Characterizing the Fate of Nitrogen Feriltilizer to Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Irrigated Potato Production
Carl Rosen, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate; Michael Russelle, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate; and Satish Gupta, Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate
USGS-WRRI 104B/ CAIWQ Competitive Grants Program
March 1999 - February 2000
Potato crops in central Minnesota are highly dependent upon nitrogen fertilizers. These fertilizers are highly soluble, and nitrate leaching into the groundwater is high. Carl Rosen, Michael Russelle, and Satish Gupta were awarded a grant to evaluate the efficiency of urea-based POC N fertilizers in reducing nitrate, to increase tuber yield and quality in a glacial outwash soil under irrigated potato production in central Minnesota, and to determine the fate and recovery of N from POC urea in comparison to conventional urea fertilizers using the 15N-enrichment method.
