Using a simple model for water and nitrogen transport in soil in the practical works of Horticulture

Abstract

Simulation models for the transport of water and nitrogen in the soil are useful tools for evaluating the consequences of different crop management practices without waiting until the end of the crop cycle. Particularly, simple compartmental models for the transport of water and nitrogen are based on the solution of mass balance equations for the water and a system of ordinary differential equations for the nitrogen cycle. In this work, these models are used to evaluate different possible scenarios of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization in a cauliflower crop, as a practical work for the students of Horticulture course. The results show that different irrigation and fertilization strategies lead to different results for the nitrate leaching, water drainage and nitrogen uptake.

Keywords

• Modelos compartimentales
• transporte de agua
• lixiviación de nitrato
• Horticultura