Comparison of a forced-draft technique to nitrogen-15 recovery for measuring ammonia volatilization under field conditions
Reliable field measurements of NH/sub 3/ volatilization are necessary for evaluating N-fertilizer efficiency for sod crops and conservation crop production systems. This study was conducted to compare NH/sub 3/ loss measurements under field conditions using a forced-draft technique and recovery of urea-/sup 15/N. Measurements were made from urea solution applied at a rate of 100 kg N ha/sup -1/ to a bare or mulched Cecil sandy loam soil. In an adjacent area, microplots were established to which urea enriched with /sup 15/N was added. Ammonia losses from the bare and mulched soil were 49 and 72% of the applied N by the forced-draft technique, and 14 and 46% of the applied N by /sup 15/N recovery. The air flow rate with the forced-draft technique was shown to exceed the actual wind speed near the soil surface 10 and 50% of the time for bare and mulched soil, respectively. These results raise serious questions about the validity and accuracy of the forced-draft technique. The usefulness of the forced-draft technique may be limited to relative comparisons of N sources, N rates, and various management practices.
- Research Organization:
- Georgia Agriculture Experiment Station, Experiment
- OSTI ID:
- 6870670
- Journal Information:
- Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.; (United States) Vol. 51:1; ISSN SSSJD
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AMIDES
AMMONIA
CARBONIC ACID DERIVATIVES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
EFFICIENCY
FERTILIZERS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LOSSES
NITROGEN 15
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NITROGEN ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
SOILS
STABLE ISOTOPES
TRACER TECHNIQUES
UREA
VOLATILITY