Effect of fertigation strategy on nitrate availability and nitrate leaching under micro-irrigation | Blaine Hanson, Jan Hopmans and Jirka Simunek

Micro-irrigation has the potential of precisely applying water and fertilizer both in location and in quantity. Fertigation is the process of applying fertilizers through the irrigation water. However, under micro-irrigation, soil water content, root distribution, and solute concentration vary spatially around the drip line. This variability could result in fertilizer applied through the irrigation system being leached beyond the area of the highest root density unless careful management of both water and fertilizer is practiced.