HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Feigin, A. Articles by Limoni, H. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Feigin, A. Articles by Limoni, H. Agricola Articles by Feigin, A. Articles by Limoni, H.

Utilization Efficiency of Nitrogen from Sewage Effluent and Fertilizer Applied to Corn Plants Growing in a Clay Soil¹

ABSTRACT

Effects of irrigation with secondary municipal sewage effluents on N availability in a fertilized soil were studied in a greenhouse experiment using ¹⁵N as a tracer. Corn (Zea mays) was grown in a clay soil with ammonium-N added as solid fertilizer, sewage effluent, and a mineral solution.

Between 55 and 69% of the ammonium sulfate-¹⁵N was taken up by the corn plants. Between 21 and 32% of the fertilizer-N was recovered as organic-N in the soil after 43 days, while negligible amounts of exchangeable-NH₄ and NO₃ were detected. Losses of ammonium sulfate-N applied to the soil before seeding, probably through denitrification, ranged between 6 and 15%. Similar results were obtained whether the fertilized soil was irrigated with demineralized water, sewage effluent, or a mineral solution simulating the mineral composition of the sewage effluent.

About 61% of the tagged ammonium-N applied as sewage effluent was taken up by the corn plants, and 14% was immobilized in the organic fraction of soil. About 24% of the effluent-tagged-ammonium-N was lost, apparently through both denitrification and volatilization. The corresponding loss from the mineral-solution-tagged-N was about 17%. The simultaneous application of C and N by sewage effluents was probably responsible for the increased losses of N through denitrification found in the effluent-tagged-ammonium-N treatment.

Recovery of N, in plant and soil, from ammonium sulfate incorporated into the soil before planting was somewhat greater than that of sewage effluent ammonium-N, and was not affected by irrigation with sewage effluent.

Key Words: wastewater-N • ¹⁵N

¹ Contribution of the Agric. Res. Org., The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. No. 202-E, 1980 Series.

² Soil Scientists, Inst. of Soils and Water, A.R.O., and Agronomist, formerly with the Ministry of Agric., Ext. Serv., Qiryat Malakhi, Israel, respectively.

Received for publication July 11, 1980.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Y. Master, R. J. Laughlin, U. Shavit, R. J. Stevens, and A. Shaviv Gaseous Nitrogen Emissions and Mineral Nitrogen Transformations as Affected by Reclaimed Effluent Application J. Environ. Qual., July 1, 2003; 32(4): 1204 - 1211. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]