Articles
Dynamics of nitrogen derived from hairy vetch applied as cover crop in tomato production in plastic house
Article number
1164_17
Pages
135 – 142
Language
English
Abstract
Fresh market tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are mainly grown in plastic house in Japan and usually a large amount of nitrogen fertilizer was applied for getting high yield.
One of the ways to establish an organic system, no chemical N fertilizer, is the use of cover crops.
The application effect of a legume cover crop, hairy vetch (Vicia villosa R., HV), on N dynamics in fresh market tomatoes, ‘House Momotaro’, was investigated using the 15N-labeling method in 2011 and 2012. Before transplanting of tomato, the 15N-labeled HV (1.319 mg N pot-1, 260 kg N ha-1), and chemical N fertilizers were incorporated into the soil.
Tomato seedlings were transplanted into a 1/2000 a Wagner pot with 0 and 240 kg ha-1 of N application (N0HV and N240HV) in plastic house early June, 2011. Only 240 kg ha-1 of N fertilizer was applied in conventional plot.
There was no significant difference in fruit yield among the plots.
In organic plot, N0HV, total N uptake in tomato plant was smaller than that in N240HV, however, the rate of N uptake derived from HV to total N uptake in tomato plants (%Ndfhv) in N0HV (37.1%) was larger than that in N240HV (24.8%) at 12 weeks after transplant.
Nitrogen use efficiency from HV-derived N (NUE; N uptake derived from HV in tomato/amount of N applied in HV) was 44.4% in N240HV and 49.4% in N0HV. About half of HV-N including organic and inorganic type remained in the soil.
Tomato was cultivated in the soil used 2011 with unlabelled HV and N fertilizer in 2012. There was no difference in the uptake amount of N derived from HV applied in 2011 (HV2011) into tomato between N240HV and N0HV, 57.7 mg plant-1 on average, so nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) derived from HV2011 was 4.4% on average 2012. It was recognized HV could be available for not only short-term N source, but also long-term N source.
One of the ways to establish an organic system, no chemical N fertilizer, is the use of cover crops.
The application effect of a legume cover crop, hairy vetch (Vicia villosa R., HV), on N dynamics in fresh market tomatoes, ‘House Momotaro’, was investigated using the 15N-labeling method in 2011 and 2012. Before transplanting of tomato, the 15N-labeled HV (1.319 mg N pot-1, 260 kg N ha-1), and chemical N fertilizers were incorporated into the soil.
Tomato seedlings were transplanted into a 1/2000 a Wagner pot with 0 and 240 kg ha-1 of N application (N0HV and N240HV) in plastic house early June, 2011. Only 240 kg ha-1 of N fertilizer was applied in conventional plot.
There was no significant difference in fruit yield among the plots.
In organic plot, N0HV, total N uptake in tomato plant was smaller than that in N240HV, however, the rate of N uptake derived from HV to total N uptake in tomato plants (%Ndfhv) in N0HV (37.1%) was larger than that in N240HV (24.8%) at 12 weeks after transplant.
Nitrogen use efficiency from HV-derived N (NUE; N uptake derived from HV in tomato/amount of N applied in HV) was 44.4% in N240HV and 49.4% in N0HV. About half of HV-N including organic and inorganic type remained in the soil.
Tomato was cultivated in the soil used 2011 with unlabelled HV and N fertilizer in 2012. There was no difference in the uptake amount of N derived from HV applied in 2011 (HV2011) into tomato between N240HV and N0HV, 57.7 mg plant-1 on average, so nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) derived from HV2011 was 4.4% on average 2012. It was recognized HV could be available for not only short-term N source, but also long-term N source.
Authors
Y. Sugihara, H. Ueno, T. Hirata, M. Komatsuzaki, H. Araki
Keywords
hairy vetch, 15N, N uptake, N use efficiency, tomato
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