Abstract
The lower Fraser Valley is an important agricultural region in British Columbia, Canada whose central portion is underlain by the Abbotsford-Sumas Aquifer. The aquifer has been identified as vulnerable and high concentrations of nitrate that have been linked to application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers to crops, particularly red raspberry. The region has the most concentrated raspberry production in Canada and therefore raspberry management has the potential to influence N losses to the aquifer. The goal of this study was to determine how variations in irrigation and N fertilization affect the fate of N from fertilizer (NFF) from one year’s application in order to identify practices that maximize crop acquisition of N and minimize the risks of nitrate leaching. Specific practices that were compared include rate of N inputs (50 vs. 100 kg N ha-¹), mode of N application (fertigation vs. broadcast), and irrigation method (fixed schedule vs. plant need based). To determine the influences of different management practices, the fate of NFF was traced by applying ¹⁵N labeled fertilizer in April and May 2011, as a split application, and then analyzing movement of the ¹⁵N into plant tissues, leachate, and soil at four critical times during the subsequent year. This study found that irrigation regime had a strong influence on N losses by leaching. Reduced water inputs reduced nitrate -N leaching and did not negatively affect productivity. Fertigation, which employed a combination of reduced N and water inputs, improved plant acquisition of NFF, resulting in reduced leaching of nitrate-N. The 50 kg N ha-¹ treatments produced berry yields comparable to the 100 kg N ha-¹ treatments while the higher N inputs resulted in greater NFF being removed from the system by berry harvest and pruning. Peak plant uptake of NFF was found to be in July 2011 with the maximum held in the floricane component. By August, NFF content in both the floricane and primocane components had decreased and the primocane component had relocated NFF from the leaves to the cane. After the drop between July and August, NFF in the system remained relatively stable into the following growing season.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced water inputs reduced nitrate-N leaching.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Reduced water inputs reduced nitrate -N leaching”
t0“raspberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced water inputs did not negatively affect productivity.
- Taxon
- raspberryt0
- Treatment
- Reduced water inputse0
- Outcome
- productivitye0
- Direction
- did not negatively affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Reduced water inputs reduced nitrate -N leaching and did not negatively affect productivity”
t0“raspberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertigation with reduced nitrogen and water inputs improved acquisition of fertilizer nitrogen.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Fertigation, which employed a combination of reduced N and water inputs, improved plant acquisition of NFF”
t0“raspberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertigation with reduced nitrogen and water inputs reduced nitrate-N leaching.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Fertigation, which employed a combination of reduced N and water inputs, improved plant acquisition of NFF, resulting in reduced leaching of nitrate-N”
t0“raspberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Berry yield at 50 kg N ha-¹ was comparable to yield at 100 kg N ha-¹.
Verbatim
e0“The 50 kg N ha-¹ treatments produced berry yields comparable to the 100 kg N ha-¹ treatments”
t0“raspberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher nitrogen inputs increased fertilizer nitrogen removal by berry harvest and pruning.
- Taxon
- raspberryt0
- Treatment
- higher N inputse0
- Outcome
- NFF being removed from the system by berry harvest and pruninge0
- Direction
- greatere0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“higher N inputs resulted in greater NFF being removed from the system by berry harvest and pruning”
t0“raspberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer nitrogen uptake peaked in July 2011.
Verbatim
e0“Peak plant uptake of NFF was found to be in July 2011”
t0“raspberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Maximum fertilizer nitrogen was held in the floricane component in July.
Verbatim
e0“maximum held in the floricane component”
t0“raspberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer nitrogen content in floricanes and primocanes decreased by August.
Verbatim
e0“By August, NFF content in both the floricane and primocane components had decreased”
t0“raspberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Primocanes relocated fertilizer nitrogen from leaves to cane.
- Taxon
- raspberryt0
- Organ / stage
- primocane componente0
- Outcome
- relocated NFF from the leaves to the canee0
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“the primocane component had relocated NFF from the leaves to the cane”
t0“raspberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer nitrogen in the system remained relatively stable into the following growing season.
Verbatim
e0“NFF in the system remained relatively stable into the following growing season”
t0“raspberry”
The same questions in other papers
nitrogen · yield · Rubus idaeus (red raspberry)Results differ
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 6 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- positive
- positive
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See all 8 papers →fertilization · nutrient: content · Rubus idaeus (red raspberry)Positive and negative results
6 papers in the same direction as this paper · 3 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- no effect
- negative
6 papers more in this group
See all 10 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.