MODELLING NITROGEN PROCESSES IN SOIL: MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT AND RELATIONSHIPS

Abstract

A small subsystem model was developed to simulate the major nitrogen flow pathways in an unsaturated soil treated with ammonium sulphate. A nonlinear Freundlich equilibrium model and a Langmuir kinetic model were used to describe mathematically the adsorption–desorption of soluble NH₄⁺ to the exchangeable and clay-fixed phases, respectively. Time dependent, microbial mediated first-order kinetic models were used to quantify the ammonification and nitrification processes. The subsystem model was then used as a research tool to derive ammonification and nitrification rate coefficients for a preceding incubation experiment conducted using different soil moisture contents and temperatures. The model yields reasonably good fits to the observed data. A subsequent regression analysis relating the coefficients to temperature and moisture pointed out the importance of the temperature–water content interaction term in quantifying microbial mediated processes.