Using quantity/intensity relationships to assess the potential for ammonium leaching in a Vertosol

Page, K. L.; Menzies, Neal W.; Dalal, Ram C.

doi:10.1071/sr02061

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our results indicate that the chemical and physical characteristics of ammonium exert a considerable influence on the overall mean nitrogen age in the soil. The primary factor driving the increase in the mean nitrogen age in the topsoil layer is the cation exchange of ammonium resulting in retardation of the leaching of nitrogen [ Ghosh and Bhat , ; Sukreeyapongse et al ., ; Page et al ., ; Phillips and Burton , ; Xiong et al ., ; Raave et al ., ]. Ammonium‐based fertilizer applied on the soil surface causes near‐surface ammonium stagnation, elevating both concentration [ Ritchey et al ., ; Sadej and Przekwas , ; Crusciol et al ., ; Wang et al ., ] and mean age, which has a significant impact on the vertical distribution of mean nitrate age by nitrification.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mean age distribution of inorganic soil‐nitrogen

Woo

2016

Water Resources Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Excess reactive nitrogen in soils of intensively managed landscapes causes adverse environmental impact, and continues to remain a global concern. Many novel strategies have been developed to provide better management practices and, yet, the problem remains unresolved. The objective of this study is to develop a model to characterize the “age” of inorganic soil‐nitrogen (nitrate, and ammonia/ammonium). We use the general theory of age, which provides an assessment of the time elapsed since inorganic nitrogen has been introduced into the soil system. We analyze a corn‐corn‐soybean rotation, common in the Midwest United States, as an example application. We observe two counter‐intuitive results: (1) the mean nitrogen age in the topsoil layer is relatively high; and (2) mean nitrogen age is lower under soybean cultivation compared to corn although no fertilizer is applied for soybean cultivation. The first result can be explained by cation‐exchange of ammonium that retards the leaching of nitrogen, resulting in an increase in the mean nitrogen age near the soil surface. The second result arises because the soybean utilizes the nitrogen fertilizer left from the previous year, thereby removing the older nitrogen and reducing mean nitrogen age. Estimating the mean nitrogen age can thus serve as an important tool to disentangle complex nitrogen dynamics by providing a nuanced characterization of the time scales of soil‐nitrogen transformation and transport processes.

show abstract