Impacts of cropping systems on soil nitrogen storage and loss

Organic and low-input cropping systems that use more C inputs are alternatives to conventional systems for sustaining long-term soil fertility. An understanding of the impacts of these cropping systems on N balance (N applied minus N removed in harvested plant material), storage and loss is necessary to improve long-term soil fertility and minimize the risk of environmental pollution.

An evaluation of 4-year rotations of organic (N from legumes and composted manures), low-input (N from legumes and reduced amounts of synthetic fertilizers), and conventional (conv-4, N from synthetic fertilizers) and a conventional 2-year rotation (conv-2, N from synthetic fertilizers) on N balance, storage and loss was conducted from 1989 to 1998.

Compared to the conv-2 system, the organic and conv-4 systems showed 119 and 8% greater cumulative N balances, respectively, over the duration of the study. However, N balance in the low-input system was 19% less than in conv-2 system. After 10 years of differential management, total N in the top 15 cm of soil was 1.46 g kg−1 in the organic, 1.26 g kg−1 in the low-input, 1.13 g kg−1 in the conv-4, and 1.1 g kg−1 in the conv-2 system.

Compared to the conv-2 system, cumulative N losses for the organic, low-input and conv-4 systems were lower by 80, 92, and 10%, respectively. These findings suggest that organic and low-input cropping systems that add C to soil have the potential for storing N and making it available for future crop use, while minimizing the risk of environmental pollution.