Long-term fate of nitrogen uptake in catch crops

Abstract The long-term effects of undersowing a ryegrass catch crop in cereals was analysed with the FASSET simulation model. The model was tested on a 28-year field experiment with ryegrass catch crops in spring barley. The experiment included treatments with nitrogen (N) fertiliser rates, catch crop use and timing of tillage. The modelled effects of these treatments generally agreed with observations on crop production, soil carbon, soil nitrogen and nitrate leaching. Both the observations and the simulations predicted a yield increase of 7 kg N ha−1 and an increase in nitrate leaching of 13 kg N ha−1 due to a prehistory of 24 years with continuous use of catch crops compared to a prehistory without catch crops. A range of scenarios was constructed to evaluate the fate of the reduced nitrate leaching on crop N uptake, N leaching, gaseous emissions and change in soil organic N, and how this fate interacts with soils and climate and management. These scenarios showed that 22–30% of the reduced nitrate leaching was subsequently leached during the following decades after termination of catch crop use. Between 35 and 40% of the reduced nitrate leaching was harvested in cereals. The exact distribution depended primarily on the soil texture. The scenarios showed that effects of catch crops should be evaluated on the long-term rather than consider short-term effects only.

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