Soluble organic nitrogen in temperate forest soils

Very few studies have been related to soluble organic nitrogen (SON) in forest soils. However, this nitrogen pool could be a sensitive indicator to evaluate the soil nitrogen status. The current study was conducted in temperate forests of Thuringia, Germany, where soils had SON (extracted in 0.5 M K₂SO₄) varying from 0.3 to 2.2% of total N, which was about one-third of the soil microbial biomass N by CFE. SON in study soils were positively correlated to microbial biomass N and soil total N. Multiple regression analysis also showed that mineral N negatively affected SON pool. The dynamics of the SON was significantly affected by mineralization and immobilization. During the 2 months of aerobic incubation, the SON were significantly correlated with net N mineralization and microbial biomass N. SON extracted by two different salt solution (i.e. 1 M KCl and 0.5 M K₂SO₄₎ were highly correlated. In mineral soil, SON concentrations extracted by 1 M KCl and 0.5 M K₂SO₄ solutions were similar. In contrast, in organic soil layer the amount of KCl-extractable SON was about 1.2-1.4 times higher than the K₂SO₄-extractable SON. Further studies such as the differences of organic N form and pool size between SON and dissolved organic N (DON) are recommended.     

Soluble organic nitrogen pools in adjacent native and plantation forests of subtropical Australia

Soil soluble organic nitrogen (SON) can play an important role in soil nitrogen (N) cycling in forest ecosystems. This study examined the effect of land-use change from a native forest (NF) to a first rotation (1R) and subsequent second rotation (2R) hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) plantation on soil SON pools. The impact of residue management on SON pools was also investigated in the 2R forest, where SON was measured in tree rows (2R-T) and windrows (2R-W). Various extraction techniques were used to measure SON pool size in the 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm layers of soil. The results showed that land-use change had a significant impact on soil SON pools. In the 0-10 cm layer, 3.2-8.7, 14-23, 20-28, 60-160 and 127-340 mg SON kg⁻¹ were extracted by water, 0.5 M K₂SO₄, 2 M KCl, hot water and hot 2 M KCl, respectively. The size of the SON pools and the potential production of SON (PPSON) were generally highest in the NF soil and lowest in the 2R-T soil, and in all forest types decreased with soil depth. The larger SON pools in the NF soil coincided with lower soil, litter and root C:N ratios, suggesting that the difference in the size of SON pools between the NF and 1R soil may be related to differences in the quality of organic matter input under the different forest ecosystems. Differences in the size of SON pools between the 1R soil and the 2R soils and between the 2R-T soil and the 2R-W soil may be related to the quantity of organic matter input and time since disturbance. Significant relationships were found between the SON extracted by 0.5 M K₂SO₄ (SON_ps) and 2 M KCl (SON_KCl), and also among the SON extracted by hot 2 M KCl (SON_hKCl), hot water (SON_hw) and water (SON_w), suggesting that the organic N released by these groups of extracts may be at least partly from similar pools.     

Changes of labile and recalcitrant carbon pools under nitrogen addition in a city lawn soil

Purpose

Carbon (C) flux is largely controlled by the highly bio-reactive labile C (LC) pool, while long-term C storage is determined by the recalcitrant C (RC) pool. Soil nitrogen (N) availability may considerably affect changes of these pools. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of N treatments on soil LC and RC pools.

Materials and methods

A field experiment was conducted in a city lawn soil for 600 days with three N treatments, i.e., the control (0 kg N ha^?1 year^?1), low-N (100 kg N ha^?1 year^?1), and high-N (200 kg N ha^?1 year^?1) treatments. As the N source, NH₄NO₃ solution was added to soil surface monthly. Measurements of LC, RC, and other soil biochemical properties, including pH, soil respiration rates, microbial biomass, and enzymes activities, were taken during the experiment period.

Results and discussion

The low-N and high-N treatments increased 6.3 and 13% of the LC pool, respectively, which was caused by decreased microbial biomass and soil respiration rates under the N treatments. By contrary, the low-N and high-N treatments decreased 5.9 and 12% of the RC pool, respectively. The N addition treatments enhanced phenol oxidase activities. The enhanced oxidase activities decreased new RC input and the increased dissolved organic C stimulated RC pool decomposition. The LC and RC pools were highly influenced by the N treatments, whereas effect of the N treatments on soil organic C was not significant. The N addition treatments also caused soil acidification and reduced bacterial biomass proportion in the soil microbial composition.

Conclusions

The N addition increased the LC pool but decreased the RC pool in the soil. These changes should greatly impact soil long-term C storage.     

Leaf litter C and N cycling from a deciduous permanent crop

Our understanding of leaf litter carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling and its effects on N management of deciduous permanent crops is limited. In a 30-day laboratory incubation, we compared soil respiration and changes in mineral N [ammonium (NH₄⁺-N) + nitrate (NO₃^–-N)], microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), total organic carbon (TOC) and total non-extractable organic nitrogen (TON) between a control soil at ¹⁵N natural abundance (δ¹⁵N = 1.08‰) without leaf litter and a treatment with the same soil, but with almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb) leaf litter that was also enriched in ¹⁵N (δ¹⁵N = 213‰). Furthermore, a two-end member isotope mixing model was used to identify the source of N in mineral N, MBN and TON pools as either soil or leaf litter. Over 30 d, control and treatment TOC pools decreased while the TON pool increased for the treatment and decreased for the control. Greater soil respiration and significantly lower (p < 0.05) mineral N from 3 to 15 d and significantly greater MBN from 10 to 30 d were observed for the treatment compared to the control. After 30 d, soil-sourced mineral N was significantly greater for the treatment compared to the control. Combined mineral N and MBN pools derived from leaf litter followed a positive linear trend (R² = 0.75) at a rate of 1.39 μg N g^?1 soil day^?1. These results suggest early-stage decomposition of leaf litter leads to N immobilization followed by greater N mineralization during later stages of decomposition. Direct observations of leaf litter C and N cycling assists with quantifying soil N retention and availability in orchard N budgets.     

Nitrogen turnover in a repeatedly manured arid subtropical soil: Incubation studies with 15N isotopes

Under the hot and moist conditions of irrigated agriculture in the arid subtropics, turnover of organic matter is high, which can lead to considerable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) losses. Therefore, sustainable use of these soils requires regular manure application at high rates. To investigate the contribution of consecutive manure applications to an arid sandy soil to various soil N pools, goat manure was isotopically labeled by feeding ¹⁵N‐enriched Rhodes grass hay and applied to the soil during a two‐year field experiment. In the first year, soils received ¹⁵N‐labeled manure to distinguish between soil‐derived and manure‐derived N. In the second year, these plots were split for the application of either ¹⁵N‐labeled or unlabeled manure to discriminate N derived from previous (first year) and recent (second year) manure application. Soil samples (of control and ¹⁵N‐manured soil) were collected at the end of the first and the second year, and incubated in two laboratory experiments with labeled or unlabeled manure. At the beginning of Experiment 1, 7% of total N, 11% of K₂SO₄ extractable N, and 16% of microbial biomass N were derived from previously field‐applied manure. While the application of manure during incubation increased microbial biomass N by 225% and 410% in the control soil and the previously field‐manured soil, respectively, N₂O emissions were more affected on the control soil, releasing considerable amounts of the soil N‐pool (80% of total emissions). In Experiment 2, 4% of total N, 7% of K₂SO₄ extractable N, and 7% of microbial biomass N derived from previously applied manure, and 4%, 8%, and 3% from recently applied manure, respectively. Microbial biomass N and N₂O‐N derived from manure declined with time after manure application, whereas in Experiment 1 this tendency was only observed for microbial biomass N.     

Soil fauna modifies the recalcitrance-persistence relationship of soil carbon pools

Traditional models of soil organic matter decomposition predict that soil carbon pools with high chemical stability and large physical structure are more resistant against degradation than chemically labile and fine-grained material. We investigated whether soil fauna, by its direct and indirect effects on carbon turnover, would reinforce or counteract this general trend.The effects of four major faunal groups on carbon pools of differing recalcitrance were studied in an extensive microcosm experiment. Ninty-six microcosms were inoculated with nematodes, enchytraeids, collembola, and lumbricids in three densities, including combinations of groups. Bare agricultural soil and soil covered with maize litter were used as substrates. The microcosms were kept under constant conditions at 12 °C and 50% water holding capacity for 60 days. At the end of the experiment, soil particles were separated into size classes (<63 μm, 63-250 μm, >250 μm) and carbon pools were separated into solubility fractions (K₂SO₄-soluble, pyrophosphate-soluble, insoluble), by means of ultrasonic dispersion and subsequent stepwise solubilisation.Both in bare soil and in soil with litter, the carbon pools with the highest chemical stability (insoluble) and the larger particle sizes (>63 μm) were degraded more intensively than all other pools in the presence of lumbricids. The pools of intermediate chemical stability (pyrophosphate-soluble) underwent simultaneous degradation and neoformation brought about by different animal groups. The chemically most labile pool (K₂SO₄-soluble) remained largely unaffected by the fauna. Fixation of carbon in microbial biomass was increased by nematodes in bare soil and by enchytraeids in soil with litter. The results illustrate in detail how, under the influence of soil fauna, soil carbon pools are decomposed in a cascade-like process where carbon is transferred from the stable to the more labile pools, while simultaneously a proportion is fixed in microbial biomass and another part is lost as CO₂. Thereby, the relationship between a substrate's persistence and its chemical stability and physical size is substantially modified. We summarize the mechanisms that most likely are responsible for the different effects of the investigated faunal groups.     

Frequent addition of wheat straw residues to soil enhances carbon mineralization rate

In many ecosystems, residues are added frequently to soil, in the form of root turnover and litter fall. However, in most studies on residue decomposition, residues are added once and there are few studies that have investigated the effect of frequent residue addition on C mineralization and N dynamics. To close this knowledge gap, we mixed mature wheat residue (C/N 122) into soil at a total rate of 2% w/w once at the start (R1×), every 16 days (R4×), every 8 days (R8×) or every 4 days (R16×). Un-amended soil served as control. All treatments were mixed every 4 days. Soil respiration was measured continuously over the 80-day incubation. Inorganic N, K₂SO₄-extractable C and N, chloroform-labile C and N (as an estimate of microbial biomass C and N), soil pH and microbial community composition were assessed every 16 days. Increasing frequency of residue addition increased C mineralization per g residue. Compared to R1×, cumulative respiration per g residue at the end of the incubation (day 80) was increased by 57, 82 and 92% in R4×, R8× and R16×, respectively. The largest differences in soil respiration per g residue occurred in the first 30 days. Despite large increases in cumulative respiration, frequent residue addition did not affect inorganic N or K₂SO₄-extractable N concentrations, chloroform-labile C and N or soil pH. Compared to the control, all residue treatments resulted in increases in chloroform-labile C and N and soil pH but decreased inorganic and K₂SO₄-extractable N. Microbial community composition was affected by residue addition, however there were no consistent differences among residue treatments. It is concluded that experiments with single residue additions may underestimate residue decomposition rates in the field. The increased C mineralization caused by frequent residue additions does not appear to be due to an increased microbial biomass or changes in microbial community composition, but rather to increased C mineralization per unit biomass.     

Warming and grazing affect soil labile carbon and nitrogen pools differently in an alpine meadow of the Qinghai�CTibet Plateau in China

Purpose

Small but highly bioactive labile carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools are of great importance in controlling terrestrial C and N fluxes, whilst long-term C and N storage is determined by less labile but relatively large sizes of C and N pools. Little information is available about the effects of global warming and grazing on different forms of C and N pools in the Qinghai?CTibet Plateau of China. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of warming and grazing on the sizes of different soil labile C and N pools and N transformation in this region.

Materials and methods

A free-air temperature enhancement system in a controlled warming?Cgrazing experiment had been implemented since May 2006. Infrared heaters were used to manipulate temperature, and a moderate grazing intensity was simulated by Tibetan sheep. After 3 years?? warming, soil samples were taken from the four treatment plots: no warming with no grazing; no warming with grazing; warming with no grazing; and warming with grazing. Concentrations of inorganic N in the 40?Ccm soil profiles were measured by a flow injection analyser. Microbial biomass C (MBC) and microbial biomass N (MBN) were measured by the fumigation?Cextraction method, and soluble organic C (SOC) and soluble organic N (SON) were determined by high-temperature catalytic oxidation. Total N (TN), C isotope composition (??¹³C) and N isotope composition (??¹⁵N) were determined using an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Net N transformation under low temperature was studied in a laboratory incubation experiment.

Results and discussion

Warming and grazing treatments affected soil C and N pools differently, and these effects varied with soil depth. Warming significantly increased TN, MBC, MBN, and SON and decreased ??¹³C at the 10?C20 and 20?C30 cm soil depths, whilst grazing generally decreased SON at the 10?C20 and 20?C30 cm, and MBC at 20?C30 cm. At the 0?C10 cm depth, neither warming nor grazing alone affects these soil parameters significantly, indicating that there could be considerable perturbation on the soil surface. However, grazing alone increased NO ₃ ^? ?CN, total inorganic N, SOC and ??¹⁵N at the 0?C10 cm depth. Incubated at 4°C, warming (particularly with grazing) led to net immobilization of N, but no-warming treatments led to net N mineralization, whilst nitrification was strong across all these treatments. Correlations between MBC and SOC, and TN and MBN or SON were positive. However, SON was less well correlated with TN and MBN compared with the highly positive correlations between SOC and MBC.

Conclusions

It is clearly demonstrated that warming and grazing affected labile C and N pools significantly, but differently after 3 years?? treatments: Warming tended to enlarge labile C and N pools through increased litter inputs, whilst grazing tended to increase inorganic N pools, decrease SON and accelerate N cycling. Grazing might modify the mode that warming affected soil C and N pools through its strong impacts on microbial processes and N cycling. These results suggested that interactive effects of warming and grazing on C and N pools might have significant implications for the long-term C and N storage and productivity of alpine meadow ecosystem in the Qinghai?CTibet Plateau of China.     

Response of organic N monomers in a sub-alpine soil to a dry–wet cycle

Cycles of soil drying followed by rewetting occur in most terrestrial ecosystems, but there is conflicting evidence as to the role of osmolytes in dry–wet cycles. The broad aim of this experiment was to determine how N-containing osmolytes and other organic N monomers are affected by rewetting of a moderately dry soil. In a sub-alpine grassland, experimental plots were irrigated with 50 mm of water near the conclusion of a typical late-summer drying cycle. Twelve putative osmolytes (proline, 8 quaternary ammonium compounds, trimethylamine N-oxide, ectoine, hydroxyectoine) and 60 other organic N monomers were identified and quantified by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry of the free/exchangeable pool of soil water (0.5 M K₂SO₄ extracts) and microbial biomass (via chloroform fumigation extraction). The total concentration of organic N monomers was 25-times greater in fumigated than unfumigated extracts. Differences in relative abundance of compound classes and compounds between fumigated and unfumigated extracts suggested some compounds were localized to the free/exchangeable pool; others were predominantly microbial, whereas many were shared between pools. A striking feature of the free/exchangeable pool was that on an N-basis alkylamines were the most abundant compound class and accounted for 34% of the pool of organic N monomers. There was no evidence that osmolytes were the primary means soil microbes coped with dry–wet cycles. Instead, the pool of osmolytes was an invariant 4% of the pool of CE-MS detected monomers in K₂SO₄ extracts and 7% of the pool of CE-MS detected monomers in the chloroform-labile (microbial) fraction. The absence of substantial amounts of osmolytes may be because water stress was too mild or brief, or because osmolyte synthesis was limited by availability of energy, N or C and some alternative strategy was used to cope with water deficits.     

Carbon mineralization is promoted by phosphorus and reduced by nitrogen addition in the organic horizon of northern hardwood forests

Limitations to the respiratory activity of heterotrophic soil microorganisms exert important controls of CO₂ efflux from soils. In the northeastern US, ecosystem nutrient status varies across the landscape and changes with forest succession following disturbance, likely impacting soil microbial processes regulating the transformation and emission of carbon (C). We tested whether nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) limit the mineralization of soil organic C (SOC) or that of added C sources in the Oe horizon of successional and mature northern hardwood forests in three locations in central New Hampshire, USA. Added N reduced mineralization of C from SOC and from added leaf litter and cellulose. Added P did not affect mineralization from SOC; however, it did enhance mineralization of litter- and cellulose- C in organic horizons from all forest locations. Added N increased microbial biomass N and K₂SO₄-extractable DON pools, but added P had no effect. Microbial biomass C increased with litter addition but did not respond to either nutrient. The direction of responses to added nutrients was consistent among sites and between forest ages. We conclude that in these organic horizons limitation by N promotes mineralization of C from SOC, whereas limitation by P constrains mineralization of C from new organic inputs. We also suggest that N suppresses respiration in these organic horizons either by relieving the N limitation of microbial biomass synthesis, or by slowing turnover of C through the microbial pool; concurrent measures of microbial growth and turnover are needed to resolve this question.     

不同碳源添加对钙质土高累积硝态氮向土壤有机氮库转化的研究

Excessive amounts of nitrate have accumulated in many soils on the North China Plain due to the large amounts of chemical N fertilizers or manures used in combination with low carbon inputs. We investigated the potential of different carbon substrates added to transform soil nitrate into soil organic N (SON). A 56-d laboratory incubation experiment using the 15 N tracer (K15 NO3 ) technique was carried out to elucidate the proportion of SON derived from accumulated soil nitrate following amendment with glucose or maize straw at controlled soil temperature and moisture. The dynamics and isotopic abundance of mineral N (NO3 and NH+4 ) and SON and greenhouse gas (N2O and CO2 ) emissions during the incubation were investigated. Although carbon amendments markedly stimulated transformation of nitrate to newly formed SON, this was only a substitution effect of the newly formed SON with native SON because SON at the end of the incubation period was not significantly different (P > 0.05) from that in control soil without added C. At the end of the incubation period, amendment with glucose, a readily available C source, increased nitrate immobilization by 2.65 times and total N2O-N emission by 33.7 times, as compared with maize straw amendment. Moreover, the differences in SON and total N2O-N emission between the treatments with glucose and maize straw were significant (P < 0.05). However, the total N2O-N emission in the straw treatment was not significantly (P > 0.05) greater than that in the control. Straw amendment may be a potential option in agricultural practice for transformation of nitrate N to SON and minimization of N2O emitted as well as restriction of NO3-N leaching.     

Effects of litter quality and microarthropods on N dynamics and retention of exogenous 15N in decomposing litter

Summary Surface additions of (¹⁵NH₄)₂SO₄ were used to measure the immobilization and subsequent movement of exogenous N added to two litter types of contrasting quality (Cornus florida and Quercus prinus). Litterbaskets were used to measure the litter mass loss and N dynamics and to follow the movement of the ¹⁵N label through litter, F layer, and soil pools. Half of the litterbaskets of each species were treated with naphthalene to reduce microarthropod densities. The faster decomposing C. florida litter maintained a higher excess atom % ¹⁵N, and a greater relative concentration of the labeled input (g ¹⁵N g^–1) than did Q. prinus litter. In both litter types the excess atom % ¹⁵N, relative concentration (g ¹⁵N g^–1), and absolute amount of label recovered in the litter declined over time. This occurred during a period of net accumulation of total litter N, implying simultaneous release of the initial input and immobilization of N from other sources. The concentration of ¹⁵N in the soil increased over time, while the F layer apparently acted as an intermediary in the transfer of ¹⁵N from litter to soil. Naphthalene effectively reduced microarthropod numbers in all horizons of the litterbaskets and significantly reduced the decay rates of Q. prinus, but not C. florida litter. Naphthalene did not appear to affect total N dynamics in the litter. However, with all horizons taken together, the naphthalene-treated litterbaskets retained more total ¹⁵N than the control litterbaskets. Naphthalene also changed the vertical distribution of ¹⁵N within litterbaskets, so that the litter retained less of the ¹⁵N-labeled input and the F layer and soil horizons retained more of the labeled input than in control litterbaskets. Our major conclusions are: (1) the N pool of decomposing litter is dynamic, with simultaneous N release and immobilization activating N turnover even during the net accumulation phase; (2) litter quality is an important determinant of immobilization and retention of exogenous N inputs and, therefore, turnover of the litter N pool; and (3) microarthropod activity can significantly affect the incorporation and retention of exogenous N inputs in decomposing litter, although these changes are apparently not reflected in net N accumulation or release during the 1st year of decomposition. However, the naphthalene may have affected microbially mediated N dynamics and this possibility needs to be considered in interpreting the results.     

Synthesis of 15N-labelled microbial biomass in soil in situ and extraction of biomass N

Summary A Pakistani soil (Hafizabad silt loam) was incubated at 30°C with varying levels of ¹⁵N-labelled ammonium sulphate and glucose (C/N ratio of 30 at each addition rate) in order to generate different insitu levels of ¹⁵N-labelled microbial biomass. At a stage when all of the applied ¹⁵N was in organic forms, as biomass and products, the soil samples were analysed for biomass N by the chloroform (CHCl₃) fumigation-extraction method, which involves exposure of the soil to CHCl₃ vapour for 24 h followed by extraction with 500 mM K₂SO₄. A correction is made for inorganic and organic N in 500 mM K₂SO₄ extracts of the unfumigated soil. Results obtained using this approach were compared with the amounts of immobilized ¹⁵N extracted by 500 mM K₂SO₄ containing different amounts of CHCl₃. The extraction time varied from 0.5 to 4 h.The amount of N extracted ranged from 27 to 270 g g^–1, the minimum occurring at the lowest (67 g g^–1) and the maximum at the highest (333 g g^–1) N-addition rate. Extractability of biomass ¹⁵N ranged from 25% at the lowest N-addition rate to 65%a for the highest rate and increased consistently with an increase in the amount of ¹⁵N and glucose added. The amounts of both soil N and immobilized ¹⁵N extracted with 500 mM K₂SO₄ containing CHCl₃ increased with an increase in extraction time and in concentration of CHCl₃. The chloroform fumigation-extraction method gives low estimates for biomass N because some of the organic N in K₂SO₄ extracts of unfumigated soil is derived from biomass.     

Analysis and behavior of soluble organic nitrogen in forest soils

Background, aim, and scope  

A large proportion of soil nitrogen (N; >80%) is present in organic form. Current research on plant N uptake in terrestrial ecosystems has focused mainly on inorganic N such as ammonium (NH₄ ⁺) and nitrate (NO₃ ⁻), while soluble organic N (SON) has received little attention. In recent years, the increasing evidence showing the direct uptake of various amino acids by plants and the predominance of the organic form in N loss by leaching in many forest ecosystems has drawn attention to critically re-examine the nature and the ecological role of soil SON in terrestrial N cycling. However, little is known about the sources and dynamics, chemical nature, and ecological functions of soil SON in forest ecosystems. This paper reviews recent advances in the areas of research on current techniques for characterizing soil SON and the size, nature, and dynamics of soil SON pools in forest ecosystems.     

Summer Patch Disease Severity on Kentucky Bluegrass in Response to Fertilizer Source

Abstract

Summer patch is caused by the ectotrophic, root‐infecting fungus Magnaporthe poae Landschoot and Jackson. The disease, which often infects high maintenance turf, can be difficult to control because root infection often occurs six to eight weeks before the appearance of foliar symptoms. Disease severity is reduced when turf is fertilized with ammonium nitrogen (N) sources, compared to nitrate or urea sources of N. Thiosulfate, from (NH₄)₂S₂O₃ or K₂S₂O₃, is a nitrification inhibitor which may enhance ammonium uptake of turf by slowing nitrification. N‐SURE is a triazone‐based, slow release N source that is commonly used to fertilize turfgrass. Field studies were conducted from 1995 to 1996 on Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) grown on a Nixon loam (fine‐loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Hapludult) to evaluate the effectiveness of the several N and K sources for their ability to control summer patch disease. Nitrogen fertilizers, N‐SURE, (NH₄)₂S₂O₃, and (NH₄)₂SO₄, were applied in combination with either K₂SO₄ or K₂S₂O₃. The severity of summer patch was greater when the turf was fertilized with N‐SURE in 1995 and 1996 and urea in 1996 compared to (NH₄)₂S₂O₃. The N sources, (NH₄)₂SO₄ and (NH₄)₂S₂O₃, were strongly acidifying to the upper 10 cm of soil and were very effective in controlling summer patch. The application of K₂S₂O₃ slightly acidified the upper 5 cm of soil but did not suppress the development of summer patch. The ability of thiosulfate to act as a nitrification inhibitor did not appear to play a role in the suppression of summer patch. Since foliar burn may occur if (NH₄)₂SO₄, (NH₄)₂S₂O₃, or K₂S₂O₃ are applied to turf without irrigation, the application of water after their use is recommended.     

Soluble organic nitrogen pools in greenhouse and open field horticultural soils under organic and conventional management: A case study

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of four different horticultural management practices in open field and in greenhouse conditions under organic and conventional cultivation on the amount of soluble organic nitrogen (SON) present in the soil. Soils used in greenhouses and open field cultivation were sampled in Shanghai, China, where organic farming has been conducted for 3 years or conventional faming has been continued in the same area. The amounts of SON, nitrate (NO₃^?) and ammonium (NH₄⁺) were greater in the greenhouse soils than those under open field cultivation, which indicated a higher degree of soil management was imposed under greenhouse conditions. Greenhouse cultivation is also known to accelerate the turnover of SON in the soils, which may explain the significantly higher amounts of SON present in these soils. Organic farming, which does not use artificial fertilizers and pesticides, also resulted in significantly higher amounts of SON (average 42.10 mg kg^?1) compared with soils under conventional faming (24.59 mg kg^?1). The reasons for the observed differences in pool sizes of soluble inorganic nitrogen (SIN) and NO₃^? in the greenhouse soils and the open fields include (a) the heavy application of both complex fertilizer and organic fertilizer that exceeded crop requirements and (b) warmer temperatures and moist soils in the greenhouses, which are likely to lead to greater rates of N cycling compared with the open field soils. These results suggest that SON may be an important source of N in all horticultural systems, representing a pool of labile N readily available for plant growth. However, its concentration is less sensitive to different management practices than SIN. In contrast to SON, the total soluble nitrogen and inorganic N (SIN) pools varied widely with the different management practices although they were dominated by NO₃^? in all treatments. Soil organic N was positively related to dissolved organic carbon and NO₃^? contents. This relationship indicates that NO₃^? and dissolved organic matter play a key role in the retention of SON in soil.     

Changes in 15N abundance and amounts of biologically active soil nitrogen

 Estimation of the capacity of soils to supply N for crop growth requires estimates of the complex interactions among organic and inorganic N components as a function of soil properties. Identification and measurement of active soil N forms could help to quantify estimates of N supply to crops. Isotopic dilution during incubation of soils with added ¹⁵NH₄ ⁺ compounds could identify active N components. Dilution of ¹⁵N in KCl extracts of mineral and total N, non-exchangeable NH4₄ ⁺, and N in K₂SO₄ extracts of fumigated and non-fumigated soil was measured during 7-week incubation. Samples from four soils varying in clay content from 60 to 710 g kg^–1 were used. A constant level of ¹⁵N enrichment within KCl and K₂SO₄ extracted components was found at the end of the incubation period. Total N, microbial biomass C and non-exchangeable NH₄ ⁺ contents of the soils were positively related to the clay contents. The mineralized N was positively related to the silt plus clay contents. The active soil N (ASN) contained 28–36% mineral N, 29–44% microbial biomass N, 0.3–5% non-exchangeable NH₄ ⁺ with approximately one third of the ASN unidentified. Assuming that absolute amounts of active N are related to N availability, increasing clay content was related to increased N reserve for crop production but a slower turnover. Received: 7 July 1998     

Elevated CO2, but not defoliation, enhances N cycling and increases short-term soil N immobilization regardless of N addition in a semiarid grassland

Elevated CO₂ and defoliation effects on nitrogen (N) cycling in rangeland soils remain poorly understood. Here we tested whether effects of elevated CO₂ (720 μl L⁻¹) and defoliation (clipping to 2.5 cm height) on N cycling depended on soil N availability (addition of 1 vs. 11 g N m⁻²) in intact mesocosms extracted from a semiarid grassland. Mesocosms were kept inside growth chambers for one growing season, and the experiment was repeated the next year. We added ¹⁵N (1 g m⁻²) to all mesocosms at the start of the growing season. We measured total N and ¹⁵N in plant, soil inorganic, microbial and soil organic pools at different times of the growing season. We combined the plant, soil inorganic, and microbial N pools into one pool (PIM-N pool) to separate biotic + inorganic from abiotic N residing in soil organic matter (SOM). With the ¹⁵N measurements we were then able to calculate transfer rates of N from the active PIM-N pool into SOM (soil N immobilization) and vice versa (soil N mobilization) throughout the growing season. We observed significant interactive effects of elevated CO₂ with N addition and defoliation with N addition on soil N mobilization and immobilization. However, no interactive effects were observed for net transfer rates. Net N transfer from the PIM-N pool into SOM increased under elevated CO₂, but was unaffected by defoliation. Elevated CO₂ and defoliation effects on the net transfer of N into SOM may not depend on soil N availability in semiarid grasslands, but may depend on the balance of root litter production affecting soil N immobilization and root exudation affecting soil N mobilization. We observed no interactive effects of elevated CO₂ with defoliation. We conclude that elevated CO₂, but not defoliation, may limit plant productivity in the long-term through increased soil N immobilization.     

Effect of K2SO4 concentration on extractability and isotope signature (δ13C and δ15N) of soil C and N fractions

Determination of the labile soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fractions and measurement of their isotopic signatures (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) has been used widely for characterizing soil C and N transformations. However, methodological questions and comparison of results of different authors have not been fully solved. We studied concentrations and δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N of salt‐extractable organic carbon (SEOC), inorganic (N–NH₄⁺ and N–NO₃^?) and organic nitrogen (SEON) and salt‐extractable microbial C (SEMC) and N (SEMN) in 0.05 and 0.5 m K₂SO₄ extracts from a range of soils in Russia. Despite differences in acidity, organic matter and N content and C and N availability in the studied soils, we found consistent patterns of effects of K₂SO₄ concentration on C and N extractability. Organic C and N were extracted 1.6–5.5 times more effectively with 0.5 m K₂SO₄ than with 0.05 m K₂SO₄. Extra SEOC extractability with greater K₂SO₄ concentrations did not depend on soil properties within a wide range of pH and organic matter concentrations, but the effect was more pronounced in the most acidic and organic‐rich mountain Umbrisols. Extractable microbial C was not affected by K₂SO₄ concentrations, while SEMN was greater when extracted with 0.5 m K₂SO₄. We demonstrate that the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of extractable non‐microbial and microbial C and N are not affected by K₂SO₄ concentrations, but use of a small concentration of extract (0.05 m K₂SO₄) gives more consistent isotopic results than a larger concentration (0.5 m ).     

两类温带森林下土壤氮的有效性指标比较

To evaluate the validity of different indices in estimating soil readily mineralizable N, soil microbial biomass （Nmic）, soil active N （SAN）, soluble organic N （SON）, net N mineralization rate （NNR） and gross N mineralization rate （GNR） in mineral soils （0-10 cm） from six forest stands located in central Germany were determined and compared with two sampling times： April and November. Additionally, soil density fractionation was conducted for incubated soils （with addition of ^15NH4-N and glucose, 40 days） to observe the sink of added ^15N in different soil fractions. The study showed that Nmic and NNR in most stands differed significantly （P 〈 0.05） between the two sampling times, but not GNR, SAN and SON. In November, no close relationships were found between GNR and other N indices, or between Nrnic, SON, and SAN and forest type. However, in April, GNR was significantly correlated （P 〈 0.05） with Nmic, SAN, and NNR along with Nmlc under beech being significantly higher （P 〈 0.05） than under conifers. Furthermore, density fractionation revealed that the light fraction （LF, 0.063-2 mm, 〉 1.7 gcm^-3） was not correlated with the other N indices. In contrast, results from the incubation study proved that more 15N was incorporated into the heavy fraction （HF 〈 0.063 ram, 〉 1.7 g cm^-3） than into LF, indicaing that more labile N existed in HF than in LF. These findings suggested that attention should be paid to the differences existing in N status between agricultural and forest soils.