Die Bodenkultur - Journal for Land Management, Food and Environment

M. KUDERNA, B. FREIMÜLLER, A. DEUTSCH and W. E. H. BLUM:

Reduction of soil nitrate contents under maize cropping on two sites in Styria

Summary

Plant cropping techniques (N-fertilizer application, soil tillage, catch crop planting) with maize were compared for reduction of soil nitrate contents from November until May on two sites of Styria. The effects on yields were measured. Splitting of the first mineral fertilizer application resulted in a reduction of the soil nitrate contents in may by half without significant impact on yields, as compared to a single application. A reduction of soil nitrate contents from November until April after slurry application was achieved by planting a catch crop. This caused a significant reduction of the yields on a loamy soil by up to 2500 kg/ha compared to a variant ploughed in autumn, whereas on a sandy soil no impact on the yield was observed. Reduced tillage in autumn and spring had no significant influence on soil nitrate contents compared to the variant ploughed in autumn. Key words: N-fertilizer, maize, splitting, reduced tillage, catch crop.