TY - JOUR
T1 - Marginal nitrate leaching around the recommended nitrogen fertilizer rate in winter cereals
AU - Vogeler, Iris
AU - Thomsen, Ingrid Kaag
AU - Jensen, Johannes L.
AU - Hansen, Elly Møller
PY - 2022/1
Y1 - 2022/1
N2 - Optimum nitrogen (N) fertilization, which aims for high productivity while minimizing N losses to the environment, requires a better understanding of the N leaching behaviour around the recommended N rate. A study was conducted with increasing N fertilization levels over 3 years (2016–2019) with early and timely sown winter cereals (rye and wheat) at two sites in Denmark with different climatic conditions. For winter rye N fertilizer application rates ranged from 0 to 258 kg N ha‒1, and for winter wheat from 0 to 300 kg ha‒1. Grain yields did not respond much to the N application above the recommended rate. Nitrate (NO3) leaching was very low in the first period, but increased in the second and third period. The effect of a potential N carry-over on marginal N leaching (defined as the additional N leaching per unit of additional N fertilizer applied) is large. Under early sown winter rye, marginal N leaching is reduced from 36 to 14 kg N ha‒1 in the third period following N fertilization of the recommended rate of 170 kg N ha‒1 when carry-over was accounted for, and under the timely sown winter rye from 68 to 24 kg N ha‒1. Our results show that marginal N leaching around the recommended rate is almost linear at the study site, when carry-over is accounted for. Thus, the use of precision agriculture, with lower fertilization application rates to areas with high residual soil N, is less effective compared with sites, which have an exponential leaching behaviour.
AB - Optimum nitrogen (N) fertilization, which aims for high productivity while minimizing N losses to the environment, requires a better understanding of the N leaching behaviour around the recommended N rate. A study was conducted with increasing N fertilization levels over 3 years (2016–2019) with early and timely sown winter cereals (rye and wheat) at two sites in Denmark with different climatic conditions. For winter rye N fertilizer application rates ranged from 0 to 258 kg N ha‒1, and for winter wheat from 0 to 300 kg ha‒1. Grain yields did not respond much to the N application above the recommended rate. Nitrate (NO3) leaching was very low in the first period, but increased in the second and third period. The effect of a potential N carry-over on marginal N leaching (defined as the additional N leaching per unit of additional N fertilizer applied) is large. Under early sown winter rye, marginal N leaching is reduced from 36 to 14 kg N ha‒1 in the third period following N fertilization of the recommended rate of 170 kg N ha‒1 when carry-over was accounted for, and under the timely sown winter rye from 68 to 24 kg N ha‒1. Our results show that marginal N leaching around the recommended rate is almost linear at the study site, when carry-over is accounted for. Thus, the use of precision agriculture, with lower fertilization application rates to areas with high residual soil N, is less effective compared with sites, which have an exponential leaching behaviour.
KW - early and timely sowing
KW - grain yield
KW - increasing N fertilization application rate
KW - marginal N leaching
KW - nitrogen carry-over
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096722774&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/sum.12673
DO - 10.1111/sum.12673
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85096722774
SN - 0266-0032
VL - 38
SP - 503
EP - 514
JO - Soil Use and Management
JF - Soil Use and Management
IS - 1
ER -