Abstract
Knowledge of the mineralisation and nutrient release of organic fertilisers is essential to ensure plant nutrient demand and availability, to increase N use efficiency and to minimise environmental risks. In 2018–2020, two similar field experiments were carried out on clay loam Cambisol with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown without N application and applying liquid anaerobic digestate (LD), pig slurry (PS) and ammonium nitrate (AN) fertilizer with and without additional fertilization (N120 and N120+50). The aim of the research was to compare the effect of organic and mineral fertilizers on the variation of soil mineral nitrogen forms in the 0–30, 30–60 cm soil layers and N accumulation in wheat yield. Fertilizers applied during the previous growing season increased the nitrate and ammonium nitrogen (N-NO3 and N-NH4) content after the resumption of winter wheat vegetation. The dry period in spring (2019) had a negative impact on winter wheat N uptake. In a year of normal moisture content (2020), PS and LD fertilizers and the fertilizer application of the previous year (2019) significantly increased the N-NO3 content in the topsoil, while all applied fertilizers increased it in the deeper soil layer (by a factor of between 3.6 and 12.3), compared to unfertilized soil.
Highlights
Agriculture in Lithuania is one of the important sectors of the country’s economy and income for rural areas
The effect of the fertilizer applied in the previous year (2019) on the variation of soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) forms was determined after the resumption of winter wheat vegetation
The fertilizers AN120 and LD120 determined a significantly higher N-NO3 content in the 0–30 cm soil layer compared to the unfertilized soil layer
Summary
Agriculture in Lithuania is one of the important sectors of the country’s economy and income for rural areas. Winter wheat production is twice as high as for other crops. The efficiency of synthetic N fertilizers is declining worldwide, with only 47% of mineral N fertilizer being converted into products [3] This shows that large amounts of N are being lost and pose a risk to air, water, soil and biodiversity [4,5]. The overuse of N, high accumulation of soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) and low efficiency of N use are problems of the current intensive winter wheat production system [6]. Farms with a high proportion of winter wheat in the crop structure face problems related to yields being affected by adverse climatic conditions [7] and incomes reduced by price decreases
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
