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Nitrogen dynamics of cattle dung and urine patches on intensively managed boreal pasture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2009

K. SAARIJÄRVI  and
P. VIRKAJÄRVI
K. SAARIJÄRVI*
Affiliation:
MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Halolantie 31 A, 71750Maaninka, Finland
P. VIRKAJÄRVI
Affiliation:
MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Halolantie 31 A, 71750Maaninka, Finland
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: kirsi.saarijarvi@mtt.fi
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Summary

The aim of the present study was to investigate the nitrogen (N) dynamics in soil and N utilization by grass in dung pats and urine patches, and to quantify the amount of soluble organic N (SON) in grassland soil. The experiment was conducted in 2003/04 at MTT Agrifood Research, Maaninka, Finland. The study consisted of three treatments: dung pats, urine patches and a control patch without excreta. The soil (to a depth of 0·6 m) and herbage were sampled on 10 occasions over the course of 1 year. TN and SON in soil averaged 14 400 and 60 kg/ha N, respectively. Changes in soil mineral N were short-lived and a large proportion of excreta N was immobilized. The grass took up 27 kg excretal N/ha from the dung pat and 71 kg N/ha from the urine patch, which equals 0·07 and 0·19 of the excretal N given to each treatment, respectively. As a large proportion of the excretal N is immobilized and accumulates in soil, re-evaluation of the recommendations for N fertilization of pastures older than 2 years is justified.

Type
Crops and Soils
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 147 , Issue 4 , August 2009 , pp. 479 - 491
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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