Abstract
Effects of differences in both land use history and levels of nitrogen (N) application on nitrate concentration in the groundwater were studied for permanent pastures located on a single soil series in the Frisian Woodlands in the north of the Netherlands. The study was carried out for three fields: A, B and C. Field A was an old pasture, field B was a reseeded pasture and field C had been previously used for growing silage maize. The models SWAP and ANIMO were used for long-term simulations of the soil organic matter and soil N dynamics. The soil data from fields A, B and C were combined with different N application levels derived from commercial dairy farms on the same soil series for 2000. Soil organic matter and soil organic N were lower in field C than in fields A and B. In field C also the probability of exceeding the environmental threshold for nitrate in groundwater of 50 mg l–1 was lowest, which was ascribed to net immobilization irrespective of the high levels of N applied. However, this probability increased rapidly when the soil properties were similar to those of the old pasture (field A). Simulated levels of N uptake were higher for field A than for fields B and C at all levels of N applied. On old pasture, reducing N application levels can lower the probability of exceeding the environmental threshold for nitrate by up to 20% whilst hardly affecting N uptake.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 135-146 |
Journal | NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences |
Volume | 51 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
Publication status | Published - 2003 |
Keywords
- land use
- nitrates
- leaching
- groundwater pollution
- grasslands
- simulation models
- netherlands
- fertilizer application
- friesland
- organic-matter
- grassland
- pasture
- swards