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The fate of nitrogen in agroecosystems: An illustration using Canadian estimates

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Abstract

Agroecosystems rely on inputs of nitrogen (N) to sustain productivity. But added N can leak into adjacent environments, affecting the health of other ecosystems and their inhabitants. Worries about global warming have cast further attention on the N cycle in farmlands because farms are a main source of N2O, and because carbon sequestration, proposed to help reduce CO2 loads, requires a build-up of N. Our objective was to estimate, as an illustrative example, the net N balance of Canadian agroecosystems in 1996 and then infer some hypotheses about the routes of N loss, their magnitude, and ways of reducing them. We defined agroecosystems as all agricultural lands in Canada including soil to 1 m depth and all biota, except humans. Only net flows of N across those boundaries were counted in our balance – all others represent internal cycling. Based on our estimates, about 2.35 Tg N entered Canadian agroecosystems from biological fixation, fertilizers, and atmospheric deposition (excluding re-deposited NH3). In the same year, about 1.03 Tg N were exported in crop products and 0.19 Tg were exported in animals and animal products. Consequently, N inputs exceed exports in products by about 1.13 Tg, a surplus that is either accumulating in agroecosystems or lost to the environment. Because potential soil organic matter gains can account for only a small part of the surplus N, most is probably lost to air or groundwater. Our finding, that N losses amount to almost half of N added, concurs with field experiments that show crop recovery of added N in a given year is often not more than 60%. Better management may reduce the fraction lost somewhat but, because N in ecosystems eventually cycles back to N2, substantive gains in efficiency may not come easily. As well as trying to reduce losses, research might also focus on steering losses directly to N2, away from more harmful intermediates. If some of the `missing N' can be assimilated into organic matter, agricultural soils in Canada may need little added N to achieve C sequestration targets.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, T1J 4B1

    H.H. Janzen, K.A. Beauchemin, Y. Bruinsma, B.H. Ellert & E.G. Smith

  2. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    C.A. Campbell & R.L. Desjardins

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  1. H.H. Janzen
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  2. K.A. Beauchemin
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  3. Y. Bruinsma
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  4. C.A. Campbell
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  5. R.L. Desjardins
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  6. B.H. Ellert
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  7. E.G. Smith
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Janzen, H., Beauchemin, K., Bruinsma, Y. et al. The fate of nitrogen in agroecosystems: An illustration using Canadian estimates. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 67, 85–102 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025195826663

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