Recovery of N-urea 10 years after application to a Douglas-fir pole stand in coastal British Columbia

The long-term fate of fertilizer N in forest ecosystems is poorly understood even though such information is critical for designing better forest fertilization practices. We studied the distribution and recovery of ¹⁵N (4.934 atom% excess)-labelled fertilizer (applied as urea at 200 kg N ha⁻¹) 10 years after application to a 38–39-year-old Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menzeisii (Mirb.) Franco) stand in coastal British Columbia. The urea was applied in the spring (May 1982) or fall (November 1982). Sampling was conducted in October 1992, and we found that after 10 years, there were few differences between the fall and spring fertilizer applications in total N and ¹⁵N distribution within the tree and forest ecosystem. On average total fertilizer-N recovery was 59.4%; about 14.5% of the applied-N was recovered in the trees including coarse roots, with foliage containing 41% of the labelled-N recovered in the aboveground tree biomass. Tissue ¹⁵N remained mobile and could be transferred to new growth. Soil recovery was 39.8%, which had decreased from 57.0% at a previous 1-year sampling, with an average loss of 3.0% per year from the mineral soil and 3.7% from the litter layers. However, it appears that there was little continuing tree uptake. While short-term effects of fall vs. spring urea application were previously reported, there were no long-term effects on either stand productivity or fertilizer use efficiency, suggesting that if fertilization is properly done, timing of fertilization is not a critical issue in terms of maximizing fertilizer use efficiency for the coastal Douglas-fir forest we studied. Our results also highlight the high capacity of this ecosystem to retain externally applied inorganic N over the long-term, the importance of maximizing nitrogen uptake in the first year, and also of the continuing need to develop new approaches to overcome the generally low efficiency of forest N fertilization.     

Uptake,distribution and retranslocation of nitrogen by Pinus radiata from 15N-labelled fertilizer applied to podzolized sandy soil

The efficiency of uptake of nitrogen from fertilizer by Pinus radiata (D. Don) was measured in an intensively managed young plantation. Ammonium sulphate labelled with ¹⁵N was applied to trees at 2 or 13 months after planting, and the uptake of N by trees up to an age of 4.8 years (canopy closed) was measured by harvesting trees sequentially.Fertilizer application increased the growth of trees. The amount of labelled N recovered in the trees was low: a maximum of 6.4% when fertilized 2 months after planting and 17.7% when fertilized 13 months after planting. The uptake of ¹⁵N ceased 12 months after application, although tree sizes and total N uptake increased greatly until canopy closure. Nitrogen taken up from the fertilizer as a proportion of total N content in the trees decreased from 34.0 to 10.8% as the size of the tree increased over a period from 6 to 56 months after planting.Nitrogen in the needles accounted for 58 to 72% of the absorbed ¹⁵N, and was highly mobile. Of the ¹⁵N in the needles on trees 12 months after fertilizer was applied, 22.1% remained in the same needles, 71.6% was retranslocated to new tissues, and 6.3% was lost from trees in litter by age 56 months.Although the concentration of total N in the soil was very low, the uptake of soil-N by trees was high, suggesting that establishment practices increased mineralization of soil-N.The understanding of nitrogen cycling obtained in this study emphasizes the need to design fertilizer application strategies to maximise uptake, minimize leaching losses and to capitalize on internal storage and retranslocation.     

Biomass and nitrogen dynamics in an irrigated hybrid poplar plantation

A 3-year study measured the effects of ground cover treatments and N fertilization on biomass and nitrogen dynamics in an irridiated hybrid poplar (Populus deltoides Bartr. X P. trichocarpa Torr. and Gray, clone NC-9922) plantation in northern Wisconsin, U.S.A. Annually fertilized (112 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) and unfertilized plots were maintained weed free (bare soil), allowed to revegetate with native weeds, or seeded to birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.). Biomass and N in trees and ground-cover vegetation were sampled before and after each growing season.Trees in bare-soil plots responded to fertilization primarily in the third growing season, but total biomass of 3-year-old trees was not increased by annual fertilization. In plots with a ground cover,fertilization increased tree growth but cover crop treatment had no effect. Ground cover biomass peaked during the second growing season, but declined thereafter, primarily due to reductions in below-ground biomass. Estimated recovery of fertilizer N was low in bare soil plots after 3 years, with 2% in the ‘perennial’ portion of the trees and 13% in the leaf litter. In contrast, recovery in the cover crop plots was 44%–51% in years 2–4. During that period, both biomass and N pool dominance shifted from primarily cover crop to primarily trees. The ground cover appeared to reduce tree growth in years 1–3, but total tree biomass after 4 years was greater in fertilized plots with ground cover (22.7 Mg/ha) than in fertilized bare soil plots (16.7 Mg/ha). Biomass production in fertilized trefoil plots in the fourth year (15.1 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, excluding leaves) exceeds that of local forests by 50%, and may be comparable to corn productivity in the area.     

Absorption and partitioning of applied 15N in a black pepper + erythrina system in Kerala, India

The fate of applied N in soil and its relative uptake by black pepper vine and erythrina tree on which the vine was trailed, were determined using ¹⁵N-labelled urea. Rapid depletion of ¹⁵N from 0-50 cm root zone was noticed due to heavy leaching during rains. The isotope content of the soil fell below the detection limit within one month of urea application. Both the vine and support tree absorbed N from the labelled fertilizer applied to the soil basin of the vine. Fertilizer use efficiency in black pepper vine was very low, in the range of 6 to 12%. On the other hand, the contribution of applied urea towards N uptake by erythrina support tree was 24 to 40%. Poor utilization of the applied N by the vine was, besides leaching of the nutrient, due to the severe root competition from the support tree. The overall utilization of the applied N was 51.4% by the vine and tree put together when N was applied at the rate of 25 g plant^–1 and 31.0% for the dose of 50 g N plant^–1.     

Distribution and retranslocation of (15)N lodgepole pine over eight growing seasons

We studied the distribution and retranslocation of N in 11-year-old Pinus contorta Dougl. trees following a winter application of N at 100 kg ha(-1) as (15)N-urea, (15)NH(4)NO(3) or NH(4) (15)NO(3). In all treatments, there was little uptake of (15)N after the first growing season although labeled N was still present in the soil. In subsequent years, (15)N in the trees was partly retranslocated, and, at the same time, it was diluted by uptake of unlabeled N from the soil. Between Years 1 and 8 after N fertilization, net retranslocation of (15)N from the lower crown (branches formed before fertilization) was 14%, and 18-25% of the (15)N in the trees was translocated to the upper and mid-crown. Overall, uptake of (15)N from nitrate was less than from urea or ammonium. However, when compared with the urea- and ammonium-N sources, (15)N from the nitrate source initially moved as rapidly into the foliage, but a greater proportion of it was retranslocated from the foliage during the second growing season. Nitrogen in foliage and wood formed in the growing season following fertilization was more highly labeled (measured as % N derived from the fertilizer) than in recently formed tissues. Labeling was substantially higher in foliage formed before fertilization than in wood of a similar age. In contrast, N in foliage formed after fertilization had only slightly higher labeling than wood of a similar age, indicating a relatively stable labeling throughout the trees once (15)N uptake had ceased. The concentrations of total and labeled N were substantially higher in foliage than in either wood or bark. There was evidence of N movement into wood tissues formed before fertilization, presumably along rays, and also of N retranslocation out of xylem cells as they matured. This study of internal N cycles was facilitated by the use of (15)N labeling because there was little uptake of labeled N after the first growing season, whereas interpretation based on total N was obscured by substantial uptake of N from the soil. We conclude that retranslocation studies based on measurements of total N content should be avoided.     

Effects of previous N fertilizations on soil‐water pH and N concentrations after clear‐felling and soil scarification at a Pinus sylvestris site

The study describes effects of clear‐felling and soil scarification on the N concentration and pH of soil water in experimental plots previously supplied with different doses of N. The experiment is situated in central Sweden in a former Pinus sylvestris L. stand. Over a 20‐yr period, plots were fertilized three times with ammonium nitrate, resulting in total doses of 360, 720, 1080, 1440 and 1800 kg N ha^‐1. Soil water was sampled at a depth of 40–50 cm using suction lysimeters, and analysed for N and pH. The study covers one growing season before clear‐felling and six and four growing seasons after clear‐felling and soil scarification, respectively. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) elevations in total N and nitrate‐N concentrations were noted in the fourth to the sixth growing seasons after clear‐felling in the plots that had received 1800 kg N ha^‐1, and in the fifth and sixth seasons in the plots that had received 1440 kg N ha^‐1. Ammonium‐N concentrations were not significantly affected. After clear‐felling, total N and nitrate‐N increased with time at a higher rate in the plots that had received 1440 and 1800 kg N ha^‐1 doses compared with the control. In the sixth post‐cutting season, the nitrate‐N concentration was 0.26 mg l^‐1 in the control and between 0.51 and 4.0 mg l^‐1 in the various fertilized plots. Before clear‐felling, a linear relationship between pH and fertilizer dose was absent. After clear‐felling, negative relationships prevailed, but they differed significantly from the pre‐cutting relationship only during the fourth, fifth and sixth post‐cutting seasons. In the sixth post‐cutting season, the pH was 6.0 in the control, and 6.1, 5.7, 5.6, 5.2 and 4.3 in the plots supplied with 360, 720, 1080, 1440 and 1800 kg N ha^‐1 doses, respectively. The absolute difference in pH between the sixth growing season after clear‐felling and period before clear‐felling increased linearly with increasing fertilizer dose (p < 0.05, R ² = 0.79). Before clear‐felling, nitrate‐N was elevated only in the plots that had received 1800 kg N ha^‐1. After clear‐felling, nitrate‐N seemed to increase in all fertilized plots, but the increase began first in the plots receiving the highest fertilizer dose. It was not until the fifth and sixth growing seasons after clear‐felling that nitrate‐N concentrations appeared elevated in all fertilized plots compared with the control. It seems likely that nitrification caused the increases in nitrate‐N because nitrate‐N accounted for most of the variation in pH in the fourth to the sixth growing seasons. Disc trenching was simulated around some of the lysimeters so that 50% of the soil was disturbed. This did not significantly affect the N concentration or pH of the soil water during the first 4 yrs after scarification.     

Nitrogen contribution by multipurpose trees to rice and cowpea in an alley cropping system in Sierra Leone

In an alley cropping experiment, a study was carried out on N₂ fixation by Gliricidia sepium, nitrogen (N) accumulation by prunings of Gliricidia, Senna siamea (formerly Cassia siamea) and Gmelina arborea, and the N contribution to associated crops of rice and cowpea.Total N accumulated by the hedgerow trees ranged from 297–524 kg N ha^–1 on average but varied between tree species and depended on the growing season. Gliricidia sepium accumulated 370 kg N ha^–1 on average and more than half of this came from fixation. Senna siamea and Gmelina arborea served as reference trees for estimating N₂ fixation. The estimates of N₂ fixation using Gmelina as a reference gave higher estimates than those using Senna.Although the dry matter and nitrogen yields of prunings from the hedgerow trees were high, their relative nitrogen contribution to the associated crops was generally low ranging from 5 to 29%. Higher crop yields and nitrogen contribution were observed with Gliricidia sepium prunings. The low N contribution from prunings was attributed to the lack of synchronization between the N released from the prunings and the crop's demand for N.     

Changes in fine root production and longevity in relation to water and nutrient availability in a Norway spruce stand in northern Sweden

The PEACH computer simulation model of reproductive and vegetative growth of peach trees (Grossman and DeJong 1994) was adapted to estimate seasonal nitrogen (N) dynamics in organs of mature peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch cv. O'Henry) trees grown with high and low soil N availability. Seasonal N accumulation patterns of fruits, leaves, stems, branches, trunk and roots of mature, cropping peach trees were modeled by combining model predictions of organ dry mass accumulation from the PEACH model with measured seasonal organ N concentrations of trees that had been fertilized with either zero or 200 kg N ha(-1) in April. The results provided a comparison of the N use of perennial and annual organs during the growing season for trees growing under both low and high N availability. Nitrogen fertilization increased tree N content by increasing organ dry masses and N concentrations during the fruit growing season. Dry mass of current-year vegetative growth was most affected by N fertilization. Whole-tree N content of fertilized trees was almost twice that of non-fertilized trees. Although N use was higher in fertilized trees, calculated seasonal N accumulation patterns were similar for trees in both treatments. Annual organs exhibited greater responses to N fertilization than perennial organs. Estimated mean daily N use per tree remained nearly constant from 40 days after anthesis to harvest. The calculations indicated that fertilized trees accumulated about 1 g N tree(-1) day(-1), twice that accumulated by non-fertilized trees. Daily N use by the fertilized orchard was calculated to be approximately 1 kg N ha(-1), whereas it was approximately 0.5 kg N ha(-1) for the non-fertilized trees. During the first 25-30 days of the growing season, all N use by growing tissues was apparently supplied by storage organs. Nitrogen release from storage organs for current growth continued until about 75 days after anthesis in both N treatments.     

Carbon and nitrogen cycling immediately following bark beetle outbreaks in southwestern ponderosa pine forests

Bark beetle infestation is a well-known cause of historical low-level disturbance in southwestern ponderosa pine forests, but recent fire exclusion and increased tree densities have enabled large-scale bark beetle outbreaks with unknown consequences for ecosystem function. Uninfested and beetle-infested plots (n = 10 pairs of plots on two aspects) of ponderosa pine were compared over one growing season in the Sierra Ancha Experimental Forest, AZ to determine whether infestation was correlated with differences in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools and fluxes in aboveground biomass and soils. Infested plots had at least 80% of the overstory ponderosa pine trees attacked by bark beetles within 2 years of our measurements. Both uninfested and infested plots stored ∼9 kg C m⁻² in aboveground tree biomass, but infested plots held 60% of this aboveground tree biomass in dead trees, compared to 5% in uninfested plots. We hypothesized that decreased belowground C allocation following beetle-induced tree mortality would alter soil respiration rates, but this hypothesis was not supported; throughout the growing season, soil respiration in infested plots was similar to uninfested plots. In contrast, several results supported the hypothesis that premature needlefall from infested trees provided a pulse of low C:N needlefall that altered soil N cycling. The C:N mass ratio of pine needlefall in infested plots (∼45) was lower than uninfested plots (∼95) throughout the growing season. Mineral soils from infested plots had greater laboratory net nitrification rates and field resin bag ammonium accumulation than uninfested plots. As bark beetle outbreaks become increasingly prevalent in western landscapes, longer-term biogeochemical studies on interactions with other disturbances (e.g. fire, harvesting, etc.) will be required to predict changes in ecosystem structure and function.     

Tree–grass interactions for N in Nothofagus antarctica silvopastoral systems: evidence of facilitation from trees to underneath grasses

Nothofagus antarctica forests in south Patagonia are usually used as silvopastoral systems but how grasses and trees compete for specific resources, such as nitrogen in these systems is unknown. To understand interactions between grasses and N. antarctica trees for N, an experiment with ¹⁵N labeled fertilizer was carried out comparing N absorption by grasses growing under trees (silvopastoral system) with an open site. Labeled ¹⁵NH ₄ ¹⁵ NO₃ fertilizer at 10 % atom excess was added in spring at both sites and ¹⁵N was measured in herbage, soil and trees every 30 days during the growing season. Soil was the component that containing the greatest amount of N and greatest ¹⁵N recovery. Grasses growing in the silvopastoral system absorbed almost double of the fertilizer applied than grasses in the open site (32.4 kg N ha^?1derived from fertilizer based on ¹⁵N recovery). Roots were also an important fate for N absorbed, representing 50 and 63 % of total ¹⁵N recovered in grass roots of open and silvopastoral sites, respectively. Trees absorbed 69 % less applied N than grasses in the silvopastoral system; being mainly allocated in small branches, sapwood and fine roots. Overall, ¹⁵N recovery was 65 % higher in the silvopastoral system (tree + grasses) than in the open site (grasses). Silvopastoral system made more efficient use of the ¹⁵N added. These results indicated that N. antarctica trees in the silvopastoral system may “facilitate” fertilizer N absorption of grasses by improving environmental conditions like water availability or by reducing competition for inorganic N between soil microorganisms and plants.     

Tracing the fate of mineral N compounds under high ambient N deposition in a Norway spruce forest at Solling/Germany

The fate of high and equally distributed ammonium and nitrate deposition was followed in a 72-year-old roofed Norway spruce forest at Solling in central Germany by separately adding ¹⁵NH₄⁺ and ¹⁵NO₃⁻ to throughfall water since November 2001. The objective was to quantify the retention of atmospheric ammonium and nitrate in different ecosystem compartments as well as the leaching loss from the forest ecosystem. δ¹⁵N excess in tree tissues (needles, twigs, branches and bole woods) decreased with increased tissue age. Clear ¹⁵N signals in old tree tissues indicated that the added ¹⁵N was not only assimilated to newly produced tree tissues but also retranslocated to old ones. During a period of over 3-year ¹⁵N addition, 30% of ¹⁵NH₄⁺ and 36% of ¹⁵NO₃⁻ were found in tree compartments. For both ¹⁵N tracers, 15% of added ¹⁵N was found in needles, followed by woody tissues (twigs, branches and boles, 7–13%) and live fine roots (7%). The recovery of ¹⁵NH₄⁺ and ¹⁵NO₃⁻ in the live fine roots differed with soil depth. The recovery of ¹⁵NH₄⁺ tended to be higher in the live fine roots in the organic layer than in the upper mineral soil. In the live fine roots in deeper soil, the recovery of ¹⁵NO₃⁻ tended to be higher than that of ¹⁵NH₄⁺. Soil retained the largest proportion of ¹⁵N, accounting for 71% of ¹⁵NH₄⁺ and 42% of ¹⁵NO₃⁻. Most of ¹⁵NH₄⁺ was recovered in the organic layer (65%) and the recovery decreased with soil depth. Conversely, only 8% of ¹⁵NO₃⁻ was found in the organic layer and 34% of ¹⁵NO₃⁻ was evenly distributed throughout the mineral soil layers. Nitrate leaching accounted for 3% of ¹⁵NH₄⁺ and 19% of ¹⁵NO₃⁻. Only less than 1% of the both added ¹⁵N was leached as DON. These results suggested that trees had a high contribution to the retention of atmospheric N and soil retention capacity determined the loss of atmospheric N by nitrate leaching.     

An experimental test of a nitrogen uptake and partitioning model for young trees

Simulation models of nitrate uptake and total nitrogen partitioning during the exponential growth phase of one-year-old peach trees (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.) were tested in an experiment with 88 plants grown in soil-filled containers. Plants were fertilized with (15)N-NO(3) (-) and nitrate uptake estimated by periodic destructive analysis of plants for excess (15)N. Partitioning of N within the trees was followed by the analysis of plant parts for total N and (15)N. The nitrate uptake model, which provides one of the main inputs to the partitioning model, is based on a simplified form of the Michaelis-Menten equation adapted to describe uptake by roots growing in soil layers. The nitrogen partitioning model considers each plant part (e.g., roots, trunk, shoots, leaves) as either a sink or a source for nitrogen. The model uses a flow equation, which is the same for all plant parts, to model the dynamics of nitrogen partitioning in the tree using increases in dry matter of various plant parts as driving force variables. The experiment demonstrated an error in the compartment organization of the partitioning model as a result of which the model failed to simulate changes in root N. A modification of the partitioning model structure to take account of the importance of trunk nitrogen reserves for root growth at the beginning of the growing season, which was indicated by the (15)N data, greatly improved prediction of root N. This modification is discussed in relation to the modeling approach.     

Role of weeds in the management of nitrogen in a young Pinus radiata plantation

Pinus radiata trees were grown on a podzolized sandy soil at a second rotation site under the following treatments: total weed control, total weed control plus ammonium nitrate, strip weed control and no weed control. During the first two summers after planting the differences in needle water potential between trees under no, strip or total weed control were very small. Despite similar rates of net N-mineralization in strip and total weed control treatments, which averaged 64 kg ha^–1 yr^–1 in the 0–15 cm soil depth, weeds in the strip weed control treatment reduced soil mineral-N concentrations by 50–80%, leaching of N by the end of the first growing season by 45%, foliar-N concentrations by 4–14% and stem biomass at 20 months after planting by 46%. Although N-uptake by above-ground vegetation (trees plus weeds) was 49% higher in the strip weed control treatment, the amount of N apportioned to trees during the first 20 months after planting was reduced from 15.5 to 9.0 kg ha^–1. These effects of weeds were even more pronounced in the no weed control treatment. Since weeds had little effect on the needle water potential of trees and the annual rates of N-mineralization, but adversely affected N-uptake by trees, results indicate that weeds directly competed with trees for N, and thereby aggravated N-deficiency in trees. Application of ammonium nitrate after complete weed control increased foliar-N concentrations, and N-uptake and growth of trees, but also induced severe stem deformation.     

库尔勒香梨树体生长与15N的吸收及分配动态

为给库尔勒香梨园合理施肥及氮肥利用率的提高提供参考,以6年生库尔勒香梨为研究对象,采用15N同位素示踪技术,研究萌芽前期至果实成熟期库尔勒香梨树体生长和氮素吸收、分配动态。结果表明:库尔勒香梨树体基径随着生育期的推移逐渐增大,于果实成熟期达到最大(8.71cm);库尔勒香梨叶片的叶面积指数、叶绿素SPAD值和叶片光合速率均随着香梨年生育期的推进呈现先增大后减小的趋势,均在第2个快速膨大期达到最大,分别为2.40、42.03和12.50μmol/(m^2·s);在年生育末期,库尔勒香梨单株树体的生物量为19958g,氮素积累量为199.44g,各器官中以当年新生器官果实的生物量和氮素积累量为最高,分别占整株树体生物量和氮素积累量的33.33%和25.08%。不同生育期15N在树体内的运转随生长中心的变化而变化。盛花期15N在1年生枝中的分配势最强,新梢旺长期和第2个快速膨大期15N在叶片中的分配势最强,果实成熟期15N在果实中的分配势最强。在果实成熟期库尔勒香梨树体当季15N肥料利用率为17.35%。     

Soil temperature and plant growth stage influence nitrogen uptake and amino acid concentration of apple during early spring growth

In spring, nitrogen (N) uptake by apple roots begins about 3 weeks after bud break. We used 1-year-old 'Fuji' Malus domestica Borkh on M26 bare-root apple trees to determine whether the onset of N uptake in spring is dependent solely on the growth stage of the plant or is a function of soil temperature. Five times during early season growth, N uptake and total amino acid concentration were measured in trees growing at aboveground day/night temperatures of 23/15 degrees C and belowground temperatures of 8, 12, 16 or 20 degrees C. We used (15NH4)(15NO3) to measure total N uptake and rate of uptake and found that both were significantly influenced by both soil temperature and plant growth stage. Rate of uptake of 15N increased with increasing soil temperature and changed with plant growth stage. Before bud break, 15N was not detected in trees growing in the 8 degrees C soil treatment, whereas 15N uptake increased with increasing soil temperatures between 12 and 20 degrees C. Ten days after bud break, 15N was still not detected in trees growing in the 8 degrees C soil treatment, although total 15N uptake and uptake rate continued to increase with increasing soil temperatures between 12 and 20 degrees C. Twenty-one days after bud break, trees in all temperature treatments were able to acquire 15N from the soil, although the amount of uptake increased with increasing soil temperature. Distribution of 15N in trees changed as plants grew. Most of the 15N absorbed by trees before bud break (approximately 5% of 15N supplied per tree) remained in the roots. Forty-six days after bud break, approximately one-third of the 15N absorbed by the trees in the 12-20 degrees C soil temperature treatments remained in the roots, whereas the shank, stem and new growth contained about two-thirds of the 15N taken up by the roots. Total amino acid concentration and distribution of amino acids in trees changed with plant growth stage, but only the amino acid concentration in new growth and roots was affected by soil temperature. We conclude that a combination of low soil temperature and plant developmental stage influences the ability of apple trees to take up and use N from the soil in the spring. Thus, early fertilizer application in the spring when soil temperatures are low or when the aboveground portion of the tree is not actively growing may be ineffective in promoting N uptake.     

Seasonal dynamics of mineral N pools and N-mineralization in soils under homegarden trees in South Andaman,India

Agroforestry trees are now well known to play a central role in the build up of nutrients pools and their transformations similar to that of forest ecosystem, however, information on the potential of homegarden trees accumulating and releasing nitrogen (mineralization) is lacking. The present study reports seasonal variations in pool sizes of mineral N (NH₄⁺-N and NO₃⁻-N), and net N-mineralization rate in relation to rainfall and temperature under coconut (Cocos nucifera L.), clove (Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb) and nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt. Nees) trees in a coconut-spice trees plantation for two annual cycles in the equatorial humid climate of South Andaman Island of India. Concentration of NH₄⁺-N was the highest during wet season (May–October) and the lowest during post-wet season (November–January) under all the tree species. On the contrary, concentration of NO₃⁻-N was the lowest in the wet season and the highest during the post-wet season. However, concentrations of the mineral N were the highest under the nutmeg and the lowest under the coconut trees. Like the pool sizes, mean annual mineralization was the highest under the nutmeg (561 mg kg⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and the lowest under the coconut trees (393 mg kg⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Rate of mineralization was the highest during the post-wet season and the lowest during the dry season (February–April) under all the tree species. High rainfall during the wet season, however, reduced the rate of nitrification under all the tree species. The mean annual mineralization was logarithmically related with rainfall amount and mean monthly temperature.     

Quantitative estimates of uptake and internal cycling of (14)N-labeled fertilizer in mature walnut trees

Uptake and internal cycling of nitrogen (N) in mature walnut trees was studied over a period of 6 years using (15)N-depleted fertilizer and full-canopied walnut (Juglans regia L. cv Hartley) trees. The magnitude of internal N cycling, i.e., the availability of N for new growth from internal N pools, was quantified using both the percent annual depletion (PAD) and the N balance budget approaches. There was good agreement between the two measures, and about 60% of annual N demand was derived from N redistribution from internal pools. The remaining 40% of annual tree N demand was met by an influx of N from the soil/fertilizer pool. Trees were excavated, processed and analyzed after 6 years to determine total tree N content and labeled N recovery. Trees recovered 29.4% of the labeled N applied and, based on previous evidence, we assumed that tree accumulation of labeled N occurred entirely in the first year. Labeled N in the fruits and leaves harvested in the first year represented 26% of the total labeled N accumulated, and the remaining 74% of the labeled N accumulated that year was stored and used to support development of annual organs in subsequent years. In the first year, the early maturing catkins did not accumulate labeled N, indicating their exclusive reliance on internal N. Using the atom% (14)N excess values of catkins and an exponential decline equation to determine turnover rate, the Mean Residence Time (MRT) of storage N in the tree was estimated to be 2.0 years. The size of the cycling pool of storage N in the tree was estimated to be about 50% of the total N content of perennial tree parts. Our data support the hypotheses that: (1) in any given year, mature walnut trees store the majority of soil and fertilizer N absorbed and within 2 years following uptake the N is remobilized and used for new growth, and (2) about half of the total N content of the perennial parts of mature walnut trees is present as nonstructural N and is available for recycling.     

Seasonal pattern of nitrogen mineralization and soil moisture beneath Faidherbia albida (synAcacia albida) in central malawi

On fertile alluvial soils on the lakeshore plain of Malawi, maize (Zea mays L.) yields beneath canopies of large Faidherbia albida (synAcacia albida) trees greatly exceed those found beyound tree canopies, yet there is little difference in soil nutrients or organic matter. To investigate the possibility that soil nutrient dynamics contribute to increased maize yields, this study focused on the impact of Faidherbia albida on nitrogen mineralization and soil moisture from the time of crop planting until harvest. Both large and small trees were studied to consider whether tree effects change as trees mature.During the first month of the rainy season, a seven-fold difference in net N mineralization was recorded beneath large tree canopies compared to rates measured in open sites. The initial pulse beneath the trees was 60 g N g^–1 in the top 15 cm of soil. During the rest of the cropping cycle, N availability was 1.5 to 3 times higher beneath tree canopies than in open sites. The total production of N for the 4-month study period was 112 g N g^–1 below tree canopies compared to 42 g N g^–1 beyond the canopies. Soil moisture in the 0–15 cm soil layer was higher under the influence of the tree canopies. The canopy versus open site difference grew from 4% at the beginning of the season to 50% at the end of the cropping season.Both N mineralization and soil moisture were decreased below young trees. Hence, the impact of F. albida on these soil properties changes with tree age and size. While maize yields were not depressed beneath young F. albida, it is important to realize that the full benefits of this traditional agroforestry system may require decades to develop.     

Light,soil, and seedling characteristics associated with varying levels of competition in a red pine plantation

Red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) seedlings growing under differing levels of competition were evaluated during the fifth growing season following planting, and placed into low, moderate, or high tree classes, as a function of levels of competing vegetation. Tree growth, moisture status, and nutrition were monitored over the growing season. Additionally, site characteristics such as soil temperature and moisture, inorganic nitrogen concentration, mineralized soil nitrogen, and light were measured. Red pine seedlings growing under low competition had an absolute volume growth increase of 795% over the seedlings growing under the heaviest competition. The associated relative volume growth increase during the fifth growing season was 44%. Discriminant analysis was used to describe three classes of trees representing low, moderate, and high levels of competition. Trees growing under low competition had longer and heavier needles, but generally lower nutrient concentrations. Pre-dawn plant moisture status did not vary among competition levels. Soil variables indicated that, in general, the trees growing under low competition occupied warmer, drier, and less fertile microsites, as inorganic soil N and mean monthly mineralized NO₃-N and NH₄>-N tended to be lower on these microsites. The suite of independent variables was effective in classifying the model data into three tree competition classes, with percent correct classifications of 92, 75, and 100 for low (tree class one), moderate (tree class two), and heavy (tree class three) competition, respectively.     

Soil nitrate dynamics in relation to nitrogen source and landscape position in Malawi

Nitrogen is normally the nutrient most limiting production of maize (Zea mays) — the main staple food crop — in southern Africa. We conducted a field study to determine the effect of N sources on soil nitrate dynamics at three landscape positions in farmers' fields in southern Malawi. The landscape positions were dambo valley or bottomland, dambo margin, and steep slopes. The N sources were calcium ammonium nitrate fertilizer applied at 120 kg N ha^–1, biomass from Sesbania sesban, and no added N. Sesbania biomass was produced in situ in the previous season from sesbania relay cropped with maize. Nitrate in the topsoil (0 to 15 cm depth) increased to 85 days after maize planting (mean = 48 kg N ha^–1) and then decreased markedly. Application of N fertilizer and sesbania biomass increased soil nitrate, and nitrate-N in topsoil correlated positively with amount of incorporated sesbania biomass. The strongest correlation between sesbania biomass added before maize planting and topsoil nitrate was observed at 85 days after maize planting. This suggests that the sesbania biomass (mean N content = 2.3%) mineralized slowly. Inorganic N accumulated in the subsoil at the end of the maize cropping season when N fertilizer and sesbania were applied. This study demonstrated the challenges associated with moderate quality organic N sources produced in smallholder farmer's fields. Soil nitrate levels indicated that N was released by sesbania residues in the first year of incorporation, but relay cropping of sesbania with maize may need to be supplemented with appropriately timed application of N fertilizer.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.