Department of Soils, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab
Manipulation of nitrate-nitrogen was attempted in a loamy sand soil. In the treatment combinations of cultivation and levels of compaction, KNO3 broadcast @ 1080 kg/ha was displaced with 5 or 10 cm irrigation water. Cultivation of uncompacted plots helped to retain more nitrate in the top soil under both the levels of irrigation, whereas with compaction it encouraged nitrate movement to deeper soil layers. Surface compaction alone helped in the retention of nitrate in upper 30 cm of soil. The treatment effect was more pronounced after first irrigation but persisted with subsequent irrigations also.
Leaching of nitrate, cultivation, compaction, irrigation
