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Effects of short‐term nitrogen supply from livestock manures and cover crops on silage maize production and nitrate leaching
Author(s) -
Schröder J. J.,
Visser W.,
Assinck F. B. T.,
Velthof G. L.
Publication year - 2013
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/sum.12027
Subject(s) - agronomy , leaching (pedology) , manure , fertilizer , nitrate , silage , cover crop , zoology , nitrogen , ammonium , chemistry , ammonium nitrate , slurry , environmental science , biology , soil water , environmental engineering , organic chemistry , soil science
Resource use efficiency requires a correct appreciation of the nitrogen ( N ) fertilizer replacement value ( NFRV , percentage of total N applied) of manures. We assessed the NFRV s of the liquid fraction originating from separated pig slurry ( MC ), untreated pig slurry ( PS ), untreated cattle slurry ( CS ), the solid fraction from separated pig slurry ( SF ) and solid farmyard manure from cattle ( FYM ) in two consecutive years in silage maize grown on a sandy soil. Maize yields responded positively to each of these N sources applied at rates up to 150 kg of mineral fertilizer equivalents per ha per year (i.e. NFRV × total N rate). The observed NFRV s, relative to calcium ammonium nitrate fertilizer, amounted to 78% for MC , 82% for PS , 79% for CS , 56% for SF and 34% for FYM when averaged over both years. NFRV s were positively related to the ammonium‐ N share in the total N content. Rye cover crop establishment after the harvest of maize reduced nitrate concentrations of the upper groundwater by, on average, 7.5 mg nitrate‐ N /L in the first year and 10.9 mg/L in the second year, relative to a bare soil. Regardless of the presence of a cover crop, nitrate concentrations responded positively to the applied rate of effective N (total N × NFRV ) but less to postharvest residual soil mineral N .