Bc. Liang et Af. Mackenzie, CHANGES OF SOIL NITRATE-NITROGEN AND DENITRIFICATION AS AFFECTED BY NITROGEN-FERTILIZER ON 2 QUEBEC SOILS, Journal of environmental quality, 23(3), 1994, pp. 521-525
Corn (Zea mays L.) production may result in NO3- -N accumulation in so
ils because of high N fertilizer applications. Nitrate-N in soil may b
e lost by denitrification and leaching. Prediction of the amount lost
would be helpful in minimizing these losses. Field experiments were co
nducted to investigate the effects of N fertilizer rates on soil NO3-
-N under corn on two soils of contrasting texture from 1988 to 1991 in
southwestern Quebec. Denititrification as affected by previous N fert
ilizer rates was estimated for the nongrowing season of 1990-1991. Soi
l NO3- -N levels in the fall increased linearly with increasing N fert
ilizer rates above the normal N rate both on clay and sandy clay loam
soils. However, NO3- -N could have been leached out of the rooting zon
e on the coarser Chicot soil (fine-loamy, mixed, frigid Typic Hapludal
f) in the late growing season, depending on rainfall. The changes in s
oil NO3- -N over winter were a function of both soil NO3- -N levels th
e previous fall and over-winter precipitation. Denitrification losses
varied from 7 to 24 kg ha-1 during the nongrowing season, increasing w
ith N fertilizer rates only on the Ste. Rosalie clay soil (fine, mixed
, frigid Typic Humaquept). In comparison with total NO3- -N disappeara
nce over the same period, losses of NO3- -N due to denitrification wer
e relatively small. Thus, significant portions of NO3- -N losses were
probably due to leaching both on clay and sandy clay loam soils.