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Fertigation Nutrient Sources and Application Considerations for Citrus1

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Fertigation Nutrient Sources and Application Considerations for Citrus1 Circular 1410 Fertigation Nutrient Sources and Application Considerations for Citrus1 Brian Boman and Tom Obreza2 Introduction Nitrogen Fertigation is the application of liquid fertilizer Nitrogen (N) is the plant nutrient most often through an irrigation system. Microirrigation and injected as fertilizer into microirrigation systems. fertigation offer the potential for precise control of One of the major benefits of small, frequent nitrogen nutrients and water, which are the main applications is a potential reduction in leaching of grower-controlled inputs to plant growth. A major nitrate into the groundwater. Only small amounts of N benefit of fertigation is that it provides greater are applied at any one time, therefore excess nitrate is flexibility and control of applied nutrients than not present to be leached in the event of heavy conventional broadcast applications. Fertilizers are rainfall. Nitrogen can be applied using a number of applied when needed and in small doses, so different compounds, but urea and ammonium nitrate water-soluble nutrients are less subject to leaching by are the most desirable sources because they have a excess rainfall or over-irrigation. low plugging risk. Anhydrous or aqua ammonia are not recommended for use in micro irrigation systems Care must be exercised to avoid emitter plugging because they will increase the pH of the irrigation problems resulting from reactions of the fertilizer water. Consequently, calcium, magnesium, and with the irrigation water. The fertilizer source must phosphorus may precipitate in the line and increase be water-soluble. Chemical reactions between the plugging potential. Ammonium sulfate and fertilizer materials can result in the formation of calcium nitrate can be dissolved in water, but they precipitates, which can plug the irrigation system. may also cause plugging problems. If calcium or The uniformity of the fertilizer application depends magnesium levels are high in the irrigation water, on the uniformity of the water application. ammonium phosphate may cause precipitates to Therefore, high water application uniformity is very form, which can plug emitters. Nitrogen can important for fertigation. contribute to microbial growth if it is applied 1. This document is Circular 1410, one of a series of the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date April 2002. Reviewed October 2008. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. 2. B. J. Boman, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Indian River REC-Ft. Pierce and T. A. Obreza, Professor, Soil and Water Science Department, Sourhwest Florida REC-Immokalee. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Gainesville, FL 32611. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean Fertigation Nutrient Sources and Application Considerations for Citrus 2 continuously and remains in the irrigation line after N = 0.226 x 10 x 14 = 32 lbs N/ac the system has been shut off. Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen movement in the soil depends on the type of nitrogen fertilizer. The ammonium cation is Compounds containing nitrogen are of great less mobile in the soil than nitrate. The depth of importance in the life processes of all plants and movement depends on the cation exchange capacity animals. The chemistry of nitrogen is complex due to (CEC) of the soil, and the rate of fertilizer the numerous oxidation states that it can assume, and application. Application of ammonium fertilizer to by the fact that changes in the oxidation state can be the soil surface may result in loss to the atmosphere brought about by living organisms. by ammonium volatilization, especially if soil pH is Because of environmental concerns, nitrate greater than 7. Most ammonium will be transformed (NO -) is of particular interest. It is very mobile and biologically to nitrate within 2 to 3 weeks at soil 3 easily transported by water. In surface water temperatures in the 75° to 90° F range. Nitrate will systems, NO - is a nutrient source and can contribute move with the irrigation water to the wetted front. 3 to the over-production of algae or other aquatic life, Thus, with subsequent irrigations, nitrate may be resulting in eutrophication of surface water bodies. leached beyond the root zone or may be pushed to the Nitrate in ground water is of even greater concern periphery of the wetted soil volume and only part of since groundwater is the principal domestic water the root zone will have access to it. Urea is very source in many areas. The EPA has established a soluble in irrigation water, and it is not adsorbed by drinking water maximum concentration level (MCL) soil. Thus, it will move deeper below the soil surface of 10 mg/L as NO -N or 45 mg/L NO -. than ammonium, but will not leach as easily as 3 3 nitrate. A balance between ammonium and nitrate in Nitrogen is a very complex nutrient and it exists the nitrogen fertilizer is usually recommended. in the environment in many forms. It is continually transformed due to biological and chemical Some water sources (such as recycled influences. Nitrogen can be divided into two wastewater) may contain a significant amount of categories: nitrate. This nitrogen should be take into account when determining tree fertilizer requirements. The 1. Organic N contains carbon in the compound and nitrogen added to the crop due to nitrate in the exists in plant residues, animal waste, sewage irrigation source water can be determined by: sludge, septic effluent, and food processing waste. N = C x I x D ----- Eq. 1 n n i 2. Inorganic N contains no carbon in the compound Where: and exists as ammonium (NH +), nitrite (NO -), 4 2 nitrate (NO -), and nitrogen gas (N ). N = nitrogen (lbs/ac), 3 2 C = a constant for unit conversion Understanding the behavior of N in the soil is n (0.226) essential for good fertilizer management. Many N sources are available for use in supplying N to crops. I = NO -N concentration in the In addition to inorganic (commercial) fertilizer N, n 3 irrigation water (mg/L) organic N from animal manures and waste products are also a significant source of N. Nitrogen fixation D = depth of irrigation water applied i by legume crops can also supply significant amounts (inches). of N. Example Sources of NO - are both man-made and natural. 3 The principal man-made sources of nitrate are Determine the nitrogen supplied by the irrigation commercial fertilizer, and septic and sewage systems. water if 14 inches of water are applied annually and The ultimate source of N used by plants is N gas, the NO -N concentration is 10 mg/L. 2 3 Fertigation Nutrient Sources and Application Considerations for Citrus 3 which constitutes 78% of the earth's atmosphere. derived from the atmosphere through electric, Nitrogen gas is converted to plant-available N by one combustion, and industrial processes is added to the of the following methods: soil. N in these residues is mobilized as ammonium (NH +) by soil organisms as an end product of 4 • Fixation by microorganisms that live decomposition. Plant roots absorb a portion of the symbiotically on the roots of legumes (also NH +, but much of the NH + is converted to nitrate 4 4 certain non-legumes). (NO - ) by nitrifying bacteria, in a process called 3 nitrification. The NO - is taken up by plant roots and • Fixation by free-living or non-symbiotic soil 3 is used to produce the protein in crops that are eaten microorganisms. by humans and fed to livestock. NO - is lost to 3 • Fixation as oxides of N by atmospheric groundwater or surface water as a result of downward movement of percolated water through the soil. NO - electrical discharges. 3 is also converted by denitrifying bacteria into N and 2 • Fixation by the manufacture of synthetic N nitrogen oxides that escape into the atmosphere.The fertilizer (Haber-Bosch process). major processes of the nitrogen cycle (Fig. 1) are: N-mineralization, nitrification, NO - mobility, The virtually unlimited supply of nitrogen in the 3 de-nitrification, and volitilization. atmosphere is in dynamic equilibrium with the various fixed forms in the soil-plant-water system. N-mineralization The N cycle can be divided into N inputs and outputs The conversion of organic N to NH + is called (Fig. 1). Understanding this process can influence 4 how nitrogen is managed to minimize its negative mineralization. Mineralization occurs through the effects on the environment, while maximizing the activity of heterotrophic microorganisms, which are beneficial value of N for plant growth. organisms that require organic carbon compounds (organic matter) for their energy source. The NH +produced by mineralization is subject to several 4 fates: • Converted to NO - and then to NO - by the 2 3 process of nitrification. • Absorbed directly by higher plants. • Utilized by heterotrophic organisms to further decompose organic residues. • Fixed in a biologically unavailable form in the lattices of certain clay minerals. • Released to the atmosphere as N . 2 The quantity of N mineralized during the growing season can be estimated. Soil organic matter contains about 5% N by weight; during a single growing season, 1 to 4% of the organic N is Figure 1. The citrus nitrogen cycle. mineralized to inorganic N. Animals and higher plants are incapable of Example utilizing nitrogen directly from the atmosphere.
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