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Title: EVALUATION OF MODEL SIMULATION OF NITROGEN MINERALIZATION IN A POTATO ROTATION SYSTEM

Author
item Alva, Ashok
item MARCOS, J - WASHINGTON STATE UNIV
item STOCKLE, C - WASHINGTON STATE UNIV
item Reddy, Vangimalla
item Timlin, Dennis

Submitted to: Agronomy Society of America, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/23/2004
Publication Date: 10/25/2004
Citation: Alva, A.K., Marcos, J., Stockle, C., Reddy, V., Timlin, D.J. 2004. Evaluation of model simulation of nitrogen mineralization in a potato rotation system. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts, Seattle, WA, Oct 31-Nov 4, 2004. (On CD).

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In the irrigated agricultural production region of the Pacific Northwest, potato is rotated with wheat, corn, and to a limited extent with alfalfa. Total nitrogen (N) returned to the soil by incorporation of the respective crop residues account for 40 to 147 kg ha-1. Cover crops used in this production systems, i.e. mustard, Sudan grass, and wheat provide 40 to 128 kg N ha-1. Mineralization of N from these crop residues render N into plant available forms. Three years field investigations showed that the mineralization of N from the above crop residues contribute 44 to 88 mg kg-1 on an annual basis. The rate of mineralization is dependent on the soil and climatic conditions. The potato growth simulation model, SIMPOTATO (Hodges et al., 1992), was integrated with the multi-year and multi-crop model CROPSYST (Stockle et al., 1994) to simulate crop growth and N dynamics in potato rotation systems. The model simulation of the N mineralization from different crop residues was compared with the field measured data. Improved accuracy of the model simulation of N dynamics in the potato rotation system provides an important tool in the decision making process to determine the amount of N to be applied to meet the respective crop N requirement. This will in turn minimize the N losses from the rotation cropping systems.