Measured and simulated denitrification activity in a cropped sandy and loamy soil

Denitrification activities were measured over a 3-year period in a coarse sandy soil and a sandy loam soil. In all years the crops were spring barley in combination with Italian ryegrass as a catch crop. The denitrification loss was measured using the acetylene inhibition technique on soil cores. Furthermore, a simple model was developed, based on daily values of soil moisture and soil temperature, to calculate the denitrification loss. Soil temperatures for the model were measured, whereas soil moisture was derived from a water-balance model. Measurements of denitrification gave an annual loss of 0.6 kg N ha-1, and the model calculated a loss of 1-2 kg N ha-1 in the coarse sandy soil. In the sandy loam soil annual losses were measured as 1.5, 3.0, and 13.0 kg N ha-1 in 1988, 1989, and 1990, respectively. The corresponding values from the model simulation were 14, 9 and 14 kg N ha-1.