Comparison of Nitrate Leaching under Silver Birch (Betula Pendula) and Corsican Pine (Pinus Nigra SSP. Laricio) in Flanders (Belgium)

In a forest in Flanders (Belgium), situated in a region of intensive livestock production, comparable stands of Corsican pine and silver birch were studied for (1) NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^- concentrations in throughfall water and soil solution and (2) depositions and leaching of NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^- to groundwater. In each stand, throughfall collectors and porous cup lysimeters at three depths (0.1m, 0.5m and 1m) were installed in three replicated sets. Throughfall concentrations of ammonium and nitrate were significantly different for both species as well as soil solution concentrations of nitrate at all depths. Under pine, nitrate concentrations of the soil solution at 1m depth clearly exceeded the Belgian critical level for drinking water (50 mg.1^-1). Under birch, this level was only sporadically exceeded. During the sampling period, the depositions of NH₄ ⁺-N and NO₃ ^--N reached respectively 21.6 kg/ha and 6.3 kg/ha under birch and 81.3 and 15.2 kg/ha under Corsican pine. Nitrate-N leaching under silver birch amounted 25.4 kg/ha whereas 56.4 kg/ha was measured under Corsican pine.     

Uptake,transport and assimilation of 15N-nitrate and 15N-ammonium in tea (Camellia sinensis L.) plants

¹⁵N studies were conducted using hydroponically grown tea (Camellia sinensis L.) plants to clarify the characteristics of uptake, transport and assimilation of nitrate and ammonium. From the culture solution containing 50 mg L^-1 N0₃-N and 50 mg L^-1 NH.-N, the uptake of NH₃-N after 24 h was twice as high as that of NO₃-N, while the uptake of N0₃-N from the culture solution containing 90 mg N0₃-N and 10 mg NH₃-N was twice that of NH₄-N. The presence of 0.4 mM Al had no significant effect on the N0₃-N and NH₄-N uptake from the culture solutions containing 50 mg L^-1 N0₃-N and 50 mg L^-1 NH₄-N, 90 mg L^-1 N0₃-N and 10 mg L^-1 NH₄-N or 99 mg L^-1 N0₃-N and 1 mg L^-1 NH₄-N. Transport of N0₃-derived N to young leaves was much more rapid than that of NH₄-derived NO₃ and NH₄-derived N was largely retained in the roots and lower stem. Young and mature shoots separated from the roots absorbed more N0₃-N than intact plants. Nitrate assimilation occurred in both, roots and young as well as mature leaves. Internal cycling of N0₃-derived Nand NH₄-derived N from one root part to another part was not appreciable after 28 h, suggesting that a longer of time is required for cycling in woody plants.     

Rainfall,Stemflow, and Throughfall Chemistry at Urban- and Mountain-facing Sites at Mt. Gokurakuji,Hiroshima, Western Japan

Rainfall, stemflow, and throughfall were collected from 1996 to 1999 at two types of forest sites: (1) forests near the traffic roads and urban areas and (2) forests away from the urban areas at Mt. Gokurakuji, Hiroshima, western Japan in order to estimatethe effects of anthropogenic activities on atmospheric deposition. Rainfall deposition for major ions showed small differences between the sites. The NO₃ ^- and SO₄ ^2-concentrations in stemflow were higher at the urban-facing slope than at the mountain-facing slope. Throughfall deposition of NO₃ ^- and SO₄ ^2- was also higher at urban-facing slopes. Net throughfall (NTF) deposition (throughfall minus rainfall) of NO₃ ^- and SO₄ ^2- accounted for 77 and50% of the total throughfall deposition on urban-facing slopes, respectively, while it accounted for 44 and 23% on themountain-facing slopes, respectively. These results indicated a higher contribution from dry deposition on urban-facing slopes compared to mountain-facing slopes. Atmospheric N (NO₃ ^- +NH₄ ⁺) deposition from throughfall was estimated to be around 17–26 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1 on urban-facing slopes, which was greater than the threshold of N deposition that could cause nitrogen leaching in Europe and the United States. The highload of atmospheric N deposition may be one of the factors bringing about the decline of pine forests on urban-facing slopesof Mt. Gokurakuji.     

A Single Law to Describe Atmospheric Nitrogen Bulk Deposition versus Rainfall Amount: Inputs at the Seine River Watershed Scale

Atmospheric nitrogen species (NH₄-N and (NO₃+NO₂)-N) were determined in weekly samples of atmospheric bulk deposition (dry plus wet), collected in France at seven sites over the course of a year. Rural, semi-rural and industrialised-urban sites were chosen in the Seine river watershed from the Seine estuary to upstream from Paris. Mean NH₄-N concentrations varied from 0.7 to 1.7 mg L^-1. Mean (NO₃+NO₂)-N concentrations were approximately 0.5 mg L^-1 for all sites except Paris (0.7 mg L^-1), which has a local impact on the fallout contamination from urban emissions. The relation between concentration and rainfall amount obeys a power law, in the form of y = ax ^b. When the nitrogen sources are very local, this relationship turns into a dilution law. Annual atmospheric nitrogen deposition (NH₄-N+(NO₃+NO₂)-N) was calculated and varied from 7.8 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in the neighbourhood of a rural town to 17.3 kg ha^-1 yr^-1 in a very industrialised harbour. 58% of the atmospheric nitrogen deposition occurred during ‘spring + summer’ period. The total nitrogen atmospheric input to the Seine estuary, via direct deposition + indirect input via the watershed, was estimated to about 5% of the total nitrogen load within the Seine river basin.     

山西省太原市旱作农区大气活性氮干湿沉降年度变化特征

鉴于大气氮素沉降对整个生态系统的重要影响,我国近年来陆续开展了不同尺度的大气氮素干、湿沉降的研究,但少有农业区多年连续监测的资料。本研究利用DELTA系统、被动采样器和雨量器在山西省太原市郊区阳曲县河村旱作农业区进行了4年的监测试验,观测大气氮素干、湿沉降的时间变异。结果表明:2011年4月—2015年3月,河村4年大气活性氮NH_3、HNO_3、NO_2、颗粒态NO_3~-(pNO_3~-)、颗粒态NH_4~+(pNH_4~+)平均沉降量分别为4.50 kg(N)·hm~(-2)·a~(-1)、3.54 kg(N)·hm~(-2)·a~(-1)、2.56 kg(N)·hm~(-2)·a~(-1)、1.62 kg(N)·hm~(-2)·a~(-1)、2.75 kg(N)·hm~(-2)·a~(-1),大气氮素干沉降总量为12.38~18.95 kg(N)·hm~(-2)·a~(-1),以2011年的氮干沉降量最高,2014年的最低。2011年4月—2015年3月各月氮干沉降量与氨气沉降量之间存在显著正相关,相关系数在0.809 8~0.937 1,由此可知,该地区活性氮沉降主要受农业氨气排放的影响。河村4年雨水中NO_3~-、NH_4~+平均浓度分别为3.20 mg(N)·L~(-1)和2.43 mg(N)·L~(-1),大气氮素湿沉降11.67~41.31 kg(N)·hm~(-2)·a~(-1)。年度间氮素湿沉降存在很大差异,以2012年氮素年湿沉降量最高,2014年最低,每年大气氮素湿沉降占氮总沉降量的份额超过50%。此外,4年湿沉降中不仅NO_3~--N和NH_4~+-N之间、且二者与降雨量也呈显著线性或二次相关关系,说明降雨量对NO_3~--N和NH_4~+-N的湿沉降影响较大。本研究表明太原市旱作农区不同年份间氮素湿沉降比干沉降差异更大,且总沉降数量较高。虽然是旱作区,该地区氮素干沉降略低于湿沉降。研究结果为该地区农田氮肥施用和氮素循环监测提供了理论依据。     

稻田土壤中氮素淋失的研究

本文应用稻田大型原状土柱渗漏计，研究了双季稻田土壤中氮素随渗漏水流淋失的形态、数量、季节性变化以及若干农化因子的影响。明确了稻田中氮素淋失的基本形态是硝态氮（ＮＯ３＾－－Ｎ），估算出双季稻田中氮素淋失总量可接近３０ｋｇＮ／ｈａ，同时肯定了农田施用氮肥对地下水体环境可能的ＮＯ３＾－－Ｎ污染，建议双季稻田中每季水稻的氮肥用量宜控制在１５０ｋｇＮ／ｈａ；本文还证实氮肥用量对氮素淋失有明显影响，不同氮肥品     

Canopy and Soil Retention of Nitrogen Deposition in a Mixed Boreal Forest in Eastern Finland

Nitrogen deposition, leaching, and retention were monitored in a mature spruce (Picea abies Karsten) dominated mixed boreal forest in eastern Finland. Bulk precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, and percolation through the podzolic soil profile were monitored from 1993 to 1996. Mean annual bulk deposition of total N was 3.83 kg ha^-1, of which 33% was NH₄ ⁺, 26% was NO₃ ^- , and 41% was organic N. Throughfall+stemflow flux of total N was 2.93 kg ha^-1 yr^-1. Sixty-four % of NH₄ ⁺ and 38% of NO₃ ^- in bulk precipitation was retained by tre three canopy. Organic N was released (0.27 kg ha^-1 yr^-1) from the tree canopy. Nitrate-N was retained and organic N was leached as the water passed through the ground vegetation and soil O-horizon. Ammonium-N and organic N were retained mainly in the E-horizon. The output of total N from the E-horizon was only 5% of the total N deposition in the forest stand during the study period and it was mainly as organic N. The output of inorganic N forms from under B-horizon was seasonal and occurred mainly at spring snowmelt.     

铵硝比和磷素营养对菠菜生长、氮素吸收和相关酶活性的影响

通过水培试验研究了不同铵硝比的氮素营养和磷素营养对菠菜生长、氮素吸收及硝酸还原酶活性（NRA）和谷氨酰胺合成酶活性（GSA）的影响。结果表明：在供磷水平相同时，菠菜的生物量随着铵硝比的降低而降低，但铵硝比为25：75与0：100两个处理之间没有显著差异；在铵硝比相同时，随着营养液中磷含量的增加，菠菜的生物量随之增加。菠菜茎叶中硝酸盐的含量随着铵硝比和磷水平的降低而升高。不同铵硝比处理，菠菜含氮量没有明显差异，随着磷水平的提高，菠菜植株含氮量有升高的趋势，但各处理之间差异不显著；受到生物量显著差异的影响，菠菜植株中氮素累积量随着铵硝比的降低和磷素水平的增加而增加。在铵硝混合营养条件下，缺磷会显著抑制菠菜对铵态氮和硝态氮的吸收，且磷索缺乏对菠菜吸收硝态氮的抑制作用要大于对铵态氮吸收的抑制作用。铵硝比相同时，随着营养液中磷索供应量的增加，菠菜茎叶中NRA显著增加；但是营养液中铵硝比较高时，会显著抑制菠菜茎叶中NRA，而铵硝比较低时，则有利于提高菠菜的NRA。缺磷会严重抑制GSA；在磷素水平相同时，随着营养液中铵比例的增加，菠菜茎叶中GSA显著增加。为此，在一些硝酸盐含量较高的土壤上栽培蔬菜时，可以采取增施适量磷肥的方法，以降低叶菜的硝酸盐含量。     

Acid deposition onto nature areas in the Netherlands; Part II. Throughfall measurements compared to deposition estimates

In this study of acid depositions to Netherlands forests, measurements of acidifying components in throughfall were compared to estimates derived using the inferential method. Throughfall measurements were corrected for sea salt and other neutral salt deposition as well as for dry deposition of gases and aerosols to open sampler funnels. Corrected throughfall values for SO₄, NH₄ and total potential acid agreed better than uncorrected with inference estimates; corrections had almost no effect on NO₃ values. Although corrected SO₄ throughfall values are well correlated (0.82) with inference estimates, they are almost twice as high. For NO₃ and NH₄ correlation is poor; NO₃ throughfall values are about half as high as inference estimates, NH₄ inference estimates were higher or lower than corrected throughfall values. There was reasonable agreement between total potential acid deposition values from the two methods.     

不同铵硝比对菠菜生长、安全和营养品质的影响

通过水培试验,研究了等氮条件下5种不同铵硝比对菠菜生长和品质的影响。结果表明:(1)从铵硝比100∶0到0∶100,菠菜地上部鲜重不断增加,铵硝比为0∶100时,菠菜的鲜重达最大值;但铵硝比25∶75和0∶100两个处理菠菜的干物重没有显著差异(p<0.05)。(2)随着铵硝比的降低,菠菜茎叶中硝酸盐、亚硝酸盐的含量均表现为线性增加;菠菜茎叶中可溶性草酸的含量和营养液中铵硝比之间呈现出二次曲线相关,在铵硝比为25∶75时,菠菜茎叶中草酸含量最低。适当增施铵态氮有利于降低菠菜硝酸盐、亚硝酸盐及草酸的含量。(3)增铵可以提高菠菜Vc含量,铵硝比为50∶50的处理菠菜Vc含量最高;随着铵硝比的下降,菠菜茎叶中可溶性糖的含量逐渐降低,而粗蛋白的含量则以铵硝比25∶75处理最高。     

Corn (Zea mays L.) Grain and Stover Yield as Affected by Soil Residual Mineral Nitrogen

Evaluation of nitrogen (N) dynamic in soil using regression equations is important for proper determination of N fertilization. A 3-year field experiment was conducted to (1) develop the best-fitted regression model relating corn grain and stover yield to soil residual ammonium (NH₄)-N and nitrate (NO₃)-N for corn yield prediction and (2) evaluate how such a model can be beneficial to the health of ecosystem by predicting the appropriate rates of N fertilization for corn production. Soil NH₄-N and NO₃-N were determined at corn harvest at the depths of 0–30 and 30–60 cm. Nitrogen fertilizer rates and soil mineral N accounted for a maximum of 93% variation in corn grain yield. Soil mineral N enhanced corn yield more than N fertilizer. Totals of 63.1 and 14.1 kg/ha of soil residual NO₃-N and NH₄-N were found in the 0- to 60-cm depth, indicating the importance of performing soil N tests.     

Atmospheric deposition in forest edges measured by monitoring canopy throughfall

Atmospheric dry deposition in two forest edges was studied by means of monitoring canopy throughfall in Douglas Fir stands. Throughfall fluxes in the first 50 to 100 m of forest edges were found to be substantially higher than fluxes in the interior of forest stands. Sodium and chloride showed the steepest throughfall flux gradients. Ions important for soil acidification and eutrophication showed relatively less steep but still significant gradients. The mean increase of the throughfall flux at 10 m, with respect to the flux at 200 m from the forest edge amounted to 150% for Na⁺, 119% for Cl^?, 54% for S0₄ ^2?, 38% for NO₃ ^? , and 39% for NH₄ ⁺ The enhancement of dry deposition in forest edges strongly depends on wind velocity and wind direction during dry deposition. Particularly trees in forest edges exposed to prevailing wind directions receive relatively large amounts of dry deposition.     

Estimates of atmospheric deposition and canopy exchange for three common tree species in the Netherlands

During one year, dry and wet deposition onto thirty forest stands is studied by sampling throughfall and bulk precipitation. Nine measurement sites are situated in Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Mirb. Franco) stands, ten in Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and eleven in Oak (Quercus robur L.) stands. Because the stands are situated in each other's proximity (i.e. within a radius of approximately 1.4 km) it is assumed that they experience an approximately equal air pollution load. For the acidifying compounds SO₄ ^2?, NO₃ ^? and NH₄ ⁺ spatial variability in wet deposition was small within the area studied. Dry deposition, as estimated by net throughfall, displayed a much higher spatial variability. Significant differences existed between tree species and growing seasons. Douglas fir mostly displayed the highest, Oak the lowest and Scotch pine intermediate values for net throughfall fluxes of acidifying compounds. The annual net throughfall fluxes for nitrogen compounds were significantly higher for the coniferous tree species than the broadleaved tree species. For SO₄ ^2?, however, Oak showed a relatively high throughfall flux during the summer. By comparing the temporal pattern of net throughfall fluxes between the three tree species it was concluded that considerable canopy leaching occurred for SO₄ ^2?, Mg⁺, PO₄ ^3?, HCO₃ ^? and K⁺ in Oak stands during the sprouting of leaves in spring. From surface wash experiments in the laboratory it is concluded that canopy leaching of these ions may also be enhanced when Oak leaves are infected by Oak mildew, a fungal disease caused by the fungus Microshaera aliphilitoides.     

Elevational trends in the fluxes of sulphur and nitrogen in throughfall in the Southern Appalachian Mountains: Some surprising results

From 1986–1989, a team of scientists measured atmospheric concentrations and fluxes in precipitation and throughfall, and modeled dry and cloudwater deposition in a spruce-fir forest of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which is located in the Southern Appalachian Region of the United States. The work was part of the Integrated Forest Study (IFS) conducted at 12 forests in N. America and Europe. The spruce-fir forest at 1740 m consistently received the highest total deposition rates (～2200, 1200, and 700 eq ha^?1 yr^?1 for SO₄ ^2?, NO₃ ^?, and NH₄ ⁺). During the summers of 1989 and 1990 we used multiple samplers to measure hydrologie, SO₄ ^2?, and NO₃ ^? fluxes in rain and throughfall events beneath spruce forests above (1940 m) and below (1720 m) cloud base. Throughfall was used to estimate total deposition using relationships determined during the IFS. Although the SO₄ ^2? fluxes increased with elevation by a factor of ～2 due to higher cloudwater interception at 1940 m, the NO₃ ^? fluxes decreased with elevation by ～30%. To investigate further, we began year round measurements of fluxes of all major ions in throughfall below spruce-fir forests at 1740 m and at 1920 m in 1993–1994. The fluxes of most ions showed a 10–50% increase with elevation due to the ～70 cm yr^?1 cloudwater input at 1920 m. However, total inorganic nitrogen exhibited a 40% lower flux in throughfall at 1920 m than at 1740 m suggesting either higher dry deposition to trees at 1740 m or much higher canopy uptake of nitrogen by trees at 1920 m. Differential canopy absorption of N by trees at different elevations would have significant consequences for the use of throughfall N fluxes to estimate deposition. We used artificial trees to understand the foliar interactions of N.     

闽江福州下游段水体N含量季节变化及对湿地土壤N含量的影响

选取闽江福州下游段水体及河口短叶茳芏湿地土壤水作为研究对象,采用SAN++连续流动分析仪测试样品中NO-3—N,NO-2—N和NH+4—N含量,以揭示河流水体N含量的季节差异和对土壤水N含量的影响。研究结果表明:(1)闽江福州下游段秋季河流水NH+4—N和NO-3—N含量高于春季,NO-2—N含量低于春季;秋季短叶茳芏湿地土壤水NH+4—N和NO-2—N含量也明显高于春季,土壤水NO-3—N含量低于春季;春、秋季土壤水NH+4—N含量皆高于河流水,而NO-3—N和NO-2—N含量皆明显低于河流水。(2)河流水的浸淹对土壤N含量影响较大,说明河流水是湿地土壤的主要N源。(3)闽江福州下游段河流水3种形态的N含量表现为秋季大于春季,存在较明显的季节差异。(4)与2007—2008年的观测值相比较,闽江河口河流水体N含量呈大幅上升趋势,水体富营养化加剧。     

辽东山溪河岸林群落特征对降雨再分配及其养分特征的影响

为明确不同物种组成和群落结构的河岸林对降雨再分配及其养分特征的影响,于2014年5—10月对辽东山地典型河岸林群落(落叶松林、蒙古栎林和槭树林)大气降雨、穿透雨和树干茎流过程及其水质特征进行研究。结果表明:落叶松林、蒙古栎林和槭树林穿透雨量分别占大气降雨量的81.9%,77.9%,73.1%,树干茎流量分别占大气降雨量的1.2%,4.4%,4.3%。与大气降雨相比,穿透雨和树干茎流中铵态氮、氯离子、硝态氮和总磷的浓度较高,不同林型铵态氮、氯离子、硝态氮和总磷的浓度和输入量差异显著。不同物种组成和群落结构的河岸林通过树木的形态特征及群落的结构特征对降雨进行再分配,通过林冠表层的物理特征、化学特征和生理特性等改变降雨理化性质,加之雨量、雨强的影响共同作用使铵态氮、氯离子、硝态氮和总磷的浓度和输入量发生改变。     

The significance of plant energy status for the uptake and incorporation of NH4-nitrogen by young rice plants

Uptake and assimilation of inorganic N in young rice plants has been studied with labelled N (N-15). Depletion of the plants' carbohydrate content, obtained by a preceding dark period, resulted in a drastic reduction of NH₄ ⁺-N uptake. Plants exposed to low light intensity showed diminishing NH₄ ⁺-N uptake rates as compared with plants exposed to full light intensity, the latter showing constant NH₄ ⁺-N uptake rates during the whole experimental period. The percentage of labelled insoluble N in total labelled N was not significantly affected by a preceding dark period, whereas the low light intensity resulted in a lower proportion of insoluble N in roots and shoots. The incorporation of labelled N into the insoluble fraction (proteins, nucleic acids) was higher in plants fed with NH₄ ⁺-N than in those fed with NO₃ ^-.

The uptake of NH₄ ⁺-N was not significantly affected by NO₃ ^-, whereas the NO₃- uptake rate was considerably reduced in the presence of NH^{4 +}-N. Low energy status of plants affected the nitrate uptake more than the uptake of NH₄ ⁺-N. The results show that uptake and assimilation of inorganic N depend much on the energetic status of plants. Nitrate uptake and assimilation is more sensitive to low energy conditions than NH₄ ⁺-N.     

模拟氮沉降对湿性常绿阔叶次生林土壤碳氮组分和酶活性的影响

为了研究氮沉降对次生林土壤碳氮组分和酶活性的影响,以华西雨屏区湿性常绿阔叶次生林为对象,从2014年1月起进行野外定位模拟氮沉降试验,分别设置对照(CK,+0 g/(m^2·a))、低氮(LN,+5 g/(m^2·a))和高氮(HN,+15 g/(m^2·a))3个氮添加水平。在氮沉降进行27个月后,按照腐殖质层和淋溶层表层进行取样,测定不同土层土壤总有机碳(TOC)、可浸提溶解性有机碳(EDOC)、易氧化碳(ROC)、全氮(TN)、硝态氮(NO_3^-—N)和铵态氮(NH_4^+—N)含量以及蔗糖酶、脲酶、酸性磷酸酶和多酚氧化酶活性。结果表明:模拟氮沉降显著增加该次生林腐殖质层土壤的TOC和NH_4^+—N含量,显著增加腐殖质层和淋溶层表层土壤的NO_3^-—N含量,腐殖质层土壤C/N显著升高。淋溶层表层土壤TOC、NH_4^+—N、C/N以及2层土壤的EDOC、ROC、TN和NH_4^+—N/NO_3^-—N均无显著影响。2层土壤的多酚氧化酶活性均随着氮添加量的升高而降低,其中淋溶层表层达到显著差异。模拟氮沉降对蔗糖酶、脲酶和酸性磷酸酶活性均无显著影响。腐殖质层中,NH_4^+—N和NO_3^-—N含量与TOC含量存在极显著正相关关系。2层土壤的多酚氧化酶活性均与NO_3^-—N含量呈极显著负相关。结果说明,模拟氮沉降使该次生林中原本较高的腐殖质层土壤TOC含量进一步显著增加,并且促进土壤无机氮的积累,而模拟氮沉降对多酚氧化酶的抑制作用更加有利于土壤有机质的积累。     

Effect of partial urea application on nutrient absorption by hydroponically grown spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea cv. Okame) was grown in hydroponic pot culture with an Enshi nutrient solution amended with 0, 20, or 50% urea with or without nickel addition (Ni; 0.05 mg L^-1), while the total concentration of N (17.33 mmol L^-1) remained constant in all the cases to evaluate the effect of partial urea application, with or without the addition of Ni, on the absorption of NO³-N, urea-N, NH₄-N, minerals (e.g. Ca, K, Mg, P) by plants. Fresh and dry weight of the shoots was highest when a 20% urea solution with Ni addition was used. The variation in spinach yield was related to the absorption of total-N by the plants. The absorption of total-N, attributed mainly to NO₃-N and urea-N, differed between the treatments. In the case of short-term absorption, determination by using ¹⁵N-urea and ¹⁵N-KNO₃ showed that, the urea-N absorption significantly increased with the increase in the urea concentration in the nutrient solution. When the urea solutions were used, regardless of Ni addition, the absorption of NO₃-N was more than four times higher than that of urea-No The addition of Ni in the urea solutions stimulated and increased both urea-N and NO₃-N absorption. In the case of long-term absorption, the NO₃-N absorption decreased with the decrease of the NO₃-N concentration when NO₃-N was partially replaced with urea in the nutrient solution. The addition of Ni in the urea solutions resulted in the increase of the absorption of both urea-N and NO₃-N, but the NO₃-N absorption remained lower in all the treatments compared to the control. In the urea solutions, the absorption of urea-N with or without the addition of Ni increased at a lower rate over time (sampling stages). Application of urea, with or without the addition of Ni in the nutrient solution, increased Ca absorption but decreased K and Mg absorption, whereas, P absorption was unaffected. It is suggested that spinach could grow adequately in an Enshi nutrient solution modified with 20% urea with the addition of 0.05 mg Ni L^-1, when urea totally replaced NH₄-N and partially replaced NO₃-N.     

DEVELOPMENT OF A SOIL N TEST FOR FERTILIZER REQUIREMENTS FOR WHEAT

Optimal fertilizer nitrogen (N) rates result in economic yield levels and reduced pollution. A soil test for determining optimal fertilizer N rates for wheat has not been developed for Quebec, Canada, or many other parts of the world. Therefore, the objectives were to determine: 1) the relationship among soil nitrate (NO^? ₃)- N, soil ammonium (NH ⁺ ₄)- N and N fertilizer on wheat yields; and 2) the soil sampling times and depths most highly correlated with yield response to soil NO^? ₃-N and NH ⁺ ₄-N. In a three year research work, wet and dried soil samples of 0- to 30- and 30- to 60-cm depths from 20 wheat fields that received four rates of N fertilizer at seeding and postseeding (plants 15 cm tall) were analyzed for NH ⁺ ₄-N and NO^? ₃ -N using a quick-test (N-Trak) and a standard laboratory method. Wheat yield response to N fertilizer was limited, but strong to soil NO^? ₃-N.