Soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus 13 yr after abruptly disturbing Northern Great Plains grassland

Abstract

Thirteen years after cultivating native grassland and establishing continuous wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and wheat–fallow rotations in southern Alberta, surface soil total N levels were 15% lower, and nitrate (60–90 cm) concentrations were 2.5- and 17-fold greater, than native grassland. Wheat–fallow, even without fertilization, markedly enhanced potential nitrate loss through the root zone.