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Decreasing Nitrogen Leaching from Sandy Soil with Ammonium‐Loaded Clinoptilolite
Author(s) -
Perrin T. S.,
Boettinger J. L.,
Drost D. T.,
Norton J. M.
Publication year - 1998
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/jeq1998.00472425002700030024x
Subject(s) - leaching (pedology) , soil water , clinoptilolite , ammonium , nitrogen , chemistry , lessivage , quartz , environmental chemistry , ammonium sulfate , environmental science , soil science , zeolite , metallurgy , materials science , biochemistry , organic chemistry , chromatography , catalysis
Nitrogen (N) loss from irrigated cropland, particularly sandy soils, significantly contributes to nitrate (NO − 3 ) levels in surface and groundwaters. In this study, as a preface to a plant growth study, we compared N leaching from NH + 4 ‐loaded clinoptilolite (A‐Cp) and (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 (AS) in two media: a rounded quartz sand and a sandy soil. We hypothesized that quartz sand or soil amended with A‐Cp would leach significantly less N than these media amended with AS, and that more N would leach from smaller A‐Cp size fractions than from larger A‐Cp size fractions. Ammonium sulfate, or one of the three A‐Cp size fractions, small (<0.25 mm), medium (0.25–2 mm), or large (2–4 mm), was banded at a depth of 5 cm in leaching columns filled with inert quartz sand at a rate of 112, 224, or 336 kg N ha −1 . The experiment was repeated with sandy soil in greenhouse pots at rates of 112 and 224 kg N ha −1 . The columns and pots were leached for about 40 d with a simulated irrigation water. Significantly more N, as NH + 4 and NO − 3 , leached from AS amendments than any of the A‐Cp amendments in both experiments. Results indicated that the larger the A‐Cp size fraction, the slower NH + 4 is released from A‐Cp. Ammonium‐Cp slowly releases N and could significantly minimize N leaching from sandy soils compared to AS.