Can δ(15)N in lettuce tissues reveal the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser in organic production?
BACKGROUND
The nitrogen isotopic fingerprint (δ(15)N) is reported to be a promising indicator for differentiating between organically and conventionally grown vegetables. However, the effect on plant δ(15)N of split nitrogen fertilisation, which could enable farmers to cover up the use of synthetic fertiliser, is not well studied. In this study the use of δ(15)N in lettuce as a potential marker for identifying the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser was tested on pot-grown lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) treated with synthetic and organic nitrogen fertilisers (single or split application). The effect of combined usage of synthetic and organic fertilisers on δ(15)N was also investigated.


RESULTS
The δ(15)N values of whole plants treated with different fertilisers differed significantly when the fertiliser was applied in a single treatment. However, additional fertilisation (with isotopically the same or different fertiliser) did not cause a significant alteration of plant δ(15)N.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings of the study suggest that the δ(15)N value of lettuce tissues could be used as a rough marker to reveal the history of nitrogen fertilisation, but only in the case of single fertiliser application. However, if the difference in δ(15)N between the applied synthetic and organic nitrogen fertilisers was > 9.1 ‰, the detection of split and combined usage of the fertilisers would have greater discriminatory power.
Sturm
Martina
M
Department of Environmental Sciences, 'JoŽef Stefan' Institute, Jamova cesta 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Martina.Strum@ijs.si
Kacjan-Maršić
Nina
N
Lojen
Sonja
S
D008192:Deception; D005308:Fertilizers / Q000032:analysis*; D005515:Food Labeling; D018545:Lactuca / Q000737:chemistry*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D058871:Organic Agriculture; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry
D005308:Fertilizers; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D009584:Nitrogen