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

This Article Figures Only Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Related articles in JEQ Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Decau, M. L. Articles by Jacquet, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Decau, M. L. Articles by Jacquet, A. Agricola Articles by Decau, M. L. Articles by Jacquet, A. Related Collections Grazing Management Nitrogen Lysimeter/Rhizosphere Studies Plant and Environment Interactions Water Pollution

TECHNICAL REPORT

Plant and Environment Interactions

Nitrate Leaching under Grassland as Affected by Mineral Nitrogen Fertilization and Cattle Urine

UMR-INRA950, Université de Caen, Esplanade de la paix, 14032 Caen, France

^* Corresponding author (cliquet{at}ibfa.unicaen.fr).

Received for publication April 18, 2003. An experiment was performed to better understand to what extent nitrogen fertilization rate and date and amount of urine deposition, when acting in combination, influence nitrate leaching under grassland. Leaching was studied during two successive winters using 2-m² grassed lysimeters under three levels of N fertilization (0, 150, and 300 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1, referred to as 0N, 150N, and 300N, respectively), two levels of ¹⁵N-labeled urine (105 and 165 kg N ha^–1, referred to as A2 and A3, respectively), and three dates of urine application (spring, summer, and fall). During the first winter, total N leaching losses varied between 2 and 50 kg N ha^–1. When tested in combination, N applied as urine to grassland resulted in three times the total N loss by leaching that occurred following N fertilization in the first winter (4.3, 20.8, 34.9, 14.2, 17.1, and 28.7 kg NO^–₃–N ha^–1 for no urine, A2, A3, 0N, 150N, and 300N, respectively). Leaching of ¹⁵N urine significantly depended on the date of application: 6.6, 17.3, and 29.1 kg for spring, summer, and fall, respectively. A similar pattern was observed for the contribution of ¹⁵N urine to total N leaching with 4.3, 12.9, and 21.4%. However, urine application, both in terms of amount and date, showed very little long-term effect on these N losses in Year 2. In our conditions of low winter rainfall and drainage, grazing management (through season, urinary N amounts, and urine N concentration) resulted in a higher impact on water nitrate quality than moderate N fertilization management.

Abbreviations: 0N, nitrogen fertilization of 0 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1 • 150N, nitrogen fertilization of 150 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1 • 300N, nitrogen fertilization of 300 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1 • A2, treatment providing 10.5 g N m^–2 as urine • A3, treatment providing 16.5 g N m^–2 as urine

Related articles in JEQ:

This Issue in Journal of Environmental Quality

JEQ 2004 33: 413-418. [Full Text]