Nitrous oxide production in grassland soils: assessing the contribution of nitrifier denitrification

Nitrifier denitrification is the reduction of NO₂⁻ to N₂ by nitrifiers. It leads to the production of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N₂O) as an intermediate and possible end product. It is not known how important nitrifier denitrification is for the production of N₂O in soils. We explored N₂O production by nitrifier denitrification in relation to other N₂O producing processes such as nitrification and denitrification under different soil conditions. The influence of aeration of the soil, different N sources, and pH were tested in four experiments. To differentiate between sources of N₂O, an incubation method with inhibitors was used [Biol. Fertil. Soils 22 (1996) 331]. Sets of four incubations included controls without addition of inhibitors, incubations with addition of small concentrations of C₂H₂ (0.01-0.1 kPa), large concentrations of O₂ (100 kPa), or a combination of C₂H₂ and O₂. The results indicate that the availability of NO₂⁻ stimulated the apparent N₂O production by nitrifier denitrification. A decreasing O₂ content increased the total N₂O production, but decreased N₂O production by nitrifier denitrification. No significant effect of pH could be found. The study revealed problems concerning the use of the inhibitors C₂H₂ and O₂. Almost one-third of all incubations with inhibitors produced more N₂O than the controls. Possible reasons for the problems are discussed. The inhibitors C₂H₂ and O₂ need to be tested thoroughly for their effects on different N₂O producing processes before further application.     

Effect of the nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin on the fate of nitrogen applied to a soil incubated under laboratory conditions

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin on the fate and recovery of fertilizer nitrogen (N) and on N mineralization from soil organic sources. Intact soil cores were collected from a grassland field. Diammonium phosphate (DAP) and urea were applied as N sources. Cores were equilibrated at –5 kPa matric potential and incubated at 20 °C for 42 to 56 days. Changes in NH₄⁺‐N, accumulation of NO₃^–‐N, apparent recovery of applied N, and emission of N₂O (acetylene was used to block N₂O reductase) were examined during the study. A significant increase in NH₄⁺‐N released through mineralization was recorded when nitrapyrin was added to the control soil without N fertilizer application. In the soils to which N was added either as urea or DAP, 50–90 % of the applied N disappeared from the NH₄⁺‐N pool. Some of this N (8–16 %) accumulated as NO₃^–‐N, while a small proportion of N (1 %) escaped as N₂O. Addition of nitrapyrin resulted in a decrease and delay of NH₄⁺‐N disappearance, accumulation of much lower soil NO₃^–‐N contents, a substantial reduction in N₂O emissions, and a 30–40 % increase in the apparent recovery of added N. The study indicates that N recovery can be increased by using the nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin in grassland soils at moisture condition close to field capacity.     

Accumulation of Denitrifying Bacteria and Enhancement of Denitrification Activity in Deep Subsurface Soil in Relation to the Geological Profile

We investigated the denitrification activity and the distribution of the denitrifying bacteria of a boring survey site located on a volcanic plateau, where the geological profiles from surface to deep subsurface soil at the groundwater level had been examined. There were differences between the water quality in the Ito pyroclastic flow deposit (Shirasu) layer (44.2 to 54.5 m) and that in the Osumi pumice fall deposit (Pumice) layer (below 54.5 m) corresponding to the impermeable layer of unconfirmed groundwater: The nitrate concentration was less than 1 mg kg⁻¹ in the Shirasu layer and more than 10 mg kg⁻¹ in the Pumice layer (Kubota et al. 2005). Denitrification activity decreased from the surface to the loam layer and was enhanced in the Shirasu layer and the Haraigawa clay impermeable layer at a depth of 65 m. It was observed that the highest potential denitrification activity (10³ ng-N₂O d⁻¹ g⁻¹) in the impermeable layer was almost equal to that of a Kuroboku surface soil with slurry application. Viable counts of the sonic-samples, which indicated the presence of bacterial group with soil particles attached, increased in the impermeable layer. The ratios of viable or denitrifying bacterial counts in the sonic-samples to those in the wash-samples were significantly higher in the impermeable layer than those in the surface layer. These results suggest that the hydrogeological conditions enhanced the denitrification activity in the impermeable layer, the niches of which might be relatively anaerobic and have a sufficient supply of substrates to enable the denitrifying bacterial populations to multiply.     

Nitrification activity in tropical rain forest soils of the Coastal Lowlands and Atherton Tablelands,Queensland, Australia

Intact soil cores from a montane tropical rain forest site in the Atherton Tablelands (Kauri Creek) and from a lowland tropical rain forest site in the Coastal Lowlands (Bellenden Ker), Queensland, Australia were investigated during different hygric seasons for the magnitude of gross nitrification rates using the Barometric Process Separation technique (BaPS). Pronounced seasonal variations of gross nitrification rates were found at both sites with highest values during the transition period between dry and wet season (montane site: 24.0 mg N (kg SDW)^—1 d^—1; lowland site: 13.1 mg N (kg SDW)^—1 d^—1) and significantly lower rates of gross nitrification during the dry and wet season. Rates of gross nitrification were always higher at the montane site than at the lowland site, but the opposite was found for N₂O emissions. The results indicated that the high losses of N₂O at the lowland tropical rain forest site may be contributed largely by high denitrification activity due to its wetter and warmer climate as compared to the dryer and colder climate at the montane tropical rain forest site. This conclusion was supported by analysis of cell numbers of microbes involved in N‐cycling. Higher numbers of denitrifiers were present at the lowland site, whereas higher numbers of nitrifiers were found at the montane site.     

Nitrate stability in loess soils under anaerobic conditions—laboratory studies

The objective of this laboratory study with six loess soils (three Eutric CambisoIs and three Haplic Phaeozems) incubated under flooded conditions was to examine the effect of a wide range of NO doses under anaerobic conditions on soil redox potential and N₂O emission or absorption. Due to the fact that loess soils are usually well‐drained and are expected to be absorbers during prevailing part of the season, the study aimed at determination of the conditions decisive for the transition from emission to absorption process. On the basis of the response to soil nitrate level, the two groups of soils were distinguished with high and low denitrification capacity. The soil denitrification activity showed Michaelis‐Menten kinetics with respect to soil nitrate content with K_M in the range 50–100 mg NO ‐N kg^–1. Percentage of nitrates converted to N₂O increased linearly with nitrate concentration in the range from 25 to 100 mg NO ‐N kg^–1 up to 43% and decreased linearly at higher concentrations reaching practically zero at concentrations about 600 mg NO ‐N kg^–1. No denitrification was observed below 25 mg NO ‐N kg^–1. Nitrous oxide absorption in soil occurred only at nitrate concentrations to 100 mg NO ‐N kg^–1 and in this concentration range was proportional to the denitrification rate. Nitrous oxide was formed at redox potentials below +200 mV and started to disappear at negative E_h values.     

不同固体碳源释碳特征及其对反硝化脱氮效果研究

碳源是低碳氮比废水反硝化过程的限制性因素之一,外加固体碳源可以强化微生物反硝化脱氮效果。为筛选出合适的外加碳源,本研究选用廉价的农业废弃物(稻草和锯木屑)和水生植物(绿狐尾藻和梭鱼草)作为固体碳源材料,分析不同固体碳源材料的释碳特征,比较其对反硝化过程的脱氮效果。结果表明,4种材料的释碳过程均符合二级动力学方程,其释碳能力大小为:稻草(25.64 mg/(g·L))梭鱼草(23.64 mg/(g·L))锯木屑(22.37 mg/(g·L))绿狐尾藻(20.45 mg/(g·L)),其中,绿狐尾藻的释放速率最快,其COD释放浓度达饱和浓度一半时所用时间仅为3.56 h。4种材料作为外加固体碳源可显著提高反硝化脱氮效率,其对水体硝态氮的去除率均达80%以上。由于梭鱼草在试验后期出现氨氮的大量积累,会造成水体二次污染。因此,稻草、锯木屑和绿狐尾藻适合作为外加碳源材料利用。     

Nitrous oxide flux from soil amino acid mineralization

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a greenhouse gas produced during microbial transformation of soil N that has been implicated in global climate warming. Nitrous oxide efflux from N fertilized soils has been modeled using NO₃⁻ content with a limited success, but predicting N₂O production in non-fertilized soils has proven to be much more complex. The present study investigates the contribution of soil amino acid (AA) mineralization to N₂O flux from semi-arid soils. In laboratory incubations (−34 kPa moisture potential), soil mineralization of eleven AAs (100 μg AA-N g⁻¹ soil) promoted a wide range in the production of N₂O (156.0±79.3 ng N₂O-N g⁻¹ soil) during 12 d incubations. Comparison of the δ¹³C content (‰) of the individual AAs and the δ¹³C signature of the respired AA-CO₂-C determined that, with the exception of TYR, all of the AAs were completely mineralized during incubations, allowing for the calculation of a N₂O-N conversion rate from each AA. Next, soils from three different semi-arid vegetation ecosystems with a wide range in total N content were incubated and monitored for CO₂ and N₂O efflux. A model utilizing CO₂ respired from the three soils as a measure of organic matter C mineralization, a preincubation soil AA composition of each soil, and the N₂O-N conversion rate from the AA incubations effectively predicted the range of N₂O production by all three soils. Nitrous oxide flux did not correspond to factors shown to influence anaerobic denitrification, including soil NO₃⁻ contents, soil moisture, oxygen consumption, and CO₂ respiration, suggesting that nitrification and aerobic nitrifier denitrification could be contributing to N₂O production in these soils. Results indicate that quantification of AA mineralization may be useful for predicting N₂O production in soils.     

有效碳源和氮源对黄土性土壤N2O逸出量的影响

用乙炔抑制原状土柱法 ,就不同碳、氮质量分数对黄土性土壤水稻土和旱地农田土壤反硝化作用的影响进行了研究。结果表明 ,在适宜的氮质量分数和水分条件下 ,两种土壤的反硝化强度随碳质量分数的增大而增加 ,在有效碳源最高加入量 2 0 0 m g/kg时达到最大 ;而在一定的碳质量分数和水分条件下 ,供试土壤的反硝化强度并不随土壤 NO- 3- N质量分数的增加而增加 ,在水稻土和农田土壤上最大反硝化作用的氮源加入量分别为 30 0和 15 0 mg/kg;当氮源为亚硝态氮时 ,两种土壤反硝化强度均随加入土壤亚硝态氮质量分数的增加而增加     

福建省几种主要红壤性水稻土的硝化与反硝化活性

在实验室培养条件下,研究了4种红壤性水稻土硝化和反硝化活性的差异。结果表明,氮肥在4种土壤中的硝化率差异极显著,表现为灰泥土>浅灰黄泥沙土>灰黄泥土>黄泥土,培养642h后硝化率分别为85.6%、24.3%、22.5%和6.7%。不同土壤的硝化率与土壤中硝化细菌数(主要是亚硝酸菌)显著相关(r2=0.95),pH值最高和最低的土壤其硝化率分别表现出最高和最低,但浅灰黄泥沙土在pH5.1条件下,硝化率可达24.3%。在施氮肥条件下,不同土壤的反硝化活性差异也极显著,其中黄泥土反硝化活性最高,氮肥反硝化损失量达25.16μgN·g-1土,占施氮量的12.12%,反硝化作用可能是该土壤氮肥损失的主要途径之一;另外3种土壤间反硝化活性差异不显著,氮肥反硝化损失量仅占施氮量的-0.15%～0.27%。反硝化菌数量与氮肥反硝化损失量之间无明显相关性。可以认为反硝化作用在不同类型土壤氮肥损失中的作用和贡献有很大差异。