Efficiency of Mineral Nitrogen Fertiliser Use and Nitrate Migration in Soil Depending on Long-Term Use of NPK Fertilisers and Their Interactions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Efficiency of Mineral Nitrogen Fertiliser Use and Nitrate Migration in Soil Depending on Long-Term Use of NPK Fertilisers and Their Interactions Aiste Maseviciene, Lina Zickiene, Jonas Arbacauskas This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6661985/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The efficiency of mineral nitrogen fertiliser utilisation, accumulation of nitrates in the soil and their leaching was studied in Central Lithuania between 1971 and 2020. The research was carried out based on a multi-factorial scheme design with 45 treatment plots. The design consisted of three designs: a 27-treatment design of 3×3×3, in which three (0, 3 and 6) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertiliser rates were studied; an 8-treatment design of 2×2×2, in which two (1 and 5) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertiliser rates were studied, supplemented by the central design treatment 333 (9 treatments in total); and an 8-treatment design of 2×2×2, with two (2 and 4) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertiliser rates, supplemented by the central design treatment 333 (9 treatments in total). The hundreds indicate nitrogen, the tens indicate phosphorus, and the ones indicate potassium fertiliser rates, where on average over the experimental period 1 rate N = 36, P 2 O 5 = 32, K 2 O = 32 kg ha − 1 . The treatments are arranged in two replicates. The specific NPK rates are provided in the results tables, with the following abbreviations: N 0 , N 108 , N 216 – 0, 108, and 216 kg ha − 1 of nitrogen (N) applied annually, respectively; P 0 , P 96 , P 192 – 0, 96, and 192 kg ha − 1 of phosphorus (P 2 O 5 ); and K 0 , K 96 , K 192 – 0, 96, and 192 kg ha − 1 of potassium (K 2 O). The findings of the present study demonstrate that, in the presence of low quantities of mobile phosphorus and potassium in the soil, nitrogen accumulation in the yield of agricultural plants depended not only on nitrogen, but also on the fertilisation rates of P 2 O 5 and K 2 O. Agricultural plants best utilised nitrogen from mineral fertilisers (81.0%) as a result of annual fertilisation with 108 kg N, 192 kg P 2 O 5, and 96 kg K 2 O ha − 1 ; and the worst (19.2%), with heavy fertilisation at the rate of 216 kg N ha − 1 , but without phosphorus and potassium fertilisers. NO 3 − not taken up by agricultural plants accumulated in the soil and was leached out. A reliable correlation was established between the NO 3 − concentration in the soil and the N balance. In addition, the concentration of NO 3 − in lysimetric waters was also reliably correlated with the concentration of this element in the soil. Most N leached from the soil of the N 180 P 0 K 180 fertilised fields: 30 ± 19 and 107 ± 49 kg ha − 1 in the summer-autumn and winter-spring periods, respectively. On the other hand, when agricultural plants were fertilised with two times lower N rates, together with phosphorus and potassium (N 90 P 90 K 90 ), only 8 ± 4 and 29 ± 11 kg ha − 1 of N was leached from the soil during the summer-autumn and winter-spring periods, respectively. Therefore, in order to improve the efficiency of nitrogen fertiliser utilisation and reduce water pollution with nitrogen compounds, it is necessary to use nitrogen fertiliser to agricultural plants according to their nutritional needs and to ensure their optimal nutrition with phosphorus and potassium, having determined the amount of these nutritional elements in the soil. long-term fertilisation nitrogen use efficiency NO3− in soil leaching Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 07 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 06 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 01 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 13 Nov, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 16 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 16 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 14 May, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6661985","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":549427089,"identity":"34056e4b-a9c4-4d81-866c-c5b1abebb63a","order_by":0,"name":"Aiste Maseviciene","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Vytautas Magnus University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aiste","middleName":"","lastName":"Maseviciene","suffix":""},{"id":549427090,"identity":"8049209e-f112-407a-ab7a-d05273bef409","order_by":1,"name":"Lina Zickiene","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Vytautas Magnus 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Interactions","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"
[email protected]","identity":"nutrient-cycling-in-agroecosystems","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"fres","sideBox":"Learn more about [Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems](http://link.springer.com/journal/10705)","snPcode":"10705","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10705/3","title":"Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"long-term fertilisation, nitrogen use efficiency, NO3− in soil, leaching","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6661985/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6661985/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe efficiency of mineral nitrogen fertiliser utilisation, accumulation of nitrates in the soil and their leaching was studied in Central Lithuania between 1971 and 2020. The research was carried out based on a multi-factorial scheme design with 45 treatment plots. The design consisted of three designs: a 27-treatment design of 3\u0026times;3\u0026times;3, in which three (0, 3 and 6) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertiliser rates were studied; an 8-treatment design of 2\u0026times;2\u0026times;2, in which two (1 and 5) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertiliser rates were studied, supplemented by the central design treatment 333 (9 treatments in total); and an 8-treatment design of 2\u0026times;2\u0026times;2, with two (2 and 4) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertiliser rates, supplemented by the central design treatment 333 (9 treatments in total). The hundreds indicate nitrogen, the tens indicate phosphorus, and the ones indicate potassium fertiliser rates, where on average over the experimental period 1 rate N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;36, P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;32, K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;32 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e. The treatments are arranged in two replicates. The specific NPK rates are provided in the results tables, with the following abbreviations: N\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e, N\u003csub\u003e108\u003c/sub\u003e, N\u003csub\u003e216\u003c/sub\u003e \u0026ndash; 0, 108, and 216 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e of nitrogen (N) applied annually, respectively; P\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e, P\u003csub\u003e96\u003c/sub\u003e, P\u003csub\u003e192\u003c/sub\u003e \u0026ndash; 0, 96, and 192 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e of phosphorus (P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e); and K\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e, K\u003csub\u003e96\u003c/sub\u003e, K\u003csub\u003e192\u003c/sub\u003e \u0026ndash; 0, 96, and 192 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e of potassium (K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe findings of the present study demonstrate that, in the presence of low quantities of mobile phosphorus and potassium in the soil, nitrogen accumulation in the yield of agricultural plants depended not only on nitrogen, but also on the fertilisation rates of P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e and K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO. Agricultural plants best utilised nitrogen from mineral fertilisers (81.0%) as a result of annual fertilisation with 108 kg N, 192 kg P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5,\u003c/sub\u003e and 96 kg K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e; and the worst (19.2%), with heavy fertilisation at the rate of 216 kg N ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, but without phosphorus and potassium fertilisers. NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e not taken up by agricultural plants accumulated in the soil and was leached out. A reliable correlation was established between the NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e concentration in the soil and the N balance. In addition, the concentration of NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e in lysimetric waters was also reliably correlated with the concentration of this element in the soil. Most N leached from the soil of the N\u003csub\u003e180\u003c/sub\u003eP\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003eK\u003csub\u003e180\u003c/sub\u003e fertilised fields: 30\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;19 and 107\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;49 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e in the summer-autumn and winter-spring periods, respectively. On the other hand, when agricultural plants were fertilised with two times lower N rates, together with phosphorus and potassium (N\u003csub\u003e90\u003c/sub\u003eP\u003csub\u003e90\u003c/sub\u003eK\u003csub\u003e90\u003c/sub\u003e), only 8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4 and 29\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e of N was leached from the soil during the summer-autumn and winter-spring periods, respectively. Therefore, in order to improve the efficiency of nitrogen fertiliser utilisation and reduce water pollution with nitrogen compounds, it is necessary to use nitrogen fertiliser to agricultural plants according to their nutritional needs and to ensure their optimal nutrition with phosphorus and potassium, having determined the amount of these nutritional elements in the soil.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Efficiency of Mineral Nitrogen Fertiliser Use and Nitrate Migration in Soil Depending on Long-Term Use of NPK Fertilisers and Their Interactions","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-11-25 17:02:52","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6661985/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-07T18:12:31+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-06T18:45:51+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-01T10:32:33+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"33332503331123006057972884964863190584","date":"2026-04-07T10:07:05+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"192710814650570562214914820538810813146","date":"2026-04-02T21:10:33+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"234473795016904217363489195983775576569","date":"2025-12-23T08:53:48+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-11-13T15:17:48+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-05-16T12:11:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-05-16T12:11:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems","date":"2025-05-14T08:10:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"
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