Evaluating irrigation strategies for lettuce by simulation: 2. Nitrogen budget

A mechanistic water-flow, solute transport and crop growth model was used to compare three irrigation strategies for lettuce in French Mediterranean conditions: (1) the current strategy based on the occurrence of rainfall, (2) a strategy based on a simplified modelling of the soil water balance and (3) a strategy based on tensiometer readings. Water and solute instantaneous fluxes versus time were simulated for two growing periods (summer and autumn) over 100 years. The climatic data were provided by a weather generator. Leenhardt et al. (1998) compared the three strategies with regard to their effects on water flows in the soil. The present paper deals with their effects on the nitrogen balance and particularly nitrate leaching.

The three strategies rank similarly for all processes of the N cycle. Strategy 1 generates soil water content conditions favourable to denitrification and nitrate leaching and less favourable to mineralisation and nitrification, leading to a low NO^?₃ availability for the crop, and thus a low nitrate uptake. Strategy 1 minimizes the water stress but induces the maximum nitrogen stress. At the other extreme is strategy 3, whereas strategy 2 has an intermediate position, but closer, however, to strategy 3 than 1. A direct conclusion would suggest avoiding strategy 1 and choosing strategy 3.