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Control of nitrification rate by increasing ammonium concentration

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Abstract

Lysimeter experiments with maize and incubation experiments showed that increased ammonium concentrations in soil reduced nitrification rates. A modified Lees and Quastel kinetic model was proposed for predicting the relation between initial ammonium concentration in soil and nitrification rate. A term Mi strongly dependent on initial ammonium concentration ([NH40]) was introduced into the model which took the form: dy/dt = R(A − y)(Mi + y), where R is a rate constant, y represents the concentration of formed nitrate and A is an asymptotic value of initial ammonium concentration. Mi was obtained by a curve fitting procedure applied to experimental data. An exponential decay of Mi with [NH4]0 was formulated. The modified model thus obtained provides an effective tool for predicting nitrification rates related to a wide range of ammonium concentrations.

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  1. Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Technion — Israel Institute of Technology, 32000, Haifa, Israel

    A. Shaviv

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  1. A. Shaviv
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Shaviv, A. Control of nitrification rate by increasing ammonium concentration. Fertilizer Research 17, 177–188 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01050278

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