Identifying and Understanding Nitrogen ‘Hot Moments’ in Agricultural Soil

The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place Nov. 6, at noon CST will feature François Birgand, professor and university faculty scholar, Biological & Agricultural Engineering - North Carolina State University. Birgand works in the area of water quality associated with agricultural pollution with a research focus on the hydrological and biogeochemical processes at play in streams, wetlands and edge-of-field treatment systems. His main approach has been to develop methods to measure and unveil ephemeral, yet disproportionately important, processes that follow rainfall events, and particularly in shallow water table systems.

In the webinar, “Are We Losing a Lot of Nitrogen During Denitrification Hot Moments in Agricultural Soils?,” Birgand will share recent observations showing that in wet soils, up to 90 kg/ha of nitrogen were unaccounted for during the growing season. He will discuss current denitrification prediction models and how the observed levels differ from typical modeling. Birgand will also highlight disproportionate 'puffs of denitrification' that last hours in woodchip bioreactors. Drawing on these observations, he will discuss the need for more study to determine if these same events are also occurring in agricultural soils, and what consequences on fertilization and water management may relate to them.

“Identifying and studying denitrification ‘hot moments’ can provide better understanding of these events and how they may have consequences that affect fertilization and water management activities,” said Birgand. “Digging deeper into these conditions opens a new frontier in research about improving water quality and water management practices.”

Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.