Die Bodenkultur - Journal for Land Management, Food and Environment

H. BRAUN:

Remarks about the use of the EUF method for N-fertilizer recommendations for sugar beet

Summary

The work presented here discusses under which preconditions the N-fertilization recommendations for sugar beet can be successful. In detail, it was described which consequences may come from the use of the EUF method (Electro-Ultrafiltration) as applied in Germany by the Bodengesundheitsdienst (soil sanity service) in Ochsenfurt. For this, the aspects of the method of taking soil samples, of the date and the depth of sampling, and of the analytical procedures were taken into account. The correlation between EUF-Norg-fraction and N-mineralization as a function of climate and yearly weather was discussed. The conclusion is that in the regression setup, the weighing of EUF-Norg and of EUF-N03 as well as the resulting quotient lead to the calculation of a restrained N-fertilization recommendation. However, keeping in mind the often excessive N-fertilization doses used in the general practice for sugar beet in the past, this is a favourable precondition for appropriate fertilization advising. Key words: EUF method, sugar beet fertilization, organically fixed nitrogen, conditions for mineralization, soil nitrogen ressources.