Articles
Understanding nitrogen cycling in fruit orchards to optimise N supply
Article number
1432_2
Pages
15 – 22
Language
English
Abstract
Environmental goals of current agricultural policies in several countries urge to significantly reduce nutrient losses from the agricultural systems, including orchards.
Mineral N supply often triggers N losses both in the form of leaching and volatilization.
To reconcile a reduction of N fertilizer rates with an optimal nutrient availability for root uptake, several measures can be put into execution.
The cycling of N within the orchard includes N fluxes within the tree (internal tree N cycle) and bidirectional transfer of N between soil and plants (trees and herbaceous vegetation). This paper provides evidence that exploiting the knowledge about N cycling in orchards is beneficial for reconciling the environmental issues with optimal fruit production goals.
Mineral N supply often triggers N losses both in the form of leaching and volatilization.
To reconcile a reduction of N fertilizer rates with an optimal nutrient availability for root uptake, several measures can be put into execution.
The cycling of N within the orchard includes N fluxes within the tree (internal tree N cycle) and bidirectional transfer of N between soil and plants (trees and herbaceous vegetation). This paper provides evidence that exploiting the knowledge about N cycling in orchards is beneficial for reconciling the environmental issues with optimal fruit production goals.
Authors
M. Tagliavini, D. Asensio, C. Andreotti
Keywords
cover crops, fruit orchards, mineral nutrition, nitrogen
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