Nutrient Balance during Crop (Forage Barley) Cultivation in Winter Season: A Weighing Lysimeter Study

Nutrient balance is an environmental indicator for assessing the potential of sustainable agriculture. Improving the use of arable land is crucial for reducing the nutrient balance. This study monitored soil water content, seepage water, crop growth, and nutrient balance in weighing lysimeters during forage barley ( Hordeum vulgare L., “Yeongyang”) cultivation from October to April. The study was conducted from 2020 to 2022, and the treatments included forage barley cultivation (clay loam, CL-FC; sandy loam, SL-FC) and bare soils. During the regeneration period (March to April), the soil moisture contents of bare and forage barley-cultivated soils were approximately 30-40% and 18.1-21.8%, respectively. The daily evapotranspiration of forage barley was 6.09 mm. The nitrogen balances for SL-FC and CL-FC were -0.43 to -2.93 g m -2 and -0.79 to 0.75 g m -2 , respectively, which can be attributed to the higher nutrient uptake of forage barley in SL-FC than in CL-FC. Consequently, the forage barley cultivation in SL-FC can potentially reduce nutrient leaching during the spring rainy season. Furthermore, nutrient balance can be reduced by cultivating forage crops during the winter season.