Nitrogen balance and 15N abundance in a long-term organic matter experiment

In along-term field experiment on a clay loam soil at Uppsala, Sweden, changes of nitrogen contents and the natural abundance of 15N in the topsoils receiving various organic amendments at the rate of 2000 kg C ha-1 y-1 and different rates of nitrogen were studied. Cropping resulted in clearly lower N-losses from the topsoil (0-20 cm) compared to the bare fallow plots. Green manure, animal manure and sewage sludge increased the Nt-inventory significantly and 15N abundances were clearly affected by N-input differing in isotopic signature through the amendments. A N-balance and half-lives of the introduced nitrogen were calculated. Refs. 7 (author)