Altitude and Topography The area covered by the experimental farm is very hilly. It is situated between 450 and 490m above sealevel. Cultivation is more difficult on the slopes and erosion is much higher there.
Climate The average annual temperature ranges around 7,4 degrees centigrade, the yearly amount of precipitation is about 830 millimeters.
Agricultural soils There is a multitude of soils on the experimental farm. Clay content ranges from 9% to 45%. Brown earths developed on the thin loess cover predominate. Soil quality: the suitability for farming ranges from average to good.
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Fertilization according to the
removal of nutrients by the plants,
treshold plant protection |
Cultivation according to the rules of the
Association for Ecological Cultivation (AGÖL)
46 ha total farm area
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68 ha total farm area
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66% arable land, 4% grassland, 20% fallowland, 1% wood, 5% lynchets and hedges
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46% arable land, 37% grassland, 6% fallowland, 2% wood, 5% lynchets and hedges
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Research Methods The fields are examined extensively all over the areas of cultivation situated within the property of the Benedictine Abbey Scheyern. Additional experiments e.g. for cultivation are conducted on the smaller plots (3). For the verification of field observations "the soil is being brought into the laboratory" (4). In addition, important processes in both soil and plant are being studied with the help of model ecosystems. One example would be the examination of undisturbed soil cores of two meters length.
Two different areas are analyzed: on the non-biotic level, for example, the chemical and physical composition of the soil are being examined. Soil profiles were excavated (5), the percolation of the precipitation through the soil is measured and the runoff of soil, fertilizer and pesticide into the streams and ponds are investigated (6).
On the biotic level, existing species of plants and animals are being categorized and their development is being observed (7/8). The focus is on species and food chains.
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| Photographic pictures provided by: Albrecht, Fromm, Goddeng, Kainz, Mühlbauer, Scheinost |
Landscape Design In the course of the process, the aims of an integrated protection of nature and the resources such as soil, water and air, were realized; regionally indigenous plants and animals were given new habitats and the landscape was aesthetically improved by the following measures.
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Reduction of field sizes
Creation of forest edges, hedges, field boundaries and fallow grounds Buffer strips along sensitive ecological areas such as streams or ponds Sowing of new pastures on steep slopes and in the alluvial basins Construction of runoff retention basins
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