Nitrogen use efficiency in a soil amended with different organic residues

Abstract

Nitrogen efficient use is important for economic and environmental sustainability of cropping systems. Three examples of fertilization practices considered to be able to contribute to the improvement of N use efficiency are: the use of a waste with higher C/N ratio, such as pulp mill sludge (Kirchmann and Bergström, 2003), specific application time and/or split application of nitrogen fertilizers (Roberts, 2008) and the use of nitrification inhibitors, such as the DCD (Zaman and Blennerhassett, 2010). In present study a field experiment was carried out from May 2006 to May 2008, in central Portugal, to evaluate agronomic nitrogen use efficiency (AE) and apparent N recovery efficiency (ARE), when different organic wastes (cattle slurry, sewage sludge and urban waste compost) were used as N sources in a double-cropping system producing maize and oats forage. The use of a nitrification inhibitor (DCD), the splitting application of residues and the use of an organic residue with high C/N ratio (pulp mill sludge) were evaluated as management practices that could improve N use efficiency.