Leaching of spring—applied fertilizer nitrogen: measurement and simulation |
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Authors: | E.I. Lord G. Bland |
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Affiliation: | Soil Science, Agricultural Development and Advisory Service, Wood-thorne, Wolverhampton WV6 8TQ. |
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Abstract: | Abstract. The leaching of spring-applied fertilizer nitrogen was measured by soil sampling on three soils widely used for spring cropping: a loamy sand, a sandy loam and a sandy silt loam. Soils were fallow during the experiment. Results were compared with simulations obtained with a computer leaching model. The model differentiated well between soil types, and predicted mineral nitrogen remaining in the top 30, 60 or 90 cm with reasonable precision. It tended to over-estimate the rate of nitrification of ammonium from ammonium nitrate fertilizers. The causes of occasional large discrepancies between sampling and measurement are discussed. |
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