Biological buffering of nitrogen – Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal
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In a conventional system, farmers often put on soluble inorganic N in early spring without much carbon. Without carbon to buffer the salts, huge available N fluctuations initially occur and then N declines during the growing season.
Most crops need their maximum N after pollination, so N use efficiency is rather low. Soluble N can be lost in conventional systems with lower carbon levels through leaching, causing hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico or Lake Erie.