Comparison of nitrogen fertilisation recommendations of West European Countries
(2023) European Journal of Soil Science — Vol. 74, n° 6, p. 19 (2023)
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Jordan‐Meille, Lionel 
Higgins, Suzanne
- Abstract
- Nitrogen (N) budgets at farm level are influenced by N fertilisation recommendations. In this study, we reviewed and analysed the underlying principles and methods of N fertilisation recommendations in 10 West European countries, to identify similarities and differences, and develop suggestions for reconsideration and improvement. An analysis of national official documents on N fertilisation recommendations revealed that there were three main categories of calculation methods: (i) ‘N mass balances’ (France, Italy, Spain), (ii) ‘Corrected standards’ (Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg), and (iii) ‘Pre-parameterised calculations’, which rely on a soil N supply typology (United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium). In total 16 variables were identified in the calculation methods. The more complex methods use 10 (Italy, France), while the simplest only rely on 3 (Luxembourg). The most common variables include the availability of N in manure, the N uptake by a crop, and the N released by crop residues. Few countries explicitly consider N losses to ground and surface waters or to the atmosphere in the calculation methods. In some countries, the N fertilisation recommendation has a voluntary status, and in other countries, a legal one (caps on maximum allowable N rates). We compared the N fertiliser recommendations for a wheat crop grown on a farm with livestock, and for a farm with a diverse arable crop rotation without livestock.
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Citations
Jordan‐Meille, L., Denoroy, P., Dittert, K., Cugnon, T., Quemada, M., Wall, D., Bechini, L., Marx, S., Oenema, O., Reijneveld, A., Liebisch, F., Diedhiou, K., Degan, F., & Higgins, S. (2023). Comparison of nitrogen fertilisation recommendations of West European Countries. European Journal of Soil Science, 74(6), 19. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13436 (Original work published 2023)