Premium
Minimizing nitrate losses from arable soils
Author(s) -
Shepherd M. A.,
Davies D. B.,
Johnson P. A.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
soil use and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.709
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1475-2743
pISSN - 0266-0032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-2743.1993.tb00936.x
Subject(s) - environmental science , leaching (pedology) , arable land , nitrate , agronomy , soil water , irrigation , nitrogen , growing season , cover crop , agriculture , agroforestry , soil science , ecology , chemistry , biology , organic chemistry
. Recent experiments on soils overlying sand, chalk and limestone aquifers have shown that nitrate leaching losses can be decreased by modifying crop husbandry. Green cover during winter, if established early enough, can reduce nitrate loss. Cultivations can be timed to minimize leaching, and the advantages of irrigation (increased nitrogen offtake and smaller post‐harvest soil mineral nitrogen residues) outweigh the potential disadvantage of increased leaching risk during the growing season. It is important not to over‐fertilize crops. Using these techniques within farm rotations has decreased nitrate losses in small plot experiments. The next step is to measure the effects on commercial farms where the scale of operation might preclude the high level of husbandry that is required for successful nitrogen management.