Premium
Leaching of Nitrate from Monolith Lysimeters of Different Types of Agricultural Soils
Author(s) -
Bergström L.,
Johansson R.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1991.00472425002000040015x
Subject(s) - lysimeter , leaching (pedology) , soil water , loam , environmental science , organic matter , soil texture , agronomy , lessivage , soil type , soil science , soil classification , soil organic matter , soil horizon , peat , chemistry , ecology , organic chemistry , biology
Nitrate leaching was measured in field lysimeters containing undisturbed soils of different texture and organic matter content. Spring barley ( Hordeum distichum L.) was sown on each lysimeter and fertilized with 100 kg N ha –1 . Each soil type received supplementary watering to simulate either “average” or “worst‐case” precipitation. The largest leaching losses of NO – 3 , ca. 65 kg N ha –1 yr –1 , occurred in a sandy soil that contained little organic matter and in a peat soil. Two loamy soils lost between 25 and 40 kg N ha –1 yr –1 . Smallest leaching losses, ca. 20 kg N ha –1 yr –1 or less, occurred in a clay soil and another sandy soil rich in organic matter. With the exception of the clay and peat soils, the watering treatment did not significantly affect the amounts of NO – 3 leached, although the temporal distribution of leaching was clearly influenced by weather conditions. The difference in leaching between the two sandy soils was explained by differences in crop growth, whereas leaching differences between soil types were mainly considered to be due to different textural and structural properties. The results show that to make a thorough comparison of NO – 3 leaching between different soil types they have to be tested simultaneously at the same site.