Nitrogen budget in agroecosystems on gray forest soils under long-term fertilization

Long-term stationary field experiments were performed to study the efficiency of increased rates of nitrogen fertilizer in crop rotations with cereal crops, perennial grasses, clover, and plow fallow on gray forest soils. It was found that an excess of mineral nitrogen (mainly of nitrates) accumulated in the soil in the case of unbalanced nitrogen fertilization and long-term fallowing creates conditions for the development of unfavorable processes in the nitrogen cycle. Significantly increasing nitrogen losses from the agroecosystem because of leaching and denitrification constitute a depletion hazard for the soil nitrogen pool.