Nitrate leaching is normally the most important process affecting nitrogen losses in the soil. This experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of methods of urea application and different management strategies of black oat residue on N leaching in soils with different clay and organic matter contents. Two laboratory studies were conducted using two kinds of soil: an UDULT (UD) and a PSAMENT (PS), containing 520 and 50g.dm-3 of clay, respectively. Treatments included a combination of three management systems of oat residue (without straw, superficial straw and incorporated straw) and three methods of nitrogen application (without N, superficial N and incorporated N). Oat straw was applied at a rate of 4Mg.ha-1 and nitrogen at rates of 129 and 90mg.kg-1 for the UD and PS, respectively, as urea. When no N was applied, leaching values were approximately four times larger in the UD than in the PS. Application of urea to the soil surface decreased the amount of N leached when compared to incorporation of urea, in both soils. There was higher N leaching when oat straw was kept at the soil surface than with its incorporation in the UD, regardless of nitrogen management. Superficial N application and oat straw incorporation yielded higher quantities of mineral remaining nitrogen (N-NO3-1 + N-NH4+1) in the soil. The remaining nitrogen values were greater in the UD than in the PS at the end of the experimental period.
nitrate; leaching; nitrogen dynamics; crop residue
