ABSTRACT
This chapter presents trends in consumption of nitrogen (N) fertilizers at the national scale for the Nordic countries. On catchment scale, it presents N balances, corresponding N use efficiency (NUE) and N losses. Average N balances for 2007–2011 were investigated for 23 catchments in the Nordic countries. The mass-balance of N at the field scale includes the following factors: N applied in manure and fertilizer, N removed in yield, N fixation by plants, and N deposition. The N balance includes changes in the soil N pool and N loss to water. Data on farming practice in small agricultural catchments in Norway were used to compare N application to cereals with obtained yields, calculate N balances and NUE, and study the degree to which farmers' fertilizer practice is in accordance with fertilizer recommendations. The chapter discusses the different regulations on N application in the Nordic countries in relation to their effect on N balances.
