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Field measurement of net nitrogen mineralization of manured soil cropped to maize

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Abstract

We evaluated the in situ net nitrogen (N) mineralization in a soil cropped to maize and fertilized for 11 years with cattle slurry or farmyard manure, both common on livestock farms of the Po River valley in Northern Italy. The net N mineralization of the tilled soil layer was measured in six consecutive incubation periods after manure application, for a total of 12 weeks, using the polyethylene buried bags technique. Results showed that net N mineralization was followed by N immobilization and finally, by mineralization whose rate increase until maize flowering. On average, net N mineralization was 70.4 kg N ha−1, with the majority being released during the last measurement period. The time and extent of net N mineralization and plant N uptakes were not affected by fresh manure application. Instead, the effect of past management increased the maximum net N mineralization rate obtained with farmyard manure. The buried bag technique probably underestimates the total amount of mineralized N available for crop growth because it excludes the presence of the plant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Agronomia, Selvicoltura e Gestione del Territorio, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, 10095, Grugliasco, Turin, Italy

    Stefano Monaco, Dario Sacco & Carlo Grignani

  2. Dipartimento di Valorizzazione e Protezione delle Risorse Agroforestali, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, 10095, Grugliasco, Turin, Italy

    Teresa Borda

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  1. Stefano Monaco
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  2. Dario Sacco
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  3. Teresa Borda
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  4. Carlo Grignani
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Correspondence to Stefano Monaco.

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Monaco, S., Sacco, D., Borda, T. et al. Field measurement of net nitrogen mineralization of manured soil cropped to maize. Biol Fertil Soils 46, 179–184 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-009-0412-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-009-0412-9

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