Abstract
The objective of a rational N fertilization program is to account for the sources and fate of N while estimating crop N needs. Efficiency of N use will vary with cropping systems and N sources. Management technologies that affect N use efficiency include the amount of N applied, timing and placement of N fertilizer, and use of inhibitors. One of the main problems in making a fertilizer N recommendation is to account for the contribution of N mineralization to plant available N. Most laboratory procedures do not account for the environmental factors that affect N mineralization and only estimate the size of the mineralizable N pool. However, changes in soil moisture and temperature can dramatically affect the amount and rate of release of mineralized N. Field and modeling techniques are two possible techniques to estimate N mineralization. Field techniques can be divided into soil and plant approaches. Soil incubations in the field provide a quantitative approach while soil nitrate tests during the growing season provide a qualitative approach to estimating N mineralization. The plant is the ultimate integrator of N mineralization. Plant N uptake by an unfertilized crop can provide a quantitative approach with certain precautions. This approach may be costly, labor intensive, and site specific. Crop N uptake during the growing season can be estimated by measuring the tissue N content or using a chlorophyll meter. The chlorophyll meter measures the greenness of the plant and has been shown to be positively correlated to plant N status. Modeling may provide another option by including the factors that affect the rate of N mineralization from a known pool. The two most important variables include soil moisture and temperature. Realistic yield expectations and accounting for existing and projected amounts of available N can improve the accuracy of N recommendations.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bock BR, Kelley KR and Meisinger J (1992) Predicting N fertilizer needs for corn in humid regions: Summary and future directions.In: Bock BR and Kelley KR (eds) Predicting N fertilizer needs for corn in humid regions. Bull. Y-226, pp 115–127. National Fertilizer and Environmental Research Center, Tennessee Valley Authority, Muscle Shoals, AL
Bremner J (1994) Problems in the use of urea as a nitrogen fertilizer.In: Ahmad N (ed) International Symposium on Nitrogen Economy in Tropical Soils. 9–14 Jan. 1994. Port of Spain, Trinidad. Univ. West Indies, Trinidad, West Indies (In press)
Broadbent FE (1986) Empirical modeling of soil nitrogen mineralization. Soil Sci 141: 208–213
Campbell CA, Jame YW and De Jong R (1988) Predicting net nitrogen mineralization over a growing season: Model verification. Can J Soil Sci 68: 537–552
Campbell CA, Myers RJK and Weier KL (1981) Potentially mineralizable nitrogen, decomposition rates and their relationship to temperature for five Queensland soils. Aust J Soil Res 19: 323–32
Deans JR, Molina JAE and Clapp CE (1986) Models for predicting potentially mineralizable nitrogen and decomposition rate constants. Soil Sci Soc Am J 50: 323–326
Dobereiner J (1978) Potential for nitrogen fixation in tropical legumes and grasses.In: Dobereiner Jet al. (eds) Limitations and Potentials for Biological Nitrogen Fixation in the Tropics, pp 13–34 Plenum Publishing Corp., New York
Doel DS, Honeycutt CW and Halteman WA (1990) Soil water effects on the use of heat units to predict crop residue carbon and nitrogen mineralization. Biol Fertil Soils 10: 102–106
Frye WW (1981) Nitrification inhibitors. Soil Sci News and Views 2 (10). Dept. of Agronomy, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington
Honeycutt CW, Zibilske LM and Clapham WM (1988) Heat units for describing carbon mineralization and predicting net nitrogen mineralization. Soil Sci Soc Am J 52: 1346–1350
Jackson G, Keeney D, Curwen D and Webendorfer B (1987) Agricultural management practices to minimize goundwater contamination. Environ Resources Center, Univ WI, Dept. Nat Resources, Madison, WI. 114 p.
Juma NG, Paul EA and Mary B 1984 Kinetic analysis of net nitrogen mineralization in soil. Soil Sci Soc Am J 48: 753–757
Keeney DR (1982) Nitrogen availability indices.In: Page ALet al. (eds) Methods of Soil Analysis, part 2, 2nd Ed. Agronomy 9: 711–733
Lamond R, Whitney DA, Hickman JS and Bonczkowski LC (1991) Nitrogen rate and placement for grain sorghum production in no-tillage systems. J Prod Agric 4: 532–535
Lamond RE, Whitney DA, Maddux LD, Gordon B, Key O and Koch S (1994) Nitrogen management for no-till corn and grass sorghum production.In: Lamond RE (ed) Kansas Fertilizer Research 1993. Rep. Pro. 697, pp 93–97 Kansas Agric Exp Stn. Manhattan, KS
Magdoff FR, Ross D and Amadon J (1984) A soil test for nitrogen availability to corn. Soil Sci Soc Am J 48: 1301–1304
McGill WB and Myers RJK (1987) Controls on dynamics of soil and fertilizer nitrogen.In: Follett RFet al. (eds) Soil Fertility and Organic Matter as Critical Components of Production Systems. Soil Sci Soc Am Spec Pub 19, pp 73–99. Soil Sci Soc Am, Madison, WI
Meisinger JJ (1984) Evaluating plant-available nitrogen in soil-crop systems.In: Hauck RD (ed) Nitrogen in Crop Production, pp 391–416. Am Soc Agron Madison, WI
Mengel DB, Nelson DW and Huber DM (1982) Placement of nitrogen fertilizers for no-till and conventional till corn. Agron J 74: 515–518
Molina JAE Clapp CE and Larson WE (1980) Potentially mineralizable nitrogen in soil: The simple exponential model does not apply for the first 12 weeks of incubation. Soil Sci Soc. Am. J 44: 442–443
Murphy LS, Leikam DF, Lamond RE and Gallagher PJ (1978) Applying N and P at the same time into the same soil shows promise for winter wheat. Better Crops 62: 16–23
Myers RJK (1988) Nitrogen management of upland crops. From cereals to food legumes to sugar cane.In: Wilson JR (ed) Advances in Nitrogen Cycling in Agricultural Ecosystems. CAB International, Walling Ford, UK
Myers RJK, Campbell CA and Weier KL (1982) Quantitative relationship between net nitrogen mineralization and moisture content of soils. Can J Soil Sci 62: 111–124
Neeteson JJ, Dilz K and Wijnen G (1989) N-fertilizer recommendations for arable crops.In: Germon JC (ed) Management Systems to Reduce Impact of Nitrates, pp 253–264 Elsevier, New York NY
Neyra CA and Dobereiner J (1977) Nitrogen fixation in grasses. Adv Agron 29: 1–38
Peterson GA and Frye WW (1989) Fertilizer nitrogen management.In: Follett RF (ed) Nitrogen Management and Ground Water Protection, pp 183–219 Elsevier, New York
Phillips RE, Blevins RC, Thomas GW, Frye WW and Phillips SH (1980) No tillage agriculture. Science 208: 1108–1113
Power JF and Broadbent FE (1989) Proper accounting for N in cropping systems.In: Follett RF (ed) Nitrogen Management and Ground Water Protection, pp 160–181. Elsevier, New York
Rice CW, Grove JH and Smith MS (1987) Estimating soil net nitrogen mineralization as affected by tillage and soil drainage due to topographic position. Can J Soil Sci 67: 513–520
Rice CW and Havlin JH (1994) Integrating mineralizable N indices in fertilizer N recommendations.In: Havlinet al. (eds) New Directions in Soil Testing for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Soil Sci Soc Am Spec Publ 40, pp 1–13. Soil Sci Soc Am, Madison, WI (In press)
Rice CW and Smith MS (1982) Denitrification in no-till and plowed soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 46: 1168–1173
Rice CW and Smith MS (1984) Short-term immobilization of fertilizer nitrogen at the surface of no-till and plowed soil. Soil Sci Soc Am J 48: 295–297
Sahrawat KL (1994) Nitrification inhibitors and persistence of fertilizer nitrogen in the soil system.In: Ahmad N (ed) International Symposium on Nitrogen Economy in Tropical Soils. 9–14 Jan. 1994. Port of Spain, Trinidad. Univ. West Indies, Trinidad, West Indies (In press)
Schepers JS, Blackmer TM and Francis DD (1992a) Predicting N fertilizer needs for corn in humid regions: Using chlorophyll meters.In: Bock BR and Kelley KR (eds) Predicting N Fertilizer Needs for Corn in Humid Regions. Bull. Y-226, pp 103–114. National Fertilizer and Environmental Research Center, Muscles Schoals, AL
Schepers JS, Francis DD, Vigil M and Below FE (1992b) Comparison of corn leaf nitrogen and chlorophyll meter readings. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 23: 2173–2187
Schepers JS and Meisinger JJ (1994) Field indicators of nitrogen mineralization.In: Havlinet al. (eds) New Directions in Soil Testing for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Soil Sci Soc Am Spec Publ 40, pp 31–47. Soil Sci Soc Am, Madison, WI (In press)
Schepers JS and Mosier AR (1991) Accounting for nitrogen in nonequilibrium soil-crop systems.In: RF Folletet al. (eds) Managing Nitrogen for groundwater Quality and Farm Profitability, pp 125–138. Soil Sci Soc Am, Madison, WI
Schlegel AJ and Havlin JL (1994) Corn response to long term nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization. J Prod Agric (In press)
Stanford G (1982) Assessment of soil nitrogen availability.In: Stevenson FJ (ed) Nitrogen in Agricultural Soils, pp 651–688. Soil Sci Soc Madison, WI
Stanford G and Smith SJ (1972) Nitrogen mineralization potentials in soils. Soil Sci Soc Am Proc 36: 465–472
Thomas GW, Blevins RL, Phillips RE and McMahon ME (1973) Effect of killed sod mulch on nitrate movement and corn yield. Agron J 65: 736–739
Watanabe I (1987) Summary report of theAzolla program of the international network on soil fertility and fertilizer evaluation for rice.In:Azolla Utilization. Int Rice Res Inst, Los Banos, Philippines
Watanabe I, Craswell ET and App AA (1981) Nitrogen cycling in wetland rice fields in south-east and east Asia.In: Wetselaar Ret al. (eds) Nitrogen Cycling in South-East Asian W Monsoonal Ecosystems, pp 4–17. Aust Acad Sci, Canberra, Australia
Wells KL (1984) Nitrogen management in the no-till system.In: Hauck R (ed) Nitrogen in crop production, pp 535–550. Am Soc Agron, Madison, WI
Zhao-liang Z (1981) Nitrogen cycling and the fate of fertilizer nitrogen in rice fields of the Suchow district, Jiangsu Province, China.In: Wetselaar Ret al. (eds) Nitrogen Cycling in South-East Asian Wet Monsoonal Ecosystems, pp 73–80. Aust Acad Sci, Canberra Australia
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rice, C.W., Havlin, J.L. & Schepers, J.S. Rational nitrogen fertilization in intensive cropping systems. Fertilizer Research 42, 89–97 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00750502
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00750502