TY - JOUR

T1 - Nitrogen use efficiency of organically fertilized white cabbage and residual effects on subsequent beetroot

AU - Katroschan, Kai Uwe

AU - Uptmoor, Ralf

AU - Stützel, Hartmut

PY - 2014/5/29

Y1 - 2014/5/29

N2 - Background and aims: The low N availability in organic cropping systems requires an efficient use of the limited N sources. The study aimed to analyze the N efficiency of organically fertilized white cabbage on a crop and crop rotation basis. Methods: Effects of soil-incorporated lupine seedlings and seed meal on the N use efficiency (NUE) and individual NUE components of cabbage were investigated in field experiments. Cabbage was followed by beetroot to quantify residual fertilizer effects. Results: Generally, NUE decreased with increasing N availability. Nitrogen uptake efficiency, however, was low at low N supply and increased curvilinearly to an asymptotic maximum. Variation in harvest index between and within experimental years was explained by differences in thermal growing time and initial cabbage growth, respectively. The increase in beetroot N supply by fertilizer treatments averaged 18 % of applied lupine seed N corresponding to 63 % of the incremental N in cabbage residues. Conclusions: Dry matter partitioning alters during cabbage yield formation in favor of the harvest residue fraction if abiotic stress like water shortage occurs directly after crop establishment, being associated with reduced NUE. The residual effect depends largely on the re-utilization of incremental fertilizer N in cabbage residues and thus on the short-term net N mineralization of organic fertilizers.

AB - Background and aims: The low N availability in organic cropping systems requires an efficient use of the limited N sources. The study aimed to analyze the N efficiency of organically fertilized white cabbage on a crop and crop rotation basis. Methods: Effects of soil-incorporated lupine seedlings and seed meal on the N use efficiency (NUE) and individual NUE components of cabbage were investigated in field experiments. Cabbage was followed by beetroot to quantify residual fertilizer effects. Results: Generally, NUE decreased with increasing N availability. Nitrogen uptake efficiency, however, was low at low N supply and increased curvilinearly to an asymptotic maximum. Variation in harvest index between and within experimental years was explained by differences in thermal growing time and initial cabbage growth, respectively. The increase in beetroot N supply by fertilizer treatments averaged 18 % of applied lupine seed N corresponding to 63 % of the incremental N in cabbage residues. Conclusions: Dry matter partitioning alters during cabbage yield formation in favor of the harvest residue fraction if abiotic stress like water shortage occurs directly after crop establishment, being associated with reduced NUE. The residual effect depends largely on the re-utilization of incremental fertilizer N in cabbage residues and thus on the short-term net N mineralization of organic fertilizers.

KW - Brassica oleracea convar. capitata

KW - Harvest index

KW - N uptake efficiency

KW - N use efficiency components

KW - Organic fertilizer

KW - residual N effect

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84906942859&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s11104-014-2133-6

DO - 10.1007/s11104-014-2133-6

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84906942859

VL - 382

SP - 237

EP - 251

JO - Plant and soil

JF - Plant and soil

SN - 0032-079X

IS - 1-2

ER -