Dissolved organic matter leaching in some contrasting New Zealand pasture soils

Leaching of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from pastoral soils is increasingly seen as an important but poorly understood process. This paper examined the relationship between soil chemical properties, microbial activity and the losses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) through leaching from six pasture soils. These soils differed in carbon (C) (4.6–14.9%) and nitrogen (N) (0.4–1.4%) contents and in the amount of organic C and N that had accumulated or been lost in the preceding 20+ years (i.e. −5131 to +1624 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and −263 to +220 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, respectively). The paper also examined whether between‐soil‐type differences in DOC and DON leaching was a major explanatory factor in the observed range of soil organic matter (SOM) changes in these soils. Between 280 and 1690 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and 28–117 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ leached as DOC and DON, respectively, from the six soils in a lysimeter study, with losses being greater from two poorly drained gley soils. Losses of C and N of this magnitude, while at the upper end relative to published data, could not fully explain the losses at Rawerawe, Bruntwood and Lepperton sites reported by Schipper et al. (2007) . The study highlights the leaching of DOM as a significant pathway of loss of C and N in pasture soils that is often ignored or given little attention in predictive models and nutrient budgeting. Leaching losses of DOC and DON alone, or in combination with slightly increased respiration losses of SOM given a 0.2°C increase in the mean annual soil temperature, do not fully explain long‐term changes in the SOM observed at these sites. When soils examined in the present study were separated on the basis of drainage class, the losses of DOC by leaching were correlated with both total and hot‐water extractable C (HWC), the latter being a measure of the labile SOM fraction. Basal microbial CO₂ respiration rates, which varied between 1 and 3.5 µg CO₂‐C g⁻¹ soil hour⁻¹ in surface soils (0–75‐mm depth), was also linked to HWC and the quantities of C lost as DOC. Adoption of the HWC method as an approach that could be used as a proxy for the direct measurement of the soil organic C lost by leaching as DOC or respired needs to be examined further with a greater number of soils. In comparison, a poor relationship was found between the hot‐water extractable N (HWN) and loss of DON by leaching, despite HWN previously being shown to be a measure of the mineralizable pool of N in soils, possibly reflecting the greater competition for N than C in these soils.     

Distribution and partial characterisation of acid hydrolysable organic nitrogen in six New Zealand soils

Six New Zealand topsoils of widely different origins and properties were subjected to 6m HC1 hydrolysis and the distribution of N fractions and amino acids were determined qualitatively and quantitatively.Of the total-N in the soils studied 83–91%, was hydrolysable with 6m HCl. The largest proportion of the hydrolysable N was α-amino acid N (38– 42%). followed by hydrolysable-unknown N (HUN) (14–24%), and NH₄⁺-N (14–22%). A significant proportion (25–50%) of the HUN fraction was accounted for by the non α-amino acid-N. Oxidative (3% H₂O₂) hydrolysis released N-phenoxy amino acid-N and possibly N-compounds which were complexed with phenols and sugars. All soils had a similar amino-acid composition with a predominance of acidic amino-acids.     

Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics in temperate coniferous forest plantations

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a central role in driving many chemical and biological processes in soil; however, our understanding of the fluxes and composition of the DOM pool still remains unclear. In this study we investigated the composition and dynamics of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in five temperate coniferous forests. We subsequently related our findings to the inputs (litterfall, throughfall, atmospheric deposition) and outputs (leaching, respiration) of C and N from the forest and to plant available sources of N. With the exception of NO₃^?, most of the measured soil solution components (e.g. DOC, DON, NH₄⁺, free amino acids, total phenolics and proteins) progressively declined in concentration with soil depth, particularly in the organic horizons. This decline correlated well with total microbial activity within the soil profile. We calculated that the amount of C lost by soil respiration each day was equivalent to 70% of the DOC pool and 0.06% of the total soil C. The rapid rate of amino acid mineralization and the domination of the low molecular weight soluble N pool by inorganic N suggest that the microbial community is C‐ rather than N‐limited and that C‐limitation increases with soil depth. Further, our results suggest that the forest stands were not N‐limited and were probably more reliant on inorganic N as a primary N source rather than DON. In conclusion, our results show that the size of the DON and DOC pools are small relative to both the amount of C and N passing through the soil each year and the total C and N present in the soil. In addition, high rates of atmospheric N deposition in these forests may have removed competition for N resources between the plant and microbial communities.     

A comparison of three methods of organic carbon determination in some New Zealand soils

A dry combustion (Dumas) reference method for measuring total organic C (T), is compared with two other methods: the wet acidified dichromate oxidation, Walkley-Black procedure (an estimator of organic C) and loss on ignition (L) (an estimator of organic matter) for 40 samples from various depths from five New Zealand mineral soils, spanning a range of textures and cultivation treatments. Regression analyses reveal the following: (1) an excellent linear relation exists for all samples between Walkley-Black procedure and reference method results, with a mean conversion factor 1.25, which compares with the original value 1.32 recommended by Walkley & Black (1934). (2) L and T are less well-related by an equation of the form L=a+bT. In contrast to the traditional assumption that b? 1.72 and a? 0, a strong ‘intercept effect’ (a > 0) is revealed, reflecting removal on ignition of non-organic soil constituents. An improved regression of the form L=a+bT+cC, where C= percentage of clay, obtained by inclusion of the clay as an independent variable, points to the role of clay in releasing these constituents, chiefly adsorbed water.     

Dissolved organic carbon interactions with sorption and leaching of diuron in organic-amended soils

Diuron ( N '-[3,4-dichlorophenyl]- N,N -dimethylurea) is one of the most frequently used herbicides in olive groves in Spain and other Mediterranean countries. The main objective of this work was to investigate the effect of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from a commercial humic amendment, derived by composting the liquid waste of the olive-mill process (LF), and a solid residue from the olive oil production industry (AL) on the sorption and leaching behaviour of diuron in soil. For this purpose, a clay and a sandy soil were selected. Soil sorption coefficients of diuron increased with LF (32%) and AL (76%) amendment in the sandy soil, whereas sorption decreased in the clay soil upon amendment, especially in the case of the liquid LF (52%). The DOC from LF and AL is composed of very poorly humified molecules, which are strongly sorbed onto the clay soil and thus compete with diuron for the same sorption sites. Dialysis experiments revealed that diuron forms stable complexes with DOC from LF and AL. Leaching of diuron in columns of the sandy soil treated with the organic amendments caused earlier breakthrough and maximum concentration peaks at fewer pore volumes when compared with leaching with 0.01 m CaCl₂. Competition between diuron and DOC molecules for sorption sites and diuron–DOC interactions can both account for the enhanced leaching of diuron.     

地中海生态系统中可溶性有机N研究

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in soils has recently gained increasing interest because it may be both a direct N source for plants and the dominant available N form in nutrient-poor soils, however, its prevalence in Mediterranean ecosystems remains unclear. The aims of this study were to i) estimate soil DON in a wide set of Mediterranean ecosystems and compare this levels with those for other ecosystems; ii) describe temporal changes in DON and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) forms (NH4+ and NO3? ), and characterize spatial heterogeneity within plant communities; and iii) study the relative proportion of soil DON and DIN forms as a test of Schimel and Bennett’s hypothesis that the prevalence of different N forms follows a gradient of nutrient availability. The study was carried out in eleven plant communities chosen to represent a wide spectrum of Mediterranean vegetation types, ranging from early to late successional status. DON concentrations in the studied Mediterranean plant communities (0-18.2 mg N kg-1) were consistently lower than those found in the literature for other ecosystems. We found high temporal and spatial variability in soil DON for all plant communities. As predicted by the Schimel and Bennett model for nutrient-poor ecosystems, DON dominance over ammonium and nitrate was observed for most plant communities in winter and spring soil samples. However, mineral-N dominated over DON in summer and autumn. Thus, soil water content may have an important effect on DON versus mineral N dominance in Mediterranean ecosystems.     

Dissolved organic nitrogen in contrasting agricultural ecosystems

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) is increasingly being recognized as a major component of the terrestrial nitrogen cycle, however, the factors that regulate its behaviour in soil remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of agricultural land use on the amount of DON in soil. At 94 sites, representing seven contrasting agricultural land use types, we extracted soil solution during the growing season. DON was high in all land use types constituting 57±8% of the total dissolved N (TDN) pool and generally followed the series

citrus>vegetable>forest=arable>grassland=wetland>heathland.     

Dissolved soil organic nitrogen and carbon in a Norway spruce stand and an adjacent clear-cut

 The aims of this study were to characterize dissolved soil organic N (DON) and C (DOC) in a coniferous stand and an adjacent clear-cut, and to evaluate the importance of DON in N leaching. The study was carried out in a Norway spruce stand and a clear-cutting treatment in the same forest stand. Concentrations of DON in soil solution were monitored for 5 years after clear-cutting with gravity lysimeters. In the Norway spruce stand DON comprised 62–83% of the total N in soil solution over the 5-year period. The concentrations of DON in the clear-cut were higher than in the forest stand, but the proportion of total N was lower. To characterize dissolved organic matter, soil samples were aerobically incubated for 6 weeks in the laboratory, and the quantity, molecular size distribution and chemical nature of both DON and DOC were determined from water extracts made before and after the incubation. In the soil samples from the Norway spruce stand, C-rich compounds with a high C/N ratio and large molecular size were formed. In contrast, after the incubation the major carriers of DON in soil samples from the clear-cut were N-rich organic compounds with a low C/N ratio and a small molecular size. The distribution of different chemical fractions of DOC in soil did not differ much whether recovered from the Norway spruce stand or the clear-cut. It was (from highest to lowest concentration): hydrophobic acids>hydrophilic acids>phenols>hydrophilic neutrals. A major part of DON was also carried by these fractions. During incubation the concentration of N-containing hydrophilic acids increased, especially in the soil from the clearcut. In soil samples from the Norway spruce stand, the rate of net N mineralization was low and no NO₃ was formed, whilst the rate of net N mineralization was high and net nitrification was intensive in soil from the clear-cut. Received: 12 June 2000     

Soluble organic nitrogen in agricultural soils

 The existence of soluble organic forms of N in rain and drainage waters has been known for many years, but these have not been generally regarded as significant pools of N in agricultural soils. We review the size and function of both soluble organic N extracted from soils (SON) and dissolved organic N present in soil solution and drainage waters (DON) in arable agricultural soils. SON is of the same order of magnitude as mineral N and of equal size in many cases; 20–30 kg SON-N ha^–1 is present in a wide range of arable agricultural soils from England. Its dynamics are affected by mineralisation, immobilisation, leaching and plant uptake in the same way as those of mineral N, but its pool size is more constant than that of mineral N. DON can be sampled from soil solution using suction cups and collected in drainage waters. Significant amounts of DON are leached, but this comprises only about one-tenth of the SON extracted from the same soil. Leached DON may take with it nutrients, chelated or complexed metals and pesticides. SON/DON is clearly an important pool in N transformations and plant uptake, but there are still many gaps in our understanding. Received: 10 June 1999     

Leaching of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in sandy soils after cultivating grass-clover swards

Several studies have focused on the formation and losses of dissolved organic matter in forest systems, whereas a limited number have dealt with this aspect in agricultural soils. The purpose of this study was to estimate the leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON), with focus on the period after cultivating grass-clover swards. Grass-clovers were ploughed in the spring prior to sowing cereals followed by either catch crops or bare soil. The concentrations of DOC and DON decreased with soil depth and ranged at 90-cm soil depth between 7 and 21 mg C L⁻¹ and between 1 and 3 mg N L⁻¹, respectively, in a sandy loam soil, and between 16 and 63 mg C L⁻¹ and between 1 and 10 mg N L⁻¹, respectively, in a coarse sandy soil. The resulting DOC/DON ratios were in the range between 2 and 42, with higher values in the coarse sandy soil than in the sandy loam soil. The total percolation was 218 mm in the sandy loam soil and 596–645 mm in the coarse sandy soil, which resulted in an annual leaching of 22–40 kg DOC ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and 3–4 kg DON ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in the sandy loam soil, and 174–310 kg DOC ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and 10–31 kg DON ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in the coarse sandy soil. It was shown that higher amounts of DOC were lost by leaching under the catch crops than from bare soil, that losses of DON were higher from bare soil than from soils with catch crops and that DON contributed significantly to the total N loss. Thus, DON needs to be taken into account in N-balance calculations.     

Dissolved organic nitrogen dynamics in a Mediterranean vineyard soil

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) have been hypothesized to play a central role in nutrient cycling in agricultural soils. The aim of this study was to investigate the annual dynamics of DOC and DON in a Greek vineyard soil and to assess the potential role of DON in supplying N to the vines. Our results indicated that significant quantities of DOC and DON existed in soil throughout the year and that peaks in concentration appeared to correlate with discrete agronomic events (e.g. onset of irrigation and plowing). Both field and laboratory experiments showed that free amino acids were rapidly mineralized in soil and that consequently free amino acids represented only a small proportion of the soil's total soluble N. Due to rapid nitrification the soil solution N was dominated by NO₃⁻. Based upon the calculation of a plant-soil N budget and previous studies on N uptake in Vitis vinifera L., it is likely that DON uptake does not directly supply significant amounts of N to the plant. As the soil was not N limited we hypothesize that amino acids are used by the microbial community more as a source of C rather than a source of N. While we conclude that DON constitutes a significant N pool in vineyard soils further work is required to chemically characterize its constituent units and their relative bioavailability so that their overall role in N cycling can be determined.     

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.     

Microbial decomposition of leached or extracted dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen from pasture soils

Microbial decomposition of extracted and leached dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) was demonstrated from three pasture soils in laboratory incubation studies. DOC concentration in water extracts ranged between 29 and 148 mg C L^?1 and DON concentration ranged between 2 and 63 mg N L^?1. Between 17 and 61 % of the DOC in the water extracts were respired as CO₂ by microbes by day 36. DON concentrations in the extracts declined more rapidly than DOC. Within the first 21 days of incubation, the concentration of DON was near zero without any significant change in the concentration of NO₃ ^? or NH₄ ⁺, indicating that microbes had utilized the organic pool of N preferentially. Decomposition of leached DOC (ranged between 7 and 66 mg C L^?1) and DON (ranged between 6 and 11 mg N L^?1) collected from large lysimeters (with perennial pasture; 50 cm diameter?×?80 cm deep) followed a similar pattern to that observed with soil extracts. Approximately 28 to 61 % of the DOC in leachates were respired as CO₂ by day 49. The concentration of DON in the leachates declined to below 1 mg N L^?1 within 7–14 days of the incubation, consistent with the observations made with extractable DON. Our results clearly show that DOC and DON components of the dissolved organic matter in pasture soils, whether extracted or leached, are highly decomposable and bioavailable and will influence local ecosystem functions and nutrient balances in grazed pasture systems and receiving water bodies.     

Landslide erosion risk to New Zealand pastoral steeplands productivity

Pastoral land use in New Zealand's North Island hill terrain has led to high rates of rainstorm-induced landslide erosion higher than existed under the indigenous forest regime, with consequent soil productivity declines in the long term. To assist extrapolation of research results to other areas, and to shed light on long-term erosion risks, a simple model was developed that simulates the evolution of hillslope soil productivity, taking into account the effect of slope, rainstorm magnitude–frequency relations and soil recovery rates. Risks are evaluated by Monte Carlo simulation, and reflect parameter uncertainty as well as the natural randomness associated with climatic events. A sensitivity analysis showed that landslide risk was most affected by the rainfall threshold for landsliding, the mean of the extreme value distribution for annual maximum storm rainfall, and the maximum degree of recovery of pasture productivity following landsliding. Simulations suggest productivity stabilizes at a reduced level well before all steep terrain is affected by landsliding, and that subsequent expected landslide-induced productivity declines are too slow to provide sufficient economic motivation for measures to prevent landslide damage. A refined model showed that long-term average rates of productivity decline are sensitive to changes in recovery rates resulting from progressive removal of the soil resource. Charts summarizing simulation results can be used to estimate long-term productivity declines. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Total carbon and nitrogen in the soils of the world

The soil is important in sequestering atmospheric CO₂ and in emitting trace gases (e.g. CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O) that are radiatively active and enhance the ‘greenhouse’ effect. Land use changes and predicted global warming, through their effects on net primary productivity, the plant community and soil conditions, may have important effects on the size of the organic matter pool in the soil and directly affect the atmospheric concentration of these trace gases. A discrepancy of approximately 350 × 10¹⁵ g (or Pg) of C in two recent estimates of soil carbon reserves worldwide is evaluated using the geo-referenced database developed for the World Inventory of Soil Emission Potentials (WISE) project. This database holds 4353 soil profiles distributed globally which are considered to represent the soil units shown on a ¹/₂° latitude by ¹/₂° longitude version of the corrected and digitized 1:5 M FAO–UNESCO Soil Map of the World. Total soil carbon pools for the entire land area of the world, excluding carbon held in the litter layer and charcoal, amounts to 2157–2293 Pg of C in the upper 100 cm. Soil organic carbon is estimated to be 684–724 Pg of C in the upper 30 cm, 1462–1548 Pg of C in the upper 100 cm, and 2376–2456 Pg of C in the upper 200 cm. Although deforestation, changes in land use and predicted climate change can alter the amount of organic carbon held in the superficial soil layers rapidly, this is less so for the soil carbonate carbon. An estimated 695–748 Pg of carbonate-C is held in the upper 100 cm of the world's soils. Mean C: N ratios of soil organic matter range from 9.9 for arid Yermosols to 25.8 for Histosols. Global amounts of soil nitrogen are estimated to be 133–140 Pg of N for the upper 100 cm. Possible changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics caused by increased concentrations of atmospheric CO₂ and the predicted associated rise in temperature are discussed.     

添加葡萄糖对不同肥力黑土氮素转化的影响

氮是作物生长必需的大量营养元素,增施化学氮肥,是农业生产采取的主要增产措施之一。我国的氮肥消费量已占世界总消费量的约30%,但我国农业中氮素的生产效率趋于下降,而带来的农业环境污染则趋于加重。提高氮素利用率,降低其对环境的负面影响,在保障粮食安全的同时兼顾生     

Sulphur mineralisation in some New Zealand soils

Summary An open incubation technique was used to measure S mineralisation in a range of New Zealand soils. For most of the soils studied, the release of S as sulphate was curvilinear with time, and during a 10-week incubation, the amounts of S mineralised ranged from less than 3 g S g^-1 soil to more than 26 g S g^-1 soil. The best predictor of mineralised S appeared to be the amount of C-bonded S in the soil (explaining 59% of the variation in mineralised S between soils). Examination of the soils after incubation also revealed that the bulk of the mineralised S was derived from the C-bonded S pool. Hydriodic acid-reducible forms of organic S appeared to make little contribution to mineralised S.Attempts were made to predict total potentially mineralisable S (S _o) from incubation data using an exponential equation and a reciprocal-plot technique. However, the dependence of estimated values of S _o on the length and temperature of incubation cast doubts on the validity of this approach.     

Determination of organic carbon in soils and fertilizers

Abstract

Many methods have been proposed to determine the total amount of organic carbon in soil; some of them determine only a percentage of the actual carbon content and therefore the results need the application of a correction factor. Methods for the determination of organic carbon in soil have been rarely extended to organic fertilizers and amendments.

We propose a rapid method based on a modification of the original Springer and Klee¹⁰procedure. Samples are oxidized for exactly 10 minutes with a mixture of 20 ml 2N K₂Cr₂O₇and 26 ml conc. H₂SO₄at 160±2°C; the excess dichromate is titrated either potentiometrically or manually with FeSO₄.

The method is fast, accurate, and more reliable than other commonly used procedures. The procedure can be easily adopted for serial determination of carbon in both soils and organic fertilizers or amendments     

The phosphorus composition of contrasting soils in pastoral,native and forest management in Otago,New Zealand: Sequential extraction and 31P NMR

The distribution and form of P in soil is central to the sustainability of agricultural practice. This study used sequential fractionation and ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (³¹P NMR) of NaOH–EDTA extracts to examine the influence of pastoral, native (undisturbed) and forest land use on soil P forms in 5 contrasting soils ranging from a Regosol to a Rendzina in Otago, New Zealand. Climatic factors likely to influence soil P distribution were negated by careful site selection. Together with a decrease in soil organic C (31%), total P decreased in forested soils (mean=674 mg kg⁻¹) compared to native soils (mean=784 mg kg⁻¹). In contrast, the ratio of inorganic to organic P increased (10%) probably due to mineralization of organic P in forest soils, while for pasture soils, accumulation of P in inorganic forms due to P inputs via fertilisers and animal dung was to blame. Investigation of the organic P forms in NaOH–EDTA extracts of each land use by ³¹P NMR indicated that diesters were greatest in the native soil (4–12% of total P in spectra), and declined as a proportion of total P in pasture soils and more so in forest soils. This was reflected in a decline of the diester to monoester ratio. However, the ratio was generally greater in forest than pasture soils and attributed to the labile nature of diesters, mineralization of monoesters in forest soils, and an increase in monoesters in pasture soils from inositol phosphates in plant debris. This effect was pronounced in the Regosol due to sandy texture and the preferential accumulation of plant debris in coarse particle size fractions. Due to the depletion of soil P reserves, forest soils in the area should be followed by pasture and well managed fertiliser additions before replanting.