Manipulating the N release from N labelled celery residues by using straw and vinasses

The aim of this laboratory study was to investigate the effect of straw and vinasses on the nitrogen (N) mineralization-immobilization turnover of celery residues during two periods (each simulating a time period from autumn till spring) under laboratory conditions. During the first period (1-198 d), ¹⁵N-labelled celery residues (1.1 g dry matter (DM) kg⁻¹ soil) were incubated together with straw (8.1 g DM kg⁻¹ soil), aiming to immobilize the N released from celery residues, followed by an incorporation of vinasses (1.9 g DM kg⁻¹ soil) after 84 d, with a view to remineralizing the immobilized celery-N. During the second period (198-380 d), the experimental set-up was repeated, except that non-labelled celery residues were used. Total N, mineral N and their ¹⁵N enrichments as well as microbial biomass N were determined at regular time intervals. During both periods, mixing celery residues with straw significantly increased microbial biomass N (90.5 and 40.5 mg N kg⁻¹ extra compared to celery only treatment) and decreased the amount of mineral N (reduction of 56.1 and 45.9 mg N kg⁻¹ soil compared to celery only treatment) and the celery-derived mineral ¹⁵N (0% of mineral celery-derived ¹⁵N in straw treatment compared to 35% of mineral celery-derived ¹⁵N in celery only treatment). After maximum immobilization, a natural remineralization (without addition of vinasses) of 32.2 (at day 198) and 11.1 mg N kg⁻¹ soil (at day 380) occurred in the straw treatment, but the mineral N content remained significantly lower than in the celery only treatment during the complete experiment, and the amount of remineralized celery-¹⁵N was very low (5.4% of celery-derived ¹⁵N after 380 d). Vinasses caused no real priming effect, although it did slightly increase the amount of remineralized celery-¹⁵N (+6.4% of celery-derived ¹⁵N at day 380 compared to the straw treatment), probably due an apparent added N interaction caused by displacement reactions with the soil microbial biomass.     

Isotopic fractionation during N2 fixation by four tropical legumes

To quantify the contribution of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) to legume crops using the ¹⁵N natural abundance technique, it is necessary to determine the ¹⁵N abundance of the N derived from BNF—the B value. In this study, we used a technique to determine B whereby both legume and non-N₂-fixing reference plants were grown under the same conditions in two similar soils, one artificially labelled with ¹⁵N, and the other not. The proportion of N derived from BNF (%Ndfa) was determined from the plants grown in the ¹⁵N-labelled soil and it was assumed that the %Ndfa values of the legumes grown in the two soils were the same, hence the B value of the legumes could be calculated. The legumes used were velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens), sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) and soybean (Glycine max) inoculated, or not, with different strains of rhizobium. The values of %Ndfa were all over 89%, and all the legumes grown in unlabelled soil showed negative δ¹⁵N values even though the plant-available N in this soil was found to be approximately +6.0‰. The B values for the shoot tissue (B_s) were calculated and ranged from approximately −1.4‰ for inoculated sunnhemp and groundnut to −2.4 and −4.5‰ for soybean inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain CPAC 7 and Bradyrhizobium elkanii strain 29W, respectively. The B (B_wp) values for the whole plants including roots, nodules and the original seed N were still significantly different between the soybean plants inoculated with CPAC 7 (−1.33‰) and 29W (−2.25‰). In a parallel experiment conducted in monoxenic culture using the same soybean variety and Bradyrhizobium strains, the plants accumulated less N from BNF and the values were less negative, but still significantly different for soybean inoculated with the two different Bradyrhizobium strains. The results suggest that the technique utilized in this study to determine B with legume plants grown in soil in the open air, yields B values that are more appropriate for use under field conditions.     

Dynamics of soil microbial biomass C and soil fertility in cropland mulched with plastic film in a semiarid agro-ecosystem

Microbial biomass C (MBC) is one of the soil properties used as an indicator for the fertility status of a soil. A study was conducted on a semi-arid Loess Plateau in China. The field was planted with spring wheat and mulched with plastic film for various lengths of time. Our primary objectives were to (i) explore the influence of film mulching on soil MBC and soil fertility, and (ii) seek an effective approach of maintaining and improving sustainability of cropland mulched with plastic film in two growing seasons. Four treatments were tested, non-mulching (M0), mulching for 30 days after sowing (M30), mulching for 60 DAS (M60) and mulching for the whole growing period (Mw). An increasing air temperature with time within the growing season promoted soil MBC in the two growing seasons, but a severe drought led to a lower MBC in 2000 compared with the wet year of 1999. Film mulching promoted MBC significantly in the 2 years, but decreased soil organic carbon (SOC). SOC is very low in the experimental soil, accounting for the higher MBC/SOC ratio compared with ratios reported by others. The SOC is greatly reduced in the non-mulched and the Mw treatments compared to the M30 and M60 treatments. In conclusion, the benefits of film mulching in semi-arid agricultural systems are enormous but realizing their full potential depends on how long the mulching material is maintained during the growing season. In the system tested, it is desirable to mulch the plots for 30-60 DAS in order to enhance microbial biomass and cycling of nutrients and also to provide a more stable soil micro-environment that generates more residues in the rhizosphere.     

Tillage effects on soil organic matter in density fractions of a Cerrado Oxisol

Reclamation of Brazilian cerrados (savannas) has been intensified in the last decades, with implications for soil quality and soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics. Studying the impact of different tillage systems is essential to define better strategies for land use in Cerrado, which may favor C sequestration and improve soil quality. We used density fractionation and ¹³C natural abundance to assess changes in SOM in an Oxisol previously under a cerrado sensu-stricto following 30 years of cultivation. The objectives of the study were to: (i) evaluate the long-term impact of tillage systems on SOM stocks in a Dark Red Latosol (Oxisol) from the Cerrado Biome, and (ii) better understand the dynamics of SOM in different density fractions of this soil. Cultivation led to compaction, which significantly increased soil bulk density. This resulted in the systematic overestimation of C and N stocks in cultivated areas when compared to the natural cerrado. Conversion of the cerrado into cropland using plow tillage (PT) or no-tillage (NT) system did not alter the total C (100 Mg ha⁻¹) and N (7 Mg ha⁻¹) stocks in the first 45 cm depth at the end of 30 years of cultivation. However, about 22% of the total C was replaced by C from maize. The relative replacement of C decreased following the order: free light fraction (F-LF)>heavy fraction (HF)>occluded light fraction (O-LF). The low substitution in the O-LF was attributed to a possible presence of charcoal. Converting cerrado into cropland significantly decreased F-LF quantity. The proportions of C replacement in this fraction were higher in PT than NT, suggesting a faster turnover in PT. Nevertheless, because most C (95%) was held in the HF, C dynamics in the whole soil were controlled by the behavior of this fraction. The maintenance of C levels even at the end of 30 years of cultivation and the lack of differentiation between NT and PT were attributed to the high clay contents and Fe+Al oxi-hydroxides concentrations of the studied soil as well as to a sufficient C supply by the maize crop.     

Recovery of fertilizer nitrogen from continuous corn soils under contrasting tillage management

Tillage systems influence soil properties and may influence the availability of applied and mineralized soil N. This laboratory study (20°C) compared N cycling in two soils, a Wooster (fine, loamy Typic Fragiudalf) and a Hoytville (fine, illitic Mollic Epiaqualf) under continuous corn (Zea mays) production since at least 1963 with no-tillage (NT), minimum (CT) and plow tillage (PT) management. Fertilizer was added at the rate of 100 mg ¹⁵N kg^–1–1 soil as 99.9% ¹⁵N as NH₄Cl or Ca(NO₃)₂ and the soils were incubated in leaching columns for 1 week at 34 kPa before being leached periodically with 0.05 M CaCl₂ for 26 weeks. As expected, the majority of the ¹⁵NO₃^– additions were removed from both soils with the first leaching. The majority of applied ¹⁵NH₄⁺ additions were recovered as ¹⁵NO₃^– by week 5, with the NT soils demonstrating faster nitrification rates compared with soils under other tillage practices. For the remaining 22 weeks, only low levels of ¹⁵NO₃^– were leached from the soils regardless of tillage management. In the coarser textured Wooster soils (150 g clay kg^–1), mineralization of native soil N in the fertilized soils was related to the total N content (r² 0.99) and amino acid N (r² 0.99), but N mineralization in the finer textured Hoytville (400 g clay kg^–1) was constant across tillage treatments and not significantly related to soil total N or amino acid N content. The release of native soil N was enhanced by NH₄⁺ or NO₃^– addition compared to the values released by the unfertilized control and exceeded possible pool substitution. The results question the use of incubation N mineralization tests conducted with unfertilized soils as a means for predicting soil N availability for crop N needs.     

Predicting N transformations from organic inputs in soil in relation to incubation time and biochemical composition

Seventeen different added organic materials (AOM) in a sandy soil were incubated under controlled laboratory conditions (28 °C, 75% WHC), and examined for C and N mineralisation. The transformation of added organics (TAO) model has been presented in previous work for predicting C mineralisation. The two variables (very labile and stable fractions of AOM) used in TAO have been related to the biochemical characteristics of the AOM. The transformed added organic N fraction (TAONF) was estimated from the remaining C_AOM and N_AOM linked by the C-to-N ratios. TAONF was split (P_im parameter) into immobilised N (imN) and inorganic N (inorgN). When necessary, an additional N mineralisation of imN was predicted by first order kinetics (constant k_remin). The TAO version with the two parameters P_im and k_remin allowed us to predict very different dynamics of N mineralisation and N immobilisation from the AOM. In a few cases, another first order kinetic law (constant k_v) was used to predict N volatilisation from inorgN.Biochemical characteristics of AOM were used for predicting N transformations. First, at each incubation date, inorgN was approximated to inorgNa=α(N-to-C_AOM)+β by linear regression. The α, β and −β/α (C-to-N_AOM threshold for mineralisation/immobilisation) were related to time. The TAO expression (1−P_im)TAONF was then replaced by the proposed approximation inorgNa as a function of incubation time and C-to-N_AOM. Secondly, significant relationships were computed between k_remin and organic fibre content of AOM. Finally, a TAO approximation was proposed for predicting the simultaneous transformations of C and N, only using biochemical data (plus the k_v parameter in a few cases of N volatilisation). For all AOMs, the validity of the approximation and its borderline cases were examined by comparing the two TAO versions.     

C and N turnover in structurally intact soils of different texture

The turnover of native and applied C and N in undisturbed soil samples of different texture but similar mineralogical composition, origin and cropping history was evaluated at −10 kPa water potential. Cores of structurally intact soil with 108, 224 and 337 g clay kg⁻¹ were horizontially sliced and ¹⁵N-labelled sheep faeces was placed between the two halves of the intact core. The cores together with unamended treatments were incubated in the dark at 20 °C and the evolution of CO₂-C determined continuously for 177 d. Inorganic and microbial biomass N and ¹⁵N were determined periodically. Net nitrification was less in soil amended with faeces compared with unamended soil. When adjusted for the NO₃-N present in soil before faeces was applied, net nitrification became negative indicating that NO₃-N had been immobilized or denitrified. The soil most rich in clay nitrified least N and ¹⁵N. The amounts of N retained in the microbial biomass in unamended soils increased with clay content. A maximum of 13% of the faeces ¹⁵N was recovered in the microbial biomass in the amended soils. CO₂-C evolution increased with clay content in amended and unamended soils. CO₂-C evolution from the most sandy soil was reduced due to a low content of potentially mineralizable native soil C whereas the rate constant of C mineralization rate peaked in this soil. When the pool of potentially mineralizable native soil C was assumed proportional to volumetric water content, the three soils contained similar proportions of potentially mineralizable native soil C but the rate constant of C mineralization remained highest in the soil with least clay. Thus although a similar availability of water in the three soils was ensured by their identical matric potential, the actual volume of water seemed to determine the proportion of total C that was potentially mineralizable. The proportion of mineralizable C in the faeces was similar in the three soils (70% of total C), again with a higher rate constant of C mineralization in the soil with least clay. It is hypothesized that the pool of potentially mineralizable C and C rate constants fluctuate with the soil water content.     

Nitrogen fertiliser rate affects the frequency of nitrate-dissimilating Pseudomonas spp. in the rhizosphere of Lolium perenne grown under elevated pCO2 (Swiss FACE)

The effect of elevated pCO₂ (60 Pa) on the frequency of nitrate-dissimilating Pseudomonas (NDP) was investigated in the rhizosphere of fertilised Lolium perenne swards in the Swiss Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (FACE) experiment. Numbers of cultivable root-associated Pseudomonas were greater under elevated (60 Pa) than under ambient (36 Pa) pCO₂ in both high and low N-fertilised swards. For both pCO₂ conditions, the NDP frequency decreased with closer root proximity to L. perenne roots in low fertilised swards. Anyway, in high N swards the NDP frequency was similar in root and soil fractions. Thus, N availability may be a major factor influencing NDP populations under elevated pCO₂, most likely due to increased competition for N between plant and nitrate-dissimilating bacteria.     

Uncertainties in static closed chamber measurements of the carbon isotopic ratio of soil-respired CO2

The δ¹³C of soil-respired CO₂ (δ_r) is frequently determined using static closed chamber methods. δ_r is obtained as the intercept of the least squares linear regression of δ vs 1/C*, where measured δ¹³C-CO₂ (δ) and volume fraction of CO₂ (C*) values of chamber headspace samples are used. Theoretically, we show that the variance of the estimate of δ_r can be reduced by extending the 1/C* interval of the regression towards (i) higher or (ii) lower values, or (iii) distributing the 1/C* values optimally within the pre-selected headspace CO₂ sampling time period. Experimental applications of these approaches indicated that: (1) lowering the initial CO₂ level, thereby increasing 1/C*, yielded a positive bias to the δ_r result. (2) It was feasible to obtain lower variance in the δ_r estimate by lowering 1/C* values through extended CO₂ sampling time. We also recommend that each chamber is sampled only once, mainly because this allows freedom to select the sampling times, in order to optimize the distribution of 1/C* values.     

Biochemical composition and kinetics of C and N mineralization of animal wastes: a typological approach

Forty-seven different animal wastes were characterized using chemical and organic matter fractionation methods (water extraction and Van Soest method) and 224-day incubation studies to assess their decomposition in soil. Simple correlation and multiple factor analysis were performed to establish relationships between the composition of these wastes and C and N mineralization. Carbon and N contents ranged from 101 to 469 mg C kg⁻¹ dry matter (d.m.) and from 4 to 39 mg N kg⁻¹ d.m. Soluble C and N represented less than 9% of organic C and 1.5% of total N at 20°C, respectively. The C fractions soluble at 100°C or in neutral detergent were larger and represented 14 and 32% of the organic C, respectively. The hemicellulose-like (HEM) and cellulose-like (CEL) fractions contained about 16.5 and 6% of the organic N, respectively. The C distribution in the lignin-like (LIG) and CEL fractions was comparable, but the former contained more N. Carbon mineralization varied from 5 to 62% of the organic C added during the 224-day incubation; 70% of the wastes induced net N mineralization at the end of incubation (from 3 to 51% of organic N). Other wastes induced net soil inorganic N immobilization, from −1 to −31% of the organic N added. Most highly significant correlations were established between the C mineralization and the C present in the water-soluble fraction at 20°C, and the HEM and LIG fractions. Relationships between N mineralization and biochemical characteristics were weak, except with the soluble Van Soest fraction, and highly significant correlations were observed between N mineralization rates calculated at 224 days of incubation and the organic N content or C/N ratio of wastes. Finally, an objective hierarchical classification based on composition criteria and C and N mineralization led to the definition of six different classes of wastes. It permitted differentiation between four composted wastes and intrinsically different wastes (i.e., cattle manures, pig manures, and poultry manures) which could not be objectively regrouped. It also placed some very different types of waste (solid phase from pig slurry separation, pig manures, and composted pig mixtures) in the same class.