News Fertility and Nutrients Soil
OMAFRA: Recent rains and potential N loss

Recent rainfalls have brought about an abrupt change to soil conditions in some Ontario fields in just a few short weeks. Localized heavy rainfalls have left some fields with standing water in low-lying areas, while many fields are wet or saturated. This has raised questions about the potential losses of nitrogen (N) for the corn crop in these wet fields. Determining how much N has been lost is influenced by several factors including rainfall intensity and amount, soil texture, soil temperature, fertilizer source, and corn growth stage.

Nitrogen loss pathways in these significant rainfall events can happen via runoff, leaching or denitrification. |READ MORE