Nitrogen loss from different tillage systems and the effect on cereal grain yield

Bacon, P. E.; Freney, J. R.

doi:10.1007/bf01055429

Cited by 29 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Finally, high emissions were also, in part, due to the soil surface conditions under no-till management. When no-till and conventional tillage are compared directly, losses of NH 3 -N are typically 50-400% higher when urea is broadcast at the surface of no-till (Bacon and Freney 1989;Al-Kanani and MacKenzie 1992;Palma et al 1998;Rochette et al 2008) and losses as high as 49% have also been reported (Urban et al 1987). The high volatilization that we measured from no-till fertilized with urea may be largely explained by the exceptionally high soil urease activity at the initiation of the experiment (Table 1), which was 2-10 times higher than values observed in the literature (Dick 1984;Bergstrom et al 1998Bergstrom et al , 2000Palma et al 1998;Montero et al 2004;Rochette et al 2008).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bouwman et al (1997) estimated an average volatilization loss of *20% of applied urea N in absence of soil incorporation. In no-till soils receiving broadcast urea, reported NH 3 -N losses varied between 5 and 50% of applied N (Keller and Mengel 1986;Urban et al 1987;Bacon and Freney 1989;Al-Kanani and MacKenzie 1992;Sainz Rozas et al 1997;Palma et al 1998;Sainz Rozas et al 1999;Zubillaga et al 2002). Volatilisation of NH 3 -N from surface broadcast applications of N fertilizers, particularly urea, is generally higher on soils under no-till than under conventional tillage (Al-Kanani and MacKenzie 1992; Palma et al 1998;Rochette et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

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Reducing ammonia volatilization in a no-till soil by incorporating urea and pig slurry in shallow bands

Rochette

Angers

Chantigny

et al. 2008

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

114

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Incorporation of broadcast pig slurry and urea into soil is incompatible with no-till production systems and alternative application methods that reduce NH 3 -N loss are required. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of incorporating urea and pig slurry in shallow furrows (banding) on NH 3 volatilization. A field study was conducted on a silty loam soil that had been under no-till for 2 years. Ammonia volatilization was measured for 29 days after urea and pig slurry (140 kg N ha -1 ) were broadcast or incorporated (5 cm) in bands. High urease activity and soil temperatures as well as an absence of rainfall combined to result in large losses of NH 3 -N from all treatments. Broadcast urea lost the greatest proportion of applied N (64%) followed by banded urea (31%), broadcast pig slurry (29%) and banded pig slurry (16%). High emissions from broadcast urea were consistent with previous reports of large volatilization losses on no-till soils. Presence of crop residues and associated high urease activity (288 lg NH 4 -N g -1 h -1 ) at the surface of no-till soils were likely important factors contributing to these high emissions. Incorporation of slurry and urea in bands was not as efficient in reducing volatilization as expected but not for the same reason. Relatively high emissions from banded slurry were the result of an incomplete incorporation of slurry in the shallow bands and indicate that the benefit of this practice is limited at high slurry application rates. In banded urea plots, hydrolysis of concentrated urea likely resulted in high localized NH 4 ? concentrations and pH, which increased NH 3 source strength and emissions. Our results therefore suggest that incorporating urea in bands may not be as efficient for reducing NH 3 emissions as incorporation of broadcasted urea which results in lower soil urea concentrations.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Reducing ammonia volatilization in a no-till soil by incorporating urea and pig slurry in shallow bands

Rochette

Angers

Chantigny

et al. 2008

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Two investigations of irrigated cotton reported on five studies that ranged from 43 to 73% of the Nr applied was denitrified (median was 50%) Humphreys et al 1990). For three studies of dryland wheat (Bacon and Freney 1989), the values ranged from 2 to 14% of the Nr applied with a median value of 11%. As expected, irrigated crops had higher rates.…”

Section: Agroecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen Cycles: Past, Present, and Future

et al. 2004

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This paper contrasts the natural and anthropogenic controls on the conversion of unreactive N 2 to more reactive forms of nitrogen (Nr). A variety of data sets are used to construct global N budgets for 1860 and the early 1990s and to make projections for the global N budget in 2050. Regional N budgets for Asia, North America, and other major regions for the early 1990s, as well as the marine N budget, are presented to highlight the dominant fluxes of nitrogen in each region. Important findings are that human activities increasingly dominate the N budget at the global and at most regional scales, the terrestrial and open ocean N budgets are essentially disconnected, and the fixed forms of N are accumulating in most environmental reservoirs. The largest uncertainties in our understanding of the N budget at most scales are the rates of natural biological nitrogen fixation, the amount of Nr storage in most environmental reservoirs, and the production rates of N 2 by denitrification.

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“…Many researchers have studied the recovery of labeled fertilizers in corn and soil at the time of harvest, and the fertilizer N not recovered has often been assumed to be lost by volatilization, denitrification or leaching (Reddy and Reddy 1993;Tran and Giroux 1998;Schindler and Knighton 1999). Only a few studies have quantified the relative importance of the various N loss mechanisms (Bacon and Freney 1989;Schneider and Haider 1992;Normand et al 1997). We used this technique in filled-in lysimeters containing two characteristic soil types of the Humid Pampas (a sandy loam and a silt loam) with a corn/ soybean rotation under zero tillage to evaluate (1) the fate of fertilizer N applied to corn and (2) the relative contribution of fertilizer and SOM to N leaching under the typical cropping conditions of the Pampas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fertilizer vs. organic matter contributions to nitrogen leaching in cropping systems of the Pampas: 15N application in field lysimeters

et al. 2006

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Nitrogen (N) export from soils to streams and groundwater under the intensifying cropping schemes of the Pampas is modest compared to intensively cultivated basins of Europe and North America; however, a slow N enrichment of water resources has been suggested. We (1) analyzed the fate of fertilizer N and (2) evaluated the contribution of fertilizer and soil organic matter (SOM) to N leaching under the typical cropping conditions of the Pampas. Fertilizer N was applied as 15 N-labeled ammonium sulfate to corn (in a corn/soybean rotation) sown under zero tillage in filled-in lysimeters containing two soils of different texture representative of the Pampean region (52 and 78 kg N ha -1 , added to the silt loam and sandy loam soil, respectively). Total fertilizer recovery at corn harvest averaged 84 and 64% for the silt loam and sandy loam lysimeters, respectively. Most fertilizer N was removed with plant biomass (39%) or remained immobilized in the soil (29 and 15%, for the silt loam and sandy loam soil, respectively) whereas its loss through drainage was negligible (<0.01%). We presume that the unaccounted fertilizer N losses were related to volatilization and denitrification. Throughout the corn growing season, subsequent fallow and soybean crop, which took place during an exceptionally dry period, the fertilizer N immobilized in the organic pool remained stable, and N leaching was scarce (7.5 kg N ha -1 ), similar at both soils, and had a low contribution of fertilizer N (0-3.5%), implying that >96% of the leached N was derived from SOM mineralization. The inherent high SOM of Pampean soils and the favorable climatic conditions are likely to propitiate year-round production of nitrate, favoring its participation in crop nutrition and leaching. The presence of 15 N in drainage water, however, suggests that fertilizer N leaching could become significant in situations with higher fertilization rates or more rainy seasons.

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Nitrogen loss from different tillage systems and the effect on cereal grain yield

Cited by 29 publications

References 17 publications

Reducing ammonia volatilization in a no-till soil by incorporating urea and pig slurry in shallow bands

Reducing ammonia volatilization in a no-till soil by incorporating urea and pig slurry in shallow bands

Nitrogen Cycles: Past, Present, and Future

Fertilizer vs. organic matter contributions to nitrogen leaching in cropping systems of the Pampas: 15N application in field lysimeters

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