Vadose zone flushing of fertilizer tracked by isotopes of water and nitrate.

ABSTRACT: A substantial fraction of nitrogen (N) fertilizer applied in agricultural systems is not incorporated into crops and moves below the rooting zone as nitrate (NO₃ ^-). Understanding mechanisms for soil N retention below the rooting zone and leaching to groundwater is essential for our ability to track the fate of added N. We used dual stable isotopes of nitrate (δ ¹⁵N-NO₃ ^- and δ ¹⁸O-NO₃ ^-) and water (δ ¹⁸O-H₂O and δ ²H-H₂O) to understand the mechanisms driving nitrate leaching at three depths (0.8, 1.5, and 3.0 m) of an irrigated corn field sampled every 2 weeks from 2016 to 2020 in the southern Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA. Distin

SUBMITTER: Weitzman JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11636160 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature