Fate of Nitrogen from Artichoke (<i>Cynara cardunculus</i> L. var. <i>scolymus</i> (L.)) Crop Residues: A Review and Lysimeter Study

• Main Authors: Nouraya Akkal-Corfini, Paul Robin, Safya Menasseri-Aubry, Michael S. Corson, Jean Paul Sévère, Jean Michel Collet, Thierry Morvan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-02-01
• Series: Nitrogen
• Subjects: <i>¹⁵N</i>; artichoke residues; lysimeter; mineralization; nitrogen recovery; nitrate leaching
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3129/2/1/4

The goal of the European Nitrate Directive 91/676/CEE is to mitigate or prevent water pollution associated with the nitrogen (<i>N</i>) cascade. Vegetable crops have a high risk of nitrate leaching during autumn and winter. Information about the fate of <i>N</i> from artichoke (<i>Cynara cardunculus</i> L. var. <i>scolymus</i> (L.)) residues is reviewed and then supplemented with a three-year study with <i>¹⁵N</i>-labelled residues in an artichoke-cauliflower (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> L. cv. <i>botrytis</i>) rotation in six lysimeters. After three years, 6% of <i>N</i> in artichoke residues was leached, 8% was exported by crops, while 86% remained in the lysimeter. Summed over the rotation, 16% of artichoke-residue <i>N</i> was absorbed by artichoke and 14% by cauliflower. Total aboveground <i>N</i> uptake by all crops during the entire rotation ranged from 370 to 534 kg <i>N</i> ha⁻¹, of which 207–311 kg <i>N</i> ha⁻¹ returned to the soil as residues. Increasing <i>N</i>-recycling efficiency and reducing the risk of <i>N</i> leaching while conserving crop productivity requires capturing <i>N</i> mineralized from soil organic <i>N</i>. Cauliflower performs this capture effectively during the drainage period. A break crop should be introduced after the first and second harvests of artichoke to further synchronize <i>N</i> mineralization and uptake and reduce leaching risk during the rotation.