Abstract
With the objective of evaluating soil pollution by nitrates, due to nitrogen leaching, several treatments using urban sludge and two mineral nitrogen fertilizers — ammonium sulfate applied as basic fertilization and potassium nitrate, applied by fertigation — were applied to fertilize cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus, L.). An alluvial soil was used; pH was 7.9 and its organic matter content was a middle value. Using fertigation (potassium nitrate), the best yield and the highest nitrogen use efficiency were obtained and only an insignificant amount of nitrogen was leached. Amounts of ammonium sulfate of 3.5 ton.ha−1 were toxic to the plants, and their nitrogen use efficiency was about 10%. On the other hand, the urban sludge treatment showed a nitrogen efficiency of 45% and there was practically not any nitrogen loss by leaching.
Key words
- nitrate-leaching
- nitrogen use efficiency
- sewage sludge
- fertigation
- mineral fertilizers
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© 1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Brito, J., Ferreira, D., Guerrero, C., Machado, A., Beltrão, J. (1999). Soil pollution by nitrates using sewage sludge and mineral fertilizers. In: Anac, D., Martin-PrÉvel, P. (eds) Improved Crop Quality by Nutrient Management. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 86. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-585-37449-9_51
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-585-37449-9_51
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-5850-3
Online ISBN: 978-0-585-37449-9
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