Nitrogen Status of North Dakota Soils

In 1980, in the state North Dakota, the average acre of soil in North Dakota with a plow depth of 6 2/3" contained 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of nitrogen. The greatest portion of nitrogen in soil was from organic matter. This included elemental nitrogen, an inert, colorless gas, in the atmosphere. It was estimated that the average acre in the state of North Dakota had a nitrogen weight of 70 million pounds. Paragraph headings in this article are: organic matter and nitrogen, source of soil nitrogen and organic matter, decomposition of plant residues, significance of the carbon-nitrogen ration, availablity of nitrogen from organic matter and nitrogen release from North Dakota soils. From the aforementioned information, it was evident that the soils in North Dakota failed to release adequate amounts of nitrogen needed for optimal crop yields