NITRATE LEACHING AND SOIL-MOISTURE PREDICTION WITH THE LEACHM MODEL

The LEACHM model developed by Wagenet and Hutson [1989] was used to predict the mineral nitrogen and water content in the soil under a winter wheat crop from February to April in two years and three locations. The model grossly overestimated soil water content, probably due to the bad fitting of the assumed water retentivity function to the experimental data at high water contents, and to the presence of a relatively shallow water table (1.0-1.5 m). Measured soil hydraulic conductivity varied with water content in a different manner than predicted by the model. By assuming a sandy or gravelly soil layer between the bottom of the measured soil profile and the water table, prediction of soil water content improved considerably. Simulation showed that, under the experimental conditions studied, soil mineral nitrogen varied mainly due to the fertilizer additions, mineralization and denitrification. Nitrogen uptake by plants and leaching were small. Low values of nitrate leaching were predicted by the model because of low drainage. Large differences between predicted and observed values in the mineral nitrogen in the soil occurred in some cases, both in the total amount and its profile distribution.