Organic matter and nitrogen in the unharvested fractions of grass swards in relation to the potential for nitrate leaching after ploughing

Abstract

The amounts of organic matter in the stubble, litter, root and soil macro-organic matter fractions of two swards of perennial ryegrass that had received normal applications of either fertilizer or cattle urine were, on average for the four fractions, about 3000, 500, 11,500 and 8,800 kg ha−1. The swards had been established 8 or 15 years previously and each was sampled at intervals over a period of about one year. The amounts of N contained in the four fractions were, on average, 68, 12, 249 and 240 kg ha−1, a total of 569 kg N ha−1.