Summary
The effect of cultivation (ploughing followed by rotavation) on the mineralization of soil nitrogen was measured at 2 sites on a silt loam soil. Both sites had a predominantly arable cropping history but one had been under grass for the previous 2 years and the other had carried wheat. Mineralization of N was slightly faster in cultivated soil but the difference was only significant at the site previously under grass. At this site cultivated soil contained 7 kg ha−1 more mineral N than uncultivated soil 2 weeks after treatment, and 9 kg ha−1 after 6 weeks. The corresponding figures for the site that had grown wheat were 4 and 6 kg N ha−1.
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Powlson, D.S. Effect of cultivation on the mineralization of nitrogen in soil. Plant Soil 57, 151–153 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02139653
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02139653