Estimation of soil nitrogen availability

Abstract

Our research has been made on brown forest soil that is used in long-term experiments. The soil we used had a certain crop rotation (wheat-corn) and had been fertilized according to a certain system for 30 years. In the experiment, quantities of nitrogen fertilizers were gradually increased after which samples were taken from O to 30 cm depths in order to establish plant and soil parameters for assessing the applied methods. Two experiments were made: one in the field and one in a controlled environment. On grounds of the established correlation interdependence between the methods applied (the total and easily hydrolyzed nitrogen) and the plant and soil parameters, in both field and pots, one can conclude that the methods of total and easily hydrolyzed nitrogen, from the standpoint of nitrogen availability in soil, are reliable. In the method of total nitrogen assessment, one should rely on the parameters regarding plants and soil in the field. In the method of easily hydrolyzed nitrogen, the parameters regarding plants and soil, in both the field and pots, are the same.