Fjölrit RALA - 15.12.2000, Qupperneq 10

8
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The experiments
In the summer of 1995 experimental plots were established in the Faroe Islands, Greenland
(two experiments) and Iceland. In Greenland, sites with widely different temperatures were
selected (Fig. 1); Upernaviarsuk is in the coastal part and Narsarsuaq in the sheltered inner
fjords.
Latitude Sowing date Plot size
Kollafjorður, Faroe Islands 62°02' N
Upemaviarsuk, Greenland 60°45' N
Narsarsuaq, Greenland 60"45' N
Korpa, Iceland 64° 09' N
Junel6 and 26
July 7
July 9
July 23
8 x 4 = 32 m2
8 x 4 = 32 m2
8 x 4 = 32 m2
7.7 x 6 = 46 m2
The experiments were located on experimental stations, except for Narsarsuaq, where
it was located on a farmer’s grass field and fertilized and irrigated by the farmer in the same
way as the remainder of the field. This experiment therefore did not receive the same care as
the others.
The following species and varieties were used:
Species Varietv Oriein
Poa pratensis Lavang Northern Norway
Poa pratensis Fylking Sweden
Alopecurus pratensis Seida Northem Norway
Phleum pratense Vega Northem Norway
Phleum pratense Engmo Northem Norway
P. pratense and P. pratensis are the most important fodder grasses in Iceland and
Greenland and are very important in the Faroe Islands as well.
In Iceland the following species were also sown: Agrostis capillaris (Leikvin),
Festuca rubra (Leik), Deschampsia caespitosa (Unnur) and Deschampsia beringensis
(Norcoast). The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replicates.
Soil
The soils were quite dissimilar as is perhaps best indicated by the bulk weight (Table 1). In
Upemaviarsuk the soil was very stony. However, all analyses were made on stone-free
material and this partly explains the high content of C and P. For the same reason the
measured bulk weight was lower than it would have been had the stones not been separated
from the soil.
Table 1. Content of nutrients (AL method) and some properties of the soils in 1998.
P K Mg Ca Na C Bulk weight
PH mg /100 g meq in 100 g % g/cm3
Kollafjarður 6.8 5.3 0.24 1.4 15.8 0.45 4.0 1.19
Upemaviarsuk 5.9 52.3 0.74 1.7 15.5 0.16 10.0 0.76
Narsarsuaq 5.5 6.9 0.26 0.7 2.7 0.07 1.7 1.38
Korpa 6.3 0.8 0.78 3.4 29.2 0.54 8.1 0.82