Grain yield and crop N offtake in response to residual fertilizer N in long‐term field experiments |
| |
Authors: | J. Petersen I. K. Thomsen L. Mattsson E. M. Hansen B. T. Christensen |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Department of Agroecology and Environment, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, P.O. Box 50, DK‐8830 Tjele, Denmark;2. Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7014, SE‐750 07 Uppsala, Sweden |
| |
Abstract: | Organic inputs [e.g. animal manure (AM) and plant residues] contribute directly to the soil organic N pool, whereas mineral N fertilizer contributes indirectly by increasing the return of the crop residues and by microbial immobilization. To evaluate the residual effect of N treatments established in four long‐term (>35 yr) field experiments, we measured the response of barley (grain yield and N offtake at crop maturity) to six rates (0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 kg N/ha) of mineral fertilizer N (Nnew) applied in subplots replacing the customary long‐term plot treatments of fertilizer inputs (Nprev). Rates of Nprev above 50–100 kg N/ha had no consistent effect on the soil N content, but this was up to 20% greater than that in unfertilized treatments. Long‐term unfertilized plots should not be used as control to test the residual value of N in modern agriculture with large production potentials. Although the effect of mineral Nprev on grain yield and N offtake could be substituted by Nnew within a range of previous inputs, the value of Nprev was not eliminated irrespective of Nnew rate. Provided a sufficient supply of plant nutrients other than N, the use‐efficiency of Nnew did not change significantly with previous mineral N fertilizer rate. The residual effect of mineral N fertilizer was negligible compared with the residual effect of N from AM and catch crop residues. |
| |
Keywords: | Residual effect soil nitrogen N use‐efficiency spring barley animal manure catch crops |
|
|