7,3
3,3
4,4
6,2
4,5
6,3
8,5
5,9

Timothy seed yield, ley year 2
(mean of four expt.)
Seed yield kg/ha
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
100 99 99 96 95 97 100
92 95 99
122
117
107
102 101
96
No
Berseem
Persian
Crimson
Subcloverf
Medicago
Lotus
Melilotus
Grass and legume seed mixed in every row
Gras and clover seed every other row

% legumes in pre-cleaned
timothy seed, second ley year
No
Berseem clover
Persian clover
Crimson clover
Subterreanenan clover
Mdicago
Lotus
Melilotus
Sown legume
0,0
0,0
0,0
0,1
0,0
0,0
3,3
0,0
Whiel clover
1,5
1,1
1,0
2,1
1,0
0,7
0,3
0,7

We have
tried the
same
recipe in
meadow
fescue

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
As shown by the total seed yield
over two years, it did not work:
100
2.engår
90 90
92
88 87 88 90
85
78
81
81
85 85
1.engår
83 85
Ingen, hver labb
Ingen, radrens
Sneglebelg, hver labb
Sneglebelg, radrens
Tiriltunge, hver labb
Tiriltunge, radrens
Frøavling, kg/daa

Topics for discussion
1. National and international databases – do they work ?
2. Weed control / control of other cultural species.
3. Establishment: How to produce a high seed yield already
in the first year. Do we need other cover crops or other
establishement methods in organic compared to
conventional seed production ?
4. Nutrition of grass seed crop.
• Access to and rules for import of manure .
• Symbiotic nitrogen
5. Pest and disease control, notably in clovers.
6. Harvesting of herbage legumes in the abscence of
chemical dessicators.