Effect of three nitrogen fertilizer sources on denitrification rate under irrigated potato production on sandy soils

Abstract

Large inputs of nitrogen (N) are required to optimize yield and quality of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), and it may result in a high potential for N losses including denitrification. This 5 yr study compared the effect of three N fertilizer sources [ammonium nitrate (AN), ammonium sulfate (AS), and polymer-coated urea (PCU)] at 200 kg N ha−1 (N200) and an unfertilized control (N0) on denitrification rate (DR) from irrigated potato production on a coarse-textured soil in eastern Canada. Fertilizer was banded all at-planting (PCU) or split 40% at-planting and 60% at-hilling (AN and AS). The DR was measured biweekly from planting to harvest at two locations (ridge and furrow) using the acetylene blockage technique. The mean annual DR, averaged across N treatments, ranged from 0.8 to 8.0 μg N2O-N kg dry soil−1 d−1, and it was most closely related to the water inputs in the 72 h before DR measurements. Mean DR averaged across year was greater for N200 than for N0 (4.2 vs. 3.4 μg N2O-N kg dry soil−1 d−1) but did not differ among N sources. Our results suggest that choice of N fertilizer source in sandy soils is more important in controlling losses of N by leaching than by denitrification.