The use of N fertilizers in agriculture is crucial, and agricultural techniques need to be implemented that improve significantly N fertilizer management by reducing downward movements of solutes through the soil. To achieve this, it is essential to develop and test models against experimental conditions in order to improve them and to make sure that they can be applied to a broad range of soil and climatic conditions. A field experiment was carried out in the French department of Gard. The soil was a clay loam (26.7% clay, 44.7% fine and coarse silt, and 28.6% fine and coarse sand). Salad vegetables (Cichorium endivia, Lactuca sativa) were cultivated during two consecutive periods (spring and summer crops). The crops were planted on punched and permeable... |