Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Davis and San Diego State University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-144). Also available via the World Wide Web. (Restricted to UC campuses).

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Increasing levels of nitrate (NO3-) in groundwater have become a major environmental and health concern. In situations where NO3-concentrations in the soil-water system pose an environmental hazard, water table management may be a desirable practice to reduce such pollution. Careful management of N applications is also believed to reduce NO3- levels. / A field experiment was conducted in 1996 and 1997 at St. Emmanuel, Quebec, about 30 km South-West of Macdonald Campus of McGill University, to investigate the effect of water table management (WTM) and N fertilizer combinations on potentially leachable NO3- and denitrification rates in the top soil layer (0--0.15 m). The field was planted with monocrop corn (Zea mays. L) in both years. Treatments consisted of a factorial combination of two water table managements, free drainage (FD) and subirrigation (SI) (about 1.0 m and 0.6 m, respectively, below the soil surface) and two N fertilizer rates, 200 kg ha-1 (N200) and 120 kg ha-1 (N120). / Water table management had a significant effect on reducing NO3 - concentrations in the soil profile. Subirrigation treatment reduced NO3- in the top soil layer by 41% and 15% in 1996 and 1997, respectively. Similarly, NO3 - levels were 50% and 20% lower in N120 compared to N200 treatment. / Climatic conditions (rainfall and temperature) played a large role in regulating denitrification rates. Due to drier and cooler conditions in 1997, denitrification rates were lower compared to 1996, leaving more NO3 - in the soil profile. Following harvest, this high NO 3- concentration may be subject to leaching.

An incubation study was conducted to evaluate the effects of added urea, NH$ sb4$Cl, and KCl on fixation of NH$ sb4 sp{+}$ and K$ sp{+}$. A field study was carried out to observe the effects of rates and methods of added urea and KCl on the forms and distribution of N and K in soils, and on yields and nutrient uptake of silage corn. / Generally, the fixation of NH$ sb4 sp{+}$ was increased by added N but reduced by added K and vice versa. One exception was that added K increased NH$ sb4 sp{+}$ fixation when NH$ sb4$Cl was the N source. In comparison with NH$ sb4$Cl, urea resulted in greater K$ sp{+}$ fixation but less NH$ sb4 sp{+}$ fixation. / Band placement of urea and KCl showed apparent accumulation of NH$ sb4$-N and NO$ sb3$-N, and exchangeable K$ sp{+}$ in the fertilizer bands, particularly early in the growing season. On the other hand, band placement resulted in lower levels of available N and K in soil between the bands in comparison with broadcast. / Yields of silage corn and nutrient uptake values were increased by N and K fertilizers, except for one soil in the first year. Band placement of urea was superior in the case of frequent and light rainfall but inferior with dry surface soil conditions followed by a relatively large rainfall 3 or 4 days after application. In the latter condition, banding K resulted in less yields on one soil, and banding the two fertilizers together further reduced N utilization on another soil. / Additions of K suppressed Ca and Mg uptake but did not influence N uptake, whereas K uptake was usually enhanced by added N.

The fate of fertilizer N is of primary concern for both agricultural productivity and environmental quality. Concerns include denitrification, leaching losses, mineralization of organic N as plant available N. Denitrification is an important source of N$ sb2$O, a greenhouse gas but field measurements are difficult. Two methods of measuring denitrification are soil core (SC) incubation and closed chamber (CC) methods. These methods were assessed on soil under monoculture corn, monoculture soybean, and alfalfa in a corn soybean alfalfa rotation. Greater concentrations were found in the CC method than the SC method. Denitrification rates ranged from less than 15 g N ha$ sp{-1}$h$ sp{-1}$ to nearly 2000 g N ha$ sp{-1}$h$ sp{-1}$. The CC method was more sensitive to treatment effects. The denitrification rates were dependent on the soil type, being higher on soils with high clay content. The variables that had the highest degree of relationship with denitrification were water filled pore space, soil NH$ sb4$-N and NO$ sb3 $,-N concentrations. Higher rates of N increased denitrification. As to assessment of available soil N, this was accomplished N and C mineralization measurements. Potentially mineralizable N(N$ sb0$) ranged from 144 mg N kg$ sp{-1}$ to 30.3 mg N kg$ sp{-1}$. Higher rates of organic amendment resulted in higher measured values on Brandon soil while higher rates of inorganic N on Chicot and Ste. Rosalie soils caused no change in mineralizable N or respired C. Total N, organic C, water soluble organic C (WSOC) and microbial biomass C (MBC) increased with increasing amounts of organic or inorganic N amendment on Brandon soil. Higher rates of inorganic N resulted in lower WSOC and MBC on Chicot and Ste. Rosalie soils. Nitrogen mineralized, C respired, total N, organic C, WSOC and MBC were all related to soil texture. MBC and WSOC were found to have a strong positive relationship with potentially mineralizable N.

One must consider the effects of both soil N and fertilizer N, if rates of N-fertilizer application are to be optimized and NO$ sb3 sp-$ leaching into groundwater be controlled. Objectives were (1) to determine soil $ rm NO sb3 sp-$-N and NH$ sb4 sp+$-N, soil total N, and N fertilizer levels and corn and wheat yields; and, (2) to determine soil sampling times and depths for N analyses that correlated with yields and fertilizer N response. Soil samples taken at seeding and postseeding were analyzed for NH$ sb4 sp+$-N and NO$ sb3 sp-$-N, and for total N in 29 wheat sites and 44 corn sites fertilized with four rates of N. N-Trak (quick test) and laboratory methods were employed to measure soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N. A significant correlation was found between N-Trak and laboratory methods (R$ sp2$ = 0.61$ sp{**}$ for corn and 0.89$ sp{**}$ for wheat). Compared to the laboratory method, N-Trak overestimated soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N. Soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N levels increased upon drying. In some cases soils showed an increase in soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N from seeding to postseeding. Wheat yields and wheat grain N uptake were better correlated with soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N at seeding than at postseeding. For corn, yields and grain uptake showed a higher correlation with soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N at postseeding. Corn regression models predicted 180 to 240 kg ha$ sp{-1}$ of N fertilizer to obtain optimum economic yields and 0 to 40 kg ha$ sp{-1}$ N for wheat. Soil total N was not correlated with corn yields as highly as soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N. Soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N can be used as an indicator of fertilizer N requirements for corn and wheat in Quebec.

The use of plastic mulches in producing red bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is relatively new to Quebec and management techniques need to be further developed in terms of nitrogen (N) fertilization as well as insect and disease control. A research project was undertaken in the 1995 and 1996 growing seasons to compare peppers grown on black and on silver mulches, and fertigated using either the conventional method (weekly N-fertigated) or N-fertigated using diagnostic chlorophyll meter readings. Both fertigation treatments resulted in similar yields, although those fertilized according to the chlorophyll meter received 28 to 42 kg N/ha less than the weekly fertilized treatments. The chlorophyll meter was able to detect N deficiencies. Alate aphid populations were significantly reduced by mulches, especially by the silver mulch in both years. However, apterous aphid populations were increased by mulches, most markedly by the black mulch. No significant effect of mulch or N was found on tarnished plant bug or European corn borer populations, or on the percentage of fruit with sunscald or viral symptoms.

Groundwater contamination caused by agricultural fertilization is a widely recognized problem. In Hawaii, nitrogen fertilization from pineapple and sugarcane fields has posed a threat to several basal aquifers and has been implicated in coastal algae blooms. The concentration of nitrate-N in the Pearl Harbor basin on the island of Oahu was below 2.3 mg/L in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and has increased to as much as 7.6 mg/L in 1992 to 1994. The objective of this dissertation research is to develop a practical methodology for realistically estimating nitrate leaching from fertilized agricultural lands. Numerous mechanisms have impact on the distribution and migration of nitrate in the soil. Nitrogen fertilizer undergoes many N transformations and interactions with the soil and the plant after applications. In this study, an analysis of soil samples was performed to understand the leaching process of nitrate in the root zone of three different cropped fields in Hawaii. A detailed discussion is given to address various factors which control the nitrate transport process. To judge the sampling plan in relation to spatial variation, the field measurements were evaluated statistically by an uncertainty index, which is represented as the density of samples required for the estimate of sample mean of the nitrate concentration to fall within a defined limit of accuracy. In order to predict the effect of nitrogen fertilization on the groundwater contamination with very limited input data, a simple, analytical, lumped parameter model (LPM), was developed. The model can estimate the average nitrate leaching from the root zone in response to agricultural practices, N transformations and other related processes. The model was tested against the field data and two detailed numerical models, LEACHM-N and CERES-Maize. It provides an alternative way to assess nitrate leaching from the root zone with acceptable accuracy. A listing of the program is provided in Appendix 2. Owing to the complex nature of nitrogen behavior in the unsaturated zone, some degree of uncertainty is involved in the development of modeling approaches. In this study, five major sources of uncertainty were identified. These are: uncertainty due to spatial variation, uncertainty related to the accuracy of the input data, uncertainty due to simplifications in the development of the models, uncertainty due to the modeling parameters, and uncertainty due to the complexity of the unsaturated zone in Hawaii. The impact of these uncertainties on simulation results is evaluated. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 202-215). / UHM: Has both book and microform. / Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.