Nitrate leaching and drainage from annual and perennial crops in tile-drained plots and lysimeters
Leaching of NO/sub 3/ with drainage water from tile-drained field plots and from three types of lysimeters was estimated during a 4-yr period. Treatments included barley (Hordeum distichum L.) with and without N-fertilizer, a grass ley (Festuca pratensis), and a lucerne ley (Medicago sativa) (i.e., 4-yr forage crops). The maximum amount of NO/sub 3/ leached was 36 kg N ha/sup -1/ yr/sup -1/ for barley fertilized with Ca(NO/sub 3/)/sub 2/ (120 kg N ha/sup -1/ yr/sup -1/). For unfertilized barley the corresponding amount was 5 kg N ha/sup -1/ during the same period. The NO/sub 3/ fluxes from the grass and lucerne leys were mostly below 5 kg N ha/sup -1/ yr/sup -1/. However, after the grass ley was plowed, considerable leaching occurred, reaching 42 kg N ha/sup -1/ during 20 weeks following plowing. Weather conditions had a strong influence on the temporal distribution of leaching losses. Lysimeters compared with tile-drained plots, had generally higher drainage volumes. The slow dynamics of ground water beneath the drainage-tiles can explain most of this difference. Lysimeters with disturbed soil profiles usually had higher drainage volumes than lysimeters with undisturbed profiles. Despite these differences, all methods consistently estimated the relative differences between the cropping systems concerning leaching of NO/sub 3/. The degree of variation in drainage flow between lysimeter replicates was also satisfactorily low.
- Research Organization:
- Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala
- OSTI ID:
- 5884259
- Journal Information:
- J. Environ. Qual.; (United States), Vol. 16:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
NITRATES
LEACHING
MEASURING METHODS
BARLEY
DRAINAGE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
GRASS
GROUND WATER
SOILS
WEATHER
CEREALS
DISSOLUTION
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
WATER
510200* - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
520200 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)