The fate of urine nitrogen: A grassland lysimeter study in Ireland
Abstract
In grazed pasture systems, the nitrogen (N) contained in a cattle urine patch may be up to 1200 kg N ha⁻¹. The majority of this N is in excess of plant requirements and is vulnerable to environmental loss. In this study, cattle urine was applied at five rates of nitrogen, 0, 300,500, 700 and 1000 kg N ⁻¹ soil monolith lysimeters in late autumn in Ireland. Measurements of gaseous N emissions, nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching and pasture N uptake were made for a calendar year following urine application in two consecutive experiments. Increasing the rate of urine N applied increased the cumulative nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, NO₃⁻ leaching and pasture N uptake in years one and two, and the relationships were curvilinear with N recovery diminishing at the higher N rates.... [Show full abstract]
Keywords
nitrogen; cattle urine; lysimeterFields of Research
0503 Soil Sciences; 0703 Crop and Pasture Production; 079902 Fertilisers and Agrochemicals (incl. Application)Date
2014-02Type
Conference Contribution - published (Conference Paper)Collections
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