I have seen that some people relate soil organic carbon content as the indicator for N content in soil. Can we consider soil organic carbon content as the basis of fertilizer N application in field crops?
Kindly share your views.
Andrew PelEnlightened
Can we consider soil organic carbon content as the basis of fertilizer N application in field crops?
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avery
I endorse the opinions of Prakash Chandra Srivastava and Corina Graciano. Most of the soil nitrogen occurs under organic form. Generally, organic form of N constitutes more than 98% N in soils. Hence, in many countries , organic matter content of soil is used as an index of its nitrogen status , grossly as high, medium and low .This grouping is used as an easy index for nitrogenous fertilizer application. This system is used in India also.
andrew
Soil organic carbon(SOC) can be increased by application of N fertilizer. And SOC can also be increased by application of manure in the soil. If you compare between manure and N fertilizer, in this case manure application is more appropriate to increase SOC .
aron
I agree with Prakash Chandra Srivastava . I only add that it is sure that if the soil has less organic matter, it has lower N content. However, N availability for a crop in certain date depends on mineralization, then it depends on the temperature, soil water content and activity of microorganisms, among other factors.
John Wick
The major source of N in soil is from soil organic matter which upon mineralization release mineral N as ammoniacal- and nitrate-N which can be considered as contribution from soil . The rate of N mineralization and the quantity of such mineralized soil N available for crop use in a soil depends on geoclimatic condition. At any given location, with variedly maintained organic matter levels and added fertilizer N , nitrogen contributed by native soil organic matter or C can be estimated and regression analysis using soil organic C as an independent variable can be done to predict addition of fertilizer N to achieve desired yield level.