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Climate models predict an increase in the average temperature, an increase in heat and drought periods in summer and heavier rainfall events for Austria (APCC, 2014; IPCC, 2021). Eventually, advancing droughts can lead to substantial yield losses, which will be more pronounced on soils with low water storage capacity (Eitzinger et al., 2013). Especially in dry regions like the Marchfeld (east of Vienna), Austria’s most productive region for grain and vegetables, this may have severe consequences for food security.In our study, we investigated the combined effects of different soil types and altered precipitation on the soil-plant-nexus in a lysimeter facility from 2017-2019. This facility consists of 18 gravitation lysimeters representing the three main soil types of the Marchfeld, namely calcaric Phaeozem (Ps), calcic Chernozem (Ch) and gleyic Phaeozem (Pg). Half of the lysimeters were irrigated according to current precipitation patterns and half according to the precipitation pattern predicted for the period 2071-2100 in the Marchfeld region, simulating drought periods and heavy rain events. Spring wheat, spring barley and winter wheat were cultivated in all lysimeters in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Mustard was cultivated as a cover crop after spring wheat and incorporated as mulch. The following spring barley had substantially higher yields than spring wheat. This might be due to the improved water infiltration and organic matter input provided by the cover crop (Kirchman, 2011) and/or the larger crop damage by animals in 2017. Drought events resulted in an average decline of grain yield by 66% (p13C value, an indicator for the stomata conductance, in the “predicted” scenario confirmed that drought stress was limiting plant growth. δ13C values were also higher in the Phaeozem than in the Chernozem, with the first having a lower soil water holding capacity.In contrast to biomass, nitrogen content of grain did not change between current and predicted precipitation patterns, indicating no impairment of grain quality. Furthermore, the nitrogen use efficiency tended to be higher in the current scenario than in the predicted scenario and was highest for winter wheat. Overall, plant biomass, plant nitrogen content and plant δ15N values were differently affected by soil type, however as there were no significant interaction effects with precipitation, plants responded identically to the precipitation pattern on all soil types, i.e. significant decline in crop production under drought stress.Our results exemplify the pressing need to develop and implement adaptation strategies in agriculture, taking into consideration local pedoclimatic characteristics. Introducing more resilient crop species, diversifying the crop rotation and increasing the system’s water use efficiency are promising measures that should be investigated further.

Changes in climate will bring along changes in precipitation patterns, and as such, it will determine the availability of water in agricultural systems. We aimed to investigate the impact of climate-induced altered precipitation regimes on crop performance and soil processes such as organic matter mineralisation and nutrient release. The experiment took place at the lysimeter station located in Hirschstetten, Vienna, Austria (48° 15' 22" N, 16° 289 3" E, 160 m a.s.l.) where a future precipitation scenario was compared with current precipitation patterns on two different soil types – a sandy calcaric Phaeozem and a calcic Chernozem, both being representative for the Marchfeld region in Lower Austria. The future precipitation regime was calculated from four regionalised scenarios from Euro-Cordex out of the ÖKS 15 ensemble following the GHG emission scenarios RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5.Stable isotope analysis has become a useful tool for sensitively tracing biogeochemical processes in soils. In this study, plant residues of white mustard (Sinapis alba), isotopically labelled with carbon 13C and nitrogen 15N in a controlled laboratory environment were applied as organic fertiliser (green manure) on the lysimeter soils in April 2018. Soil, plant, gas and groundwater samples were collected from the lysimeters throughout the growing season of 2018 and 2019 and analysed using cavity ring-down spectrometry (CRDS) for 15N-N2O in the field and by isotope ratio mass spectrometry.Crop results showed an increase in the shoot 13C signatures, indicative of drought stress, which resulted in diminished plant production by -20 to -50% under the decreased precipitation. Isotope analysis showed lower decomposition and mineralisation rates of labelled green manure only during the first few days under the future precipitation treatment, followed by an increase in 15N enrichment of soil solution NO3- during summer, emphasising the importance of plant biomass production on root NO3- uptake from the soil. N2O emissions were higher after the application of synthetic fertiliser during the first year, highlighting the importance of available NO3- in agricultural systems for nitrification and denitrification processes. However, lower N2O emissions were observed during the second year, indicating possible N stress. Overall we found that N losses through NO3- leaching and N2O emissions were most sensitive to reduced precipitation when NO3- is available, which can cause aggravating environmental problems in the future.The stable isotope labelling technique proved to be successful for tracing and identifying drought stress effects on plant and soil processes in agricultural systems, allowing for a better understanding of soil-plant processes under changing climate conditions.

Wheat is a crop of global importance that supplies carbohydrates to more than half of the worlds’ population. We examined whether climate change-induced rainfall patterns, which are expected to produce less frequent but heavier rain events, will alter the productivity of wheat and agroecosystem functioning on three different soil types. Therefore, in a full-factorial experiment, Triticum aestivum L. was cultivated in 3-m2 lysimeter plots, each of which contained one of the following soil types: sandy calcaric phaeozem, gleyic phaeozem and calcic chernozem. Predicted rainfall patterns based on the calculations of a regionalised climate change model were compared with the current long-term rainfall patterns, and each treatment combination was replicated three times. Future rainfall patterns significantly reduced wheat yield, leaf area index, and plant height at the earlier growth stages; it equally decreased the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonisation of roots and increased the stable carbon isotope signature (δ13C) of wheat leaves. Sandy soils with inherently lower mineralization potential negatively affected wheat growth, harvest index, and yield but stimulated early season root production. The interaction between rainfall and soil type was significant for the harvest index and early wheat development. Our results suggest that changes in rainfall intensity and frequency can significantly affect the functioning of wheat agroecosystems. Wheat production under future rainfall conditions will likely become more challenging as further concurrent climate change factors become prevalent.

A considerable share of greenhouse gas emissions, especially N2O, is caused by agriculture, part of which can be attributed to indirect soil emissions via leaching and runoff. Countries have to report their annual emissions, which are usually calculated by using the default value of 0.3 for FracLEACH, a factor that represents the fraction of nitrogen losses compared to total nitrogen inputs and sources. In our study we used 22 lysimeters, covering a wide range of soils, climatic conditions and management practices in Austria, to evaluate nitrogen losses through leaching and to calculate FracLEACH. The terms of the nitrogen mass balance of the lysimeters were directly measured for several years. Both grassland and arable land plots gave significantly smaller values of FracLEACH than the default value. For grassland, FracLEACH values of only 0.02 were found which varied very little over the entire observation period. For arable sites, FracLEACH values were higher (around 0.25) and showed significant variability between years due to variations in crop rotation, fertilization rates, and yields.

Climate change scenarios for central Europe predict fewer but heavier rains during the vegetation period without substantial changes in the total amount of annual rainfall. To investigate the impact of rainfall patterns derived from regionalised IPCC scenarios on agroecosystems in Austria, we conducted an experiment using 3 m2 lysimeters where prognosticated (progn.) rainfall patterns were compared with long-term current rainfall patterns on three agriculturally important soil types (sandy calcaric phaeozem, gleyic phaeozem and calcic chernozem). Lysimeters were cultivated with field peas (Pisum sativum) according to good farming practice. Prognosticated rainfall patterns decreased crop cover, net primary production (NPP) and crop yields, but increased root production and tended to decrease mycorrhization. Soil types affected the NPP, crop density and yields, weed biomass and composition, as well as the root production with lowest values commonly found in sandy soils, while other soil types showed almost similar effects. Significant interactions between rainfall patterns and soil types were observed for the harvest index (ratio crop yield versus straw), yield per crop plant, weed density and weed community composition. Abundance of the insect pest pea moth (Cydia nigricana) tended to be higher under progn. rainfall, but was unaffected by soil types. These results show that (a) future rainfall patterns will substantially affect various agroecosystem processes and crop production in the studied region, and (b) the influence of different soil types in altering ecosystem responses to climate change should be considered when attempting to scale-up experimental results derived at the plot level to the landscape level.

The Long-term Fertilisation Experiment was established in 1986 near Vienna with a three-year crop rotation (sugar beet-winter wheat-winter barley). The most distinct yield effects of organic fertilisation occurred with missing and low mineral N fertilisation. In the treatment without mineral N fertilisation, significantly higher sugar yields (+2.52 t ha−1) were obtained with the application of farmyard manure (FYM) compared to the control. Without mineral N fertilisation significant winter wheat increases through after effects of FYM and slurry application (+0.74 and 0.55 t ha−1) appeared. N surpluses in the variant with incorporating crop residues could be reduced by the omission of mineral N fertilisation with the incorporation of the straw. The highest mean P balances occurred with the application of FYM and slurry, the highest K surpluses were detected in the treatments where crop residues (especially K rich sugar beet leaves) remained on the field. The N, P and K balances correlated significantly (p ...

Different methods of tillage are investigated in a field trial in Austria. In those variants where soils are treated with a cultivator respectively a plough in autumn the contents of mineral N (Nmin) in 0-90cm soil depth increased significantly. Therefore the danger of N-leaching or N-losses in autumn or winter is higher in intensively tilled soils (without plant cover) than in soils with minimum tillage (treatment only with rotary driller without any primary treatment before seeding). In this variant Nmin-contents are lower even at the beginning of vegetation due to the plant cover and reduced tillage. At this time the potential of N mineralisation is higher in the minimum tilled plots compared to the more intensively tilled soils due to the accumulation of organic matter. However, despite enhanced potential N availability the N contents of the crops did not increase. The yields don't differ in the investigated tillage systems and N balances are the highest under minimum tillage, therefore a higher N fer...

After 15 experimental years the following results from the IOSDV - Vienna in a semiarid region with a three year crop rotation (sugar beet - winter-wheat-winter-barley) are presented. At the medium textured loess site suitable for deep-rooting development, the relative level of output without any fertilizing and manuring reached about 73% of optimal potential, which could be achieved by combined organic and mineral fertilization. Due to irrigation as required especially sugar beets made use from the site specific nitrogen-mineralization potential. With combined organic and mineral fertilization optimal yields were increased by 2-3% compared to optimal mineral fertilizer rates of 122kg N, the corresponding mineral N doses of the organic treatments were reduced by 21-29%. When all crop residues remained at the field - with an additional small mineral N dose for straw rotting - the N-balance at optimal fertilizer input was slightly positive (+21kg N); when all crop residues were removed, especially beet leav...

Climate change scenarios for Central Europe predict less frequent but heavier rainfalls and longer drought periods during the growing season. This is expected to alter arthropods in agroecosystems that are important as biocontrol agents, herbivores or food for predators (e.g., farmland birds). In a lysimeter facility (totally 18 3-m2-plots), we experimentally tested the effects of long-term current vs. prognosticated future rainfall variations (15% increased rainfall per event, 25% more dry days) according to regionalized climate change models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on aboveground arthropods in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivated at three different soil types (calcaric phaeozem, calcic chernozem and gleyic phaeozem). Soil types were established 17 years and rainfall treatments 1 month before arthropod sampling; treatments were fully crossed and replicated three times. Aboveground arthropods were assessed by suction sampling, their mean abundances (± SD) differed between April, May and June with 20 ± 3 m−2, 90 ± 35 m−2, and 289 ± 93 individuals m−2, respectively. Averaged across sampling dates, future rainfall reduced the abundance of spiders (Araneae, −47%), cicadas and leafhoppers (Auchenorrhyncha, −39%), beetles (Coleoptera, −52%), ground beetles (Carabidae, −41%), leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae, −64%), spring tails (Collembola, −58%), flies (Diptera, −73%) and lacewings (Neuroptera, −73%) but increased the abundance of snails (Gastropoda, +69%). Across sampling dates, soil types had no effects on arthropod abundances. Arthropod diversity was neither affected by rainfall nor soil types. Arthropod abundance was positively correlated with weed biomass for almost all taxa; abundance of Hemiptera and of total arthropods was positively correlated with weed density. These detrimental effects of future rainfall variations on arthropod taxa in wheat fields can potentially alter arthropod-related agroecosystem services.

Der Internationale Organische Stickstoffdauerdungungsversuch (IOSDV) Wien wurde 1986 auf der Versuchsstation Fuchsenbigl im Marchfeld vollfaktoriell mit vier Stufen organischer Dungung ('ohne organische Dungung’, ‘Stallmist’, ‘Ernteruckstande’ und ‘Gulle') und funf Stufen mineralischer N‐Dungung und der Fruchtfolge Zuckerrube‐Winterweizen‐Wintergerste angelegt. Bei Zuckerrube differieren die Hochstertrage in allen organischen Varianten nur geringfugig. Durch Stallmist‐ bzw. Gulledungung kann der Einsatz von mineralischem Stickstoff zur Erzielung des wirtschaftlich optimalen Zuckerertrages reduziert werden. Die Einarbeitung von Rubenblatt vor Winterweizen bewirkt bei allen mineralischen N‐Stufen die hochsten Ertrage. Nachwirkungen von Gulle und Stallmist erbringen geringere Ertragssteigerungen. Die hochsten Rohproteingehalte werden bei Winterweizen durch Gulleanwendung zur Vorfrucht erzielt. Durch organische Dungung werden deutliche Mehrertrage von Wintergerste in den niedrigen mineralischen N‐Stufen errei...