Nitrogen mineralization, plant uptake and nitrate leaching following the incorporation of (15N)-labeled cauliflower crop residues (Brassica oleracea) into the soil: a 3-year lysimeter study

• Published in: Plant and soil Vol. 328; no. 1-2; pp. 17 - 26
• Main Authors: Akkal-Corfini, N, Morvan, T, Menasseri-Aubry, S, Bissuel-Bélaygue, C, Poulain, D, Orsini, F, Leterme, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01.03.2010; Springer; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Agricultural soils; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cauliflower; Crop management; Crop residues; Crops; Ecology; Flowers & plants; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Leaching; Life Sciences; Mineralization; Minerals; Nitrates; Nitrogen; Organic soils; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Plants; Potatoes; REVIEW ARTICLE; Soil air; Soil science; Soil Science & Conservation; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; Soils; Topsoil; Vegetable crops; Vegetables; Vegetal Biology; Cauliflower residues; Model; 15N; Mineralization; Lysimeter; Nitrogen recovery; Incorporation; Isotope labelling; Nitrogen compounds; Nitrates; Inorganic element; Nitrogen Isotopes; Modeling; Absorption; Cruciferae; Monovalent anion; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Nitrogen-15; Measuring installation; C3-Type; Brassica oleracea var. botrytis; Macronutrient(mineral); Vegetals; Underground leaching; Nuclear method; Nutrient recovery; Inorganic ion; Soils; Inorganic anion; Brassica oleracea; Inorganic nitrogen; Vegetable crop; Crop residues; Spermatophyta; Soil plant relation; Physical method; lessivage; leaching; nitrate; vegetable; légume; nitrogen 15; résidus de choux-fleur; lysimeter; modèle; numerical models; azote 15; lysimètre; bretagne
• ISSN: 0032-079X; 1573-5036
• DOI: 10.1007/s11104-009-0104-0

A 3-year field lysimeter experiment was performed to determine transformations of 15N-labeled cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) residues incorporated into lysimeter topsoil in a potato (Solanum tuberosum)/cauliflower rotation. Only the potato crop received 150 kg mineral N ha⁻¹y⁻¹. Cauliflower yields were high (12-13 t fresh matter ha⁻¹), and N returned to the soil represented 51% of the aboveground plant N uptake. The 15N recovery by the potato/cauliflower rotation began at 46%, then decreased sharply to 12 and 6% for the second and third year, respectively. The cumulative 15N leaching rate was only 3%; 63% remained in the soil 3 years after incorporation. Soil N mineralization rates described by a parallel first-order kinetic model predicted 27, 7 and 6% of residual N lost annually during the first, second and third year, respectively. Thus, a potato/cauliflower rotation with moderate N fertilization optimizes N recovery of crop residues and can control leaching loss efficiently.