A 15N tracing technique-based analysis of the fate of fertilizer N: a 4-year case study in eastern China |
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| Authors: | Maomao Hou Xiaohou Shao Qiu Jin Xiaoli Gao |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Gardening, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China;2. Key Laboratory of Efficient Irrigation-Drainage and Agricultural Soil-Water Environment in Southern China, Hohai University, Ministry of Education, Nanjing, China;3. Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Jiangsu Institute of Water Resources Science, Nanjing, China |
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| Abstract: | The fate of fertilizer N applied with different irrigation amounts in tobacco fields was quantitatively studied by applying 15N double-labelled NH4NO3 in lysimeters. The 15N (fertilizer N originating from the fertilizer applied in 2011) in tobacco plants, 15N in soils and 15N loss were observed continuously from 2011 to 2014. The results showed that 21.6% of 15N was utilized by tobacco plants, 72.1% remained in the 0–60 cm soil layer and 6.3% was lost from the soil–plant system after the first season’s harvest (2011) of flue-cured tobacco. During the four seasons from 2011 to 2014, cumulative utilization of 15N by tobacco plants was 34.3%, while 54.2% remained in the 0–60 cm soil layer, and 11.5% was lost via mechanisms such as leaching and volatilization. The fate of 15N in terms of accumulation in plants and soils or losses from the soil–plant system from 2012 to 2014 was greatly affected by the fertilizer and irrigation management strategies in 2011. The results of this investigation suggest that the major amount of fertilizer N applied during the first season remains available in the soil for utilization by tobacco plants after 4 years. |
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| Keywords: | Flue-cured tobacco 15N fate fertilizer N loss |
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