HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Talpaz, H. Articles by Bar-Yosef, B. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Talpaz, H. Articles by Bar-Yosef, B. Agricola Articles by Talpaz, H. Articles by Bar-Yosef, B.

On the Estimation of N-Mineralization Parameters from Incubation Experiments¹

ABSTRACT

Accurate prediction of nitrogen mineralization in soils requires reliable parameters which are determined in incubation experiments. The estimated values of the potentially mineralizable organic nitrogen (N_o) and the mineralization rate constant (k) also depend on the mathematical analysis of the incubation results. Analysis of data by other researchers (Stanford and Smith, 1972) by a nonlinear regression procedure gave estimates of N_o and k which differed from those obtained by a linear regression technique. Theoretical considerations show that the difference between the two techniques results mainly from the specified behavior of the error term in the mineralization rate equation. The nonlinear regression procedure is shown to be preferable to the linear regression technique.

¹ Contribution no. 243-E, 1980 series, from ARO, The Volcani Center, P.O. Box 6, Bet Dagan, Israel.

² Agricultural Economist, Division of Statistics and Experiment Design, ARO; and Graduate Student and Soil Scientist, respectively, Institute of Soils and Water, ARO.

Received for publication October 27, 1980. Accepted for publication May 5, 1981.