Losses of nitrogen fertiliser under oil palm in Papua New Guinea: 1. water balance, and nitrogen in soil solution and runoff

Banabas, Murom, Turner, Max A., Scotter, David R., and Nelson, Paul N. (2008) Losses of nitrogen fertiliser under oil palm in Papua New Guinea: 1. water balance, and nitrogen in soil solution and runoff. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 46 (4). pp. 332-339.

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Abstract

Nitrogen (N) fertiliser is an important and expensive input to oil palm in Papua New Guinea. Of about 3000 mm/year of rainfall, about 1300 mm is lost as evaporation. This leaves an excess of >1000 mm/year lost as surface runoff and/or deep drainage, and with it the potential for N loss. Approximately 11% of rainfall reached the ground as stem flow. Throughfall was generally lowest near the trunk and highest where canopies overlapped, but random spatial variability was large. The difference between the measured rainfall and stem flow plus throughfall was 6%, indicating relatively little interception.

Surface runoff from the volcanic ash soils was 6% of rainfall at one site, but only 1.4% at the other. Less than 2% of the applied N was lost in the surface runoff after an ammonium chloride application. Calculations of N leaching losses made using suction cup data and the water balance indicated that significant losses occur, but the estimates were not reliable due to the huge spatial variability in the suction cup and throughfall data. Therefore, another technique is needed to study N leaching in oil palm plantations.

Item ID: 5950
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1446-568X
Keywords: evaporation; leaching; infiltrability; evapotranspiration; interception
Date Deposited: 14 Jan 2010 01:50
FoR Codes: 07 AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY SCIENCES > 0799 Other Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences > 079901 Agricultural Hydrology (Drainage, Flooding, Irrigation, Quality, etc) @ 100%
SEO Codes: 82 PLANT PRODUCTION AND PLANT PRIMARY PRODUCTS > 8299 Other Plant Production and Plant Primary Products > 829999 Plant Production and Plant Primary Products not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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