TRANSFORMATION OF 15N-LABELLED AMMONIUM IN TWO SOILS DIFFERING IN NH+4-FIXING CAPACITY

Two soils differing in ammonium fixation capacity were incubated for 127 days with ¹⁵N-ammonium sulphate. In a gley soil with high NH⁺₄-fixing capacity caused by smectites with a charge up to 0.8 per formula unit, the major part of the added ammonium was first fixed by minerals and then released slowly during incubation. The proportion of labelled N in the nitrate fraction increased during the first weeks and then decreased permanently. In contrast, in a histosol with low NH⁺₄-fixing capacity, the exchangeable fraction contained most of the labelled NH⁺₄, this being highly available to microorganisms and therefore subject to nitrification. About 50% of the added ¹⁵NH₄ was lost from the histosol in 127 days, but only about 20 per cent was lost from the gley soil.     

Mitigation of N2O emissions from grassland by nitrification inhibitor and Actilith F2 applied with fertilizer and cattle slurry

Abstract. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is involved in both ozone destruction and global warming. In agricultural soils it is produced by nitrification and denitrification mainly after fertilization. Nitrification inhibitors have been proposed as one of the management tools for the reduction of the potential hazards of fertilizer-derived N₂O. Addition of nitrification inhibitors to fertilizers maintains soil N in ammonium form, thereby gaseous N losses by nitrification and denitrification are less likely to occur and there is increased N utilization by the sward. We present a study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) and of the slurry additive Actilith F2 on N₂O emissions following application of calcium ammonium nitrate or cattle slurry to a mixed clover/ryegrass sward in the Basque Country. The results indicate that large differences in N₂O emission occur depending on fertilizer type and the presence or absence of a nitrification inhibitor. There is considerable scope for immediate reduction of emissions by applying DCD with calcium ammonium nitrate or cattle slurry. DCD, applied at 25 kg ha^–1, reduced the amount of N lost as N₂O by 60% and 42% when applied with cattle slurry and calcium ammonium nitrate, respectively. Actilith F2 did not reduce N₂O emissions and it produced a long lasting mineralization of previously immobilized added N.     

Influence of former agricultural land use on net nitrate production in forest soils

Except where nitrate is added to the soil artificially, nitrate is leached from forest soils only if it is produced. Although the factors influencing nitrification have been widely studied, nitrification activity still cannot be simply predicted from ecosystem characteristics. In France, about half of the present forest area was agricultural in 1850. Previous work suggested that former cultivation could be a major factor influencing nitrogen availability in forest soils. Using laboratory incubations, we compared the net production of ammonium and nitrate in soils from formerly manured lands planted with conifers 70–100 years ago with that in soils of surrounding ancient coniferous forests. Net nitrate production, available P content, and natural abundance of nitrogen 15, δ¹⁵N, were greater in soils from formerly manured plots than other land, whereas the C:N ratio of the soil was less. The difference in net nitrate production between previously manured sites and adjacent ancient forests was related to differences in δ¹⁵N values in the soil but not evidently to other soil properties. Because soil δ¹⁵N increases with the intensity of organic manuring, these results suggest that nitrification in forest soils depends on previous manurial practices under agriculture. In this context, the soil δ¹⁵N might be used as an indicator of both previous agricultural land use and potential nitrification. Because a significant proportion of West European forests grow on previously cultivated soils, past land use should be taken into account when evaluating the risks of nitrate leaching from forests.     

COMPUTER SIMULATION OF LOSS OF FERTILIZER NITROGEN THROUGH CHEMICAL DECOMPOSITION OF NITRITE

An estimate is given of nitrogen losses which could occur through chemical decomposition of nitrite formed by nitrification of ammonium in acid tropical soils. Experiments on the rate of disappearance of nitrite were carried out in acid buffers as well as in soil samples. Numerical solutions of a system of differential equations describe the nitrification process and the chemical denitrification reaction. Up to 50 per cent of added ammonium nitrogen may be lost in an acid soil when nitrification occurs at temperatures prevailing in the humid tropics.     

Potential mineralization and nitrification in volcanic grassland soils in Chile

Abstract

A proportion of the nitrogen (N) applied to grasslands as organic or inorganic fertilizers can be lost to water courses as nitrate and to the atmosphere as nitrous and nitric oxides. Volcanic soils from Chile are not generally prone to leaching, possibly due to net immobilization of nitrate and/or ammonium, and/or due to inhibition of nitrification by either chemical or physical processes. In laboratory studies we found large mineralization potentials in soils from three different Chilean soils after 17 weeks of incubation, totalling 215 and 254 mg kg^?1 dry soil for two Andisols and 127 mg kg^?1 dry soil in an Ultisol. Nitrification occurred after a short period, and was lowest in the Ultisol. In addition, microbial analysis showed nitrifiers to be present in all three soils. Adsorption of ammonium was two-fold stronger than for nitrate, ranging from 29 to 180 kg N ha^?1. The highest potential for N adsorption in the 0–60 cm soil profile was with the Ultisol (398 kg N ha^?1), but was similar in both Andisols (193 and 172 kg N ha^?1, respectively). The combination of ammonium retention together with delayed nitrification could account for the low leaching rates in these soils.     

Nitrogen transformations of ammonium sulfate and alanine in submerged Maahas clay

The fate of added nitrogen in submerged soils was studied using ¹⁵N-labelled ammonium sulfate and alanine. After 8 weeks of incubation 25 and 22%, respectively, of nitrogen from ammonium sulfate and alanine were recovered in the soil. Under the experimental conditions used nitrogen added to presubmerged soils was lost rapidly outside of the soil-water system, regardless of whether the nitrogen was organic or inorganic. Fractionation studies revealed that the amount of tagged N incorporated into exchangeable ammonium, residual fractions, volatilized as NH₃ and chemically fixed nitrogen was not enough to account for the nitrogen loss. The nitrogen loss was attributed to nitrification and subsequent denitrification during the incubation period.

The effect of N-Serve [2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)pyrimidine] on nitrification of ¹⁵N-labelled (NH₄)₂SO₄-in submerged soils was studied. About 15% more nitrogen was recovered from non-presubmerged soils, and less nitrate was accumulated in presubmerged soils where N-Serve coated (NH₄)₂SO₄ was applied, than from soils where (NH₄)₂SO₄ was applied without N-Serve. Presubmerged soils provided a more favorable environment for nitrification than for denitrification under the experimental conditions used.     

Replacing inorganic fertilizer with anaerobic digestate may maintain agricultural productivity at less environmental cost

We applied digestate generated from the anaerobic digestion of slurry, undigested slurry, or inorganic N (ammonium nitrate) or NPK compound fertilizer to pots of grass and a grass–clover mix grown in two soils. Crop yields were equal or enhanced with digestate, and analysis of soil water showed that there was less potential for loss of nutrients via leaching. Replacing inorganic fertilizer with digestate may therefore maintain grassland productivity but with less impact on the environment.     

Interaction of 15N-labelled ammonium nitrate,urea and ammonium sulphate with soil N during growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under field conditions

The effects of ¹⁵N-labelled ammonium nitrate, urea and ammonium sulphate on yield and uptake of labelled and unlabelled N by wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Mexi-Pak-65) were studied in a field experiment. The dry matter and N yields were significantly increased with fertilizer N application compared to those from unfertilized soil. The wheat crop used 64.0–74.8%, 61.5–64.7% and 61.7–63.4% of the N from ammonium nitrate, urea and ammonium sulphate, respectively. The fertilizer N uptake showed that ammonium nitrate was a more available source of N for wheat than urea and ammonium sulphate. The effective use of fertilizer N (ratio of fertilizer N in grain to fertilizer N in whole plant) was statistically similar for the three N fertilizers. The application of fertilizer N increased the uptake of unlabelled soil N by wheat, a result attributed to a positive added N interaction, which varied with the method of application of fertilizer N. Ammonium nitrate, urea and ammonium sulphate gave 59.3%, 42.8% and 26.3% more added N interaction, respectively, when applied by the broadcast/worked-in method than with band placement. A highly significant correlation between soil N and grain yield, dry matter and added N interaction showed that soil N was more important than fertilizer N in wheat production. A values were not significantly correlated with added N interaction (r=0.719). The observed added N interaction may have been the result of pool substitution, whereby added labelled fertilizer N stood proxy for unlabelled soil N.     

Assessment of the relative uptake of added and indigenous soil nitrogen by nodulated legumes and reference plants in the 15N dilution measurement of N2 fixation: Glasshouse application of method

A method for calculating the relative uptake (R) of added N and indigenous soil N by a legume (Trifolium subterraneum) and non-legume (Lolium rigidum), growing together, was investigated in two pot experiments. In the first experiment, ¹⁵N-labelled sodium nitrate was applied to the soil surface at rates equivalent to 0.3 or 1.0kg N ha^?1. Twenty one days later, the legume had fixed about 95% of its total N and this was unaffected by N addition. There was no difference in R values between legume and non-legume at both N rates.In the second experiment using a soil of higher total N, sodium nitrate or ammonium sulphate were surface-applied at a rate equivalent to 1 kg N ha^?1 and harvests were made at 3, 6, 12 and 27 days after N addition. Fixation of atmospheric N₂ by the legume did not begin until day 12 but accounted for about 40% of the total N assimilated by the legume by day 27. There was no difference in R values between legume and non-legume throughout the growth period when sodium nitrate was applied. However, when ammonium sulphate was added to label to soil N, the uptake of added N relative to indigenous soil N was greater for the non-legume than the legume. This caused an overestimation (51 vs 43%) of the proportion on N fixed by the legume when compared with that for the control or sodium nitrate treatments.     

Studies on mineralization and immobilization of nitrogen in soil

Mineralization and immobilization processes were studied in a soil treated with ammonium sulphate, calcium ammonium nitrate, urea, urea ammonium phosphate or suphala along with unhumified dung. The conversion of fertilizer nitrogen into non-KCI extractable fractions occurred within two weeks and was relatively rapid in the samples treated with urea and urea ammonium phosphate. The mineral nitrogen content during incubation studies was highest in calcium ammonium nitrate treated soils. Amino acid nitrogen appeared to be the main fraction involved in the immobilization and mineralization of nitrogen in soil. Dung behaved as an efficient nitrification inhibitor and slowed the release of nitrogen from fertilizers.     

Effects of a nitrification inhibitor on efficiency of nitrogen utilization by wheat and millet

Abstract

Preliminary soil incubation studies established that the nitrification inhibitor, Dicyandiamide (DCD), could maintain the ratio of NH.‐N to NO₃‐N at predetermined levels. When one part DCD was mixed with 10 parts of the ammonium fertilizer prior to incorporation with the soil, nitrification was inhibited for at least six weeks. In a greenhouse experiment, wheat was grown to maturity and millet to the flowering stage in pots containing nitrate and ammonium fertilizers treated with DCD. Soil analyses during the plant growth period indicated that ammonium oxidation in soil was effectively inhibited. Plants of both species exposed to ammonium only with DCD produced lower yields than those exposed to a mixture of nitrate and ammonium nitrogen with DCD. Plants supplied with nitrate‐only gave somewhat lower yields than the mixtures. The nitrate‐only treatments resulted in the lowest accumulation of reduced nitrogen compounds in shoots of both species. Magnesium uptake by millet and calcium and magnesium uptake by wheat were reduced as the proportion of ammonium in soil was increased.     

双氰胺对不同质地红壤中碳酸氢铵的硝化抑制作用研究

通过室内好气培养试验,研究了双氰胺(DCD)对施入不同质地红壤中碳酸氢铵的硝化抑制作用。结果表明,添加DCD明显提高了相应处理的铵态氮含量,降低了硝态氮含量。无论加入DCD与否,砂壤土中碳酸氢铵的硝化时间大约都需7周;轻粘土中碳酸氢铵的硝化时间为35.d,加入硝化抑制剂后硝化时间可延长2周;而中壤土中至培养结束时仍有较高的铵态氮,故铵的硝化时间有待进一步研究。DCD对碳酸氢铵的硝化抑制效果中壤土优于砂壤土、轻粘土;在砂壤土和轻粘土中,DCD对低浓度铵态氮处理的硝化抑制效果好;而在中壤土中对高浓度的抑制效果好。     

Nitrification in soils incubated with pig slurry or ammonium sulphate

The effects of temperature, moisture content and the addition of pig slurry on nitrification in two soils were studed. There was no accumulation of NO₂^?-N under the incubation conditions investigated and the accumulation of NO₃^?-N was linear for additions of 50–250 μg NH₄⁺-N g^? soil, either as ammonium sulphate or as pig slurry. Nitrate formation was treated as a single step, zero order process to enable a rate constant to be calculated. Nitrification rate increased with increasing moisture content up to the highest level tested, soil water potential ?8.0 kPa, corresponding to approximately 60% of water holding capacity in both soils. Measurable nitrification was found in both soils at the lowest moisture content (soil water potential ?1.5 MPa) and temperature (5° C) tested. The nitrification rate constant in soils treated with 50 μg NH₄⁺-N g^? soil was not significantly affected (P = 0.05) by the form of ammonium added. Addition of 250 μg NH₄⁺-N as ammonium sulphate caused a marked inhibition of nitrification at all moisture contents and temperatures. Addition of 250 μg NH₄⁺-N as pig slurry caused a marked increase in nitrification rate, the increase being greater at the higher temperatures and moisture contents.     

Impact of land-use types on soil nitrogen net mineralization in the sandstorm and water source area of Beijing,China

Changes of land-use type (LUT) can affect soil nutrient pools and cycling processes that relate long-term sustainability of ecosystem, and can also affect atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and global warming through soil respiration. We conducted a comparative study to determine NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ concentrations in soil profiles (0–200 cm) and examined the net nitrogen (N) mineralization and net nitrification in soil surface (0–20 cm) of adjacent naturally regenerated secondary forests (NSF), man-made forests (MMF), grasslands and cropland soils from the windy arid and semi-arid Hebei plateau, the sandstorm and water source area of Beijing, China. Cropland and grassland soils showed significantly higher inorganic N concentrations than forest soils. NO₃⁻-N accounted for 50–90% of inorganic N in cropland and grassland soils, while NH₄⁺-N was the main form of inorganic N in NSF and MMF soils. Average net N-mineralization rates (mg kg⁻¹ d⁻¹) were much higher in native ecosystems (1.51 for NSF soils and 1.24 for grassland soils) than in human disturbed LUT (0.15 for cropland soils and 0.85 for MMF soils). Net ammonification was low in all the LUT while net nitrification was the major process of net N mineralization. For more insight in urea transformation, the increase in NH₄⁺ and, NO₃⁻ concentrations as well as C mineralization after urea addition was analyzed on whole soils. Urea application stimulated the net soil C mineralization and urea transformation pattern was consistent with net soil N mineralization, except that the rate was slightly slower. Land-use conversion from NSF to MMF, or from grassland to cropland decreased soil net N mineralization, but increased net nitrification after 40 years or 70 years, respectively. The observed higher rates of net nitrification suggested that land-use conversions in the Hebei plateau might lead to N losses in the form of nitrate.     

Gaseous nitrogen losses from fertilized soil during nitrification and denitrification using the acetylene blockage technique

Summary A sandy soil amended with different forms and amounts of fertilizer nitrogen (urea, ammonium sulphate and potassium nitrate) was investigated in model experiments for N₂O emission, which may be evolved during both oxidation of ammonia to nitrate and anaerobic respiration of nitrate. Since C₂H₂ inhibits both nitrification and the reduction of N₂O to N₂ during denitrification, the amount of N₂O evolved in the presence and absence of C₂H₂ represents the nitrogen released through nitrification and denitrification.Results show that amounts of N₂O-N lost from soils incubated anaerobically with 0.1% C₂H₂ and treated with potassium nitrate (23.1 µg N-NO ₃ ^– /g dry soil) exceeded those from soils incubated in the presence of 20% oxygen and treated with even larger amounts of nitrogen as urea and ammonium sulphate. This indicates that nitrogen losses by denitrification may potentially be higher than those occurring through nitrification.     

Umsatz und Wirkung von Harnstoff-Dicyandiamid- sowie Ammonsulfat-Dicyandiamid-Produkten zu Weidelgras und Reis

Transformation and effect of urea – dicyandiamide and ammonium sulphate – dicyandiamide products with ryegrass and rice The transformation of urea or ammonium sulphate fertilizers both in combination with dicyandiamide was tested in soil under aerobic conditions. Nitrification was determined after percolation and different incubation periods by measuring the amount of nitrate leached. The mineralisation of urea and ammonium sulphate in the fertile soil was relatively quick. However the addition of 5 to 10 % DCD of the total fertilizer-N inhibited vigorously the nitrification for 6 weeks, 20 % DCD even for 10 weeks. In this way the danger of nitrate leaching was greatly diminished and a slow and constant release of available nitrogen rendered. After a preceding aerobic incubation (up to 4 weeks), flooding and rice-seeding diminished the nitrogen losses by leaching and denitrification remarkably in the Ha/DCD – as well as AS/DCD-pots if compared to urea or ammonium sulphate alone. This effect was particulary clear after a 4 weeks incubation period. Therefore these urea – and ammonium sulphate-dicy-andiamide products guarantee a proper and constant N-nutrition of the rice plants and may decrease the N-losses caused by leaching and denitrification. Nitrogen fertilizers with nitrification inhibitors are of special interest for rice culture, because they allow a better timing of N-fertilizer application, rice seeding and water flooding and render a more economical utilization of nitrogen fertilizers.     

THE EFFECT OF CULTIVATION ON THE STRUCTURE AND OTHER PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF GRASSLAND AND ARABLE SOILS (194–970)

Cultivating grassland changes the physical state of the soil. The paper describes observations and measurements made in the field and the laboratory on a wide range of soils (with series names) in England over a period of 25 years. Dry sieving showed that natural weathering of grassland aggregates after three months'exposure was very considerable. The drawbar-pull on ploughing soil recently out of grass, as compared with old arable, increased with the number of years out of grass. The number of earthworms per hectare on old grassland was 6 to 9 times that on old arable of the same soil series: after three years'cultivation it was reduced by about a half. The possibility of erosion by wind increased with the number of years out of grass. Old arable land on gentle slopes had its resistance to flowing water (sheet erosion) much increased by as little as 2 years under grass. The apparent densities of soils were at a minimum under old grass and increased under cultivation. On some soils arable for many decades, the apparent densities were near those considered limiting for root penetration. The volurne of water per cent in the soil at the sticky point decreased as the years out of grass increased, suggesting a decrease in the number of days the soil could be cultivated without smearing. The water-stability of soil aggregates decreased as the number of years after ploughing old grassland increased. Whatever the texture, on ploughing old grassland, the water stability of air-dry aggregates feil sharply in the first – years and then approached the value corresponding to that of old arable soils more slowly, apart from soils of low clay content in which it differed little from old arable land after 2 years. Measurement of changes in water stability and field observations in a 6-course rotation (3 years ley, 3 years cereal) on a loam which had been in a similar rotation for about a decade after old grassland, suggested that this balance was probably right for maintaining such a soil at a good cropping level. Puddling (poaching) by animals of wet arable loam soils overlying clay resulted in gleying to the surface: ferrous iron was detected chemically. On putting down to grass there was little increase in water stability of the aggregates after 4 years. The reduction in the total pore space caused by harvesting machinery and also as a result of some years'cultivation of grassland was considerable. The ease of penetration of soils when taking cores was compared by counting the number of blows to drive in a corer: the number was much less in a soil recently out of old grass compared with old arable. The root development of cereals was poor in old arable silt soils very unstable to wetting and drying and with few visible biopores (> 10–00 μm). On soils with many visible pores, root development was much greater and yields with similar rates of nitrogen were double. The total N in the soils feil when old grassland was ploughed, sometimes by as much as 75 per cent in about 20 years. There was sometimes a significant corre-lation between total N and the reduction in water-stable aggregation during the years following ploughing grassland: the correlation coefficient was much higher on ploughing old grassland rather than leys. The N level dropped much more quickly in the first few years after ploughing old grassland than later. All single-property measurements give only a limited assessment of the physical state of a soil. Soils can be assessed satisfactorily only by making a range of measurements appropriate to the farming System.     

应用同位素15N研究硝化抑制剂对水稻的增产作用

引言据国内外报道(Goriog Cleve 1962),氮素化肥施入土壤中,有相当一部分从土壤中损失,一般作物只能利用30-50%。施于土壤中氮肥损失的途径主要是氨的挥发,硝态氮的流失,硝态氮在嫌气条件下的反硝化作用,以及亚硝酸盐的化学分解。     

The Leaching Behaviour and Balances of Nitrogen and Other Elements under Spring Wheat in Lysimeter Experiment 1985–92

Abstract

In a lysimeter study it was found that moderate rates of ammonium nitrate increased utilization percentages in spring wheat, and the leaching was 10% or less of added N. Over-optimal rates reduced utilization percentages and increased leaching to almost 50% of the highest doses. Late split application of calcium nitrate increased the percentage of N in grain. Furthermore, leaching of N was not reduced, but occurred somewhat later in the fall and winter seasons. Leaching of Cl^? was more rapid and that of SO₄ ^2- was delayed relative to the leaching of NO₃ ^?. Rather large negative N balances were obtained, also after over-optimal application rates, and total N content of the soil was reduced. Compared with the N₀ treatment, differences in soil N residues amounted to 15–25% of added N in seven years. Gaseous losses had apparently taken place both from the added N and from soil N according to the total-N analysis.     

Loss of nitrogen from ammoniacal fertilizers incubated under different soil and temperature conditions

Abstract

Ammonium sulfate and urea were added to three soils of widely different composition. After incubation for 28 days at 20°C, from 13 to 89% of the N from ammonium sulfate, and 8 to 71% of the N as urea were not recovered, and at 40°C, 44 to 95% of the N as ammonium sulfate, and 33 to 81% of the N as urea was not recovered as either ammonium‐N or nitrate‐N. Significantly more N was lost from a soil containing 3% calcium carbonate at pH 8.4 as compared to the two other soils containing 25 and 35% calcium carbonate, which have pH's of 7.7 and 7.5, respectively. An incubation temperature of 40°C appeared quite unfavourable for nitrification.