Premium
Fate of Subsurface‐Banded and Broadcast Nitrogen Applied to Tall Fescue
Author(s) -
Raczkowski C. W.,
Kissel D. E.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1989.03615995005300020044x
Subject(s) - festuca arundinacea , forage , urea , fertilizer , volatilisation , nitrogen , zoology , agronomy , chemistry , ammonium , ammonia volatilization from urea , nitrate , environmental science , biology , poaceae , organic chemistry
Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine why N uptake and forage production by tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) in southeastern Kansas are greater from subsurface‐banded (knifed) than from broadcast N applications. The fate of urea N fertilizer applied to tall fescue either broadcast or banded in 1982 was determined using a urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) solution containing 15 N tagged urea and measuring various components of the N balance. Plant uptake of residual urea N was measured during 1983. In 1982, 62% of the banded urea N was recovered in harvested forage, whereas only 40% was recovered in the broadcast treatment. Tagged N remaining in the soil as residual N at the end of 1982 amounted to 40 and 45% for broadcast and band treatments, respectively. Most of this residual N was not available to plants in 1983 since only 1.4 kg fertilizer N ha −1 (5–6% of the residual N) was recovered in the forage. About 1% of the banded N was unaccounted for, indicating that gaseous losses (denitrification and ammonia volatilization) were about 1% of the applied urea N, whereas 23% of the broadcast urea N was unaccounted for, indicating probable significant gaseous losses. These results suggest that the improved efficiency of knifed N over broadcast N observed in southeastern Kansas may be due to reduced gaseous N losses.