NITROGEN DYNAMICS IN VEGETABLE FIELDS IN SWITZERLAND

Plant available nitrogen (N-min., 0–30 cm. 30–60 cm) was determined by weekly analysis of a greenhouse soil and of a soil in an open, unprotected vegetable field during three successive years.
Extremely wide variations in the distribution of nitrogen with respect to space and time were observed, especially in the greenhouse.
These variations are only partly explained by fertilizer application or by exportation of the crops.

To minimize the risk of nitrate leaching to the groundwater and to maintain an optimal nitrogen supply to the vegetables, a better understanding of the nitrogen cycle under practical field conditions is needed.
Field measurements of components of the nitrogen cycle in a vegetable field should provide information needed for the development of a system model.

Symposium on the Fertilization of Vegetables under Protected Cultivation

C. Gysi, K. Roth

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1988.222.9