金沙江干涸峡谷中6种固氮绿篱品种剪枝中氮的矿化研究

A litterbag experiment of 12 weeks was conducted to study nitrogen mineralization process of prunings of six nitrogen-fixing hedgerow species in a dry valley of the Jinsha River. Prunings were incorporated into soil or used as mulch. The results indicated that pruning N of the six hedgerow species was mineralized fast in the first week and then decreased slowly in the rest of the study period. When prunings were incorporated into soil, the amount of nitrogen mineralized by the end of the first week accounted for 69.9%, 58.2%, 54.5%, 43.0%, 29.6% and 20.6% of the total N in prunings of Desmodium rensonii, Tephrosia candida, Leucaena leucocephala, Albizia yunnanensis, Acacia dealbata, and Acacia mearnsii, respectively. When prunings of L. leucocephala were used as mulch materials, the amount of nitrogen mineralized in the first week was 16.2% less than that of prunings incorporated into soil. The mineralization pattern of pruning N could be simulated by an exponent model N_t% = N₀₁% (1 -exp(-k₁t)) + N₀₂% (1-exp (-k₂t)) where N_t% is cumulative mineralized N in time t, N₀₁% and N₀₂% are readily and less readily mineralizable N in prunings, respectively, and k₁ and k₂ are rate constants. A half-life period of pruning nitrogen mineralization could also be determined by this model. The nitrogen content in the pruning residues decreased quickly in the first week but fluctuated thereafter. The initial C/N ratio was negatively related to the mineralization rate of prunings.     

Pb-Zn交互作用对红壤微生物生物量的影响

A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of lead and zinc applied alone or in various combinations on the size of microbial biomass in a red soil. Treatments included the application of lead at six different levels i. e., 0 (background), 100, 200, 300, 450 and 600 g g^-1 soil along with each of the four levels of zinc (0, 50, 150 or 250 g g^-1 soil). Application of lead or zinc alone to soil significantly (P < 0. 001) affected the soil microbial biomass. The microbial biomass carbon (C_mic), biomass nitrogen (N_mic) and biomass phosphorus (P_mic) decreased sharply in soils contaminated with lead or zinc. Combined application of lead and zinc resulted in a greater biocidal effect on soil microbial biomass, which was significantly higher (P < 0. 001) than that when either lead or zinc was applied alone. Consistent increase in the biomass C: N and decline in the biomass C:P ratios were also observed with the increased metal (Pb and Zn) toxicity in the soil.     

pH对土壤重金属吸附动力学的影响

The pH effect on the sorption kinetics of heavy metals in soils was studied using a constant flow leaching method. The soil samples were red soil collected from Yingtan, Jiangxi, and yellow-brown soil from Nanjing, Jiangsu. The heavy metals tested were zinc and cadmium. Assuming that the experimental data fitted to the following kinetic rate equation: 1/c·dx/dt = kx_∞-kx, the rate constant k of sorption could be determined from the slope of the straight line by plotting of 1/c·dx/dt vs. x. The results showed that the pH effect on the rate constants of heavy mental sorption in soils was very significant. The values of k decreased with increasing pH. The sorptions were more sensitive to pH in red soil than in yellow-brown soil.     

有机肥对磷的吸附-解吸的影响及在红壤发育成的水稻土上的有效性

A field test with the traditional rotation of paddy rice/upland crop (wheat) was carried out on a paddy soil derived from red earth to elucidate the effect of organic manure on the phosphorus adsorption-desorption by soil and its P availability. Soil samples were taken from different treatments at rice harvesting stage and analysed. The isothermal adsorption of P by the samples fitted very well with Langmuir equation, and hence, the parameters in the equation, i.e., maximum adsorption (qm), constant related to bonding energy (k) and their product (k × qm) could be used as a comprehensive index to characterize the potential P adsorptivity of the soil. Organo-inorganic fertilization and organic manuring could decrease qm and k, while mineral P application had little effect on them. The isothermal desorption of P was significantly correlated with initially added and isothermally adsorbed P. Part of P added was fixed, which represented the P fixation capacity of soil, and organic manuring could obviously lower the P fixation. The content of soil available P had a significant negative correlation with qm, k and fixed P. It is concluded that organic manure could increase the P availability of paddy soil derived from red earth by decreasing qm, k, maximum buffering capacity (MBC=k × qm) and fixation capacity.     

Net ecosystem carbon exchange for Bermuda grass growing in mesocosms as affected by irrigation frequency

Intensification of grazed grasslands following conversion from dryland to irrigated farming has the potential to alter ecosystem carbon (C) cycling and affect components of carbon dioxide (CO₂) exchange that could lead to either net accumulation or loss of soil C. While there are many studies on the effect of water availability on biomass production and soil C stocks, much less is known about the effect of the frequency of water inputs on the components of CO₂ exchange. We grew Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon L.) in mesocosms under irrigation frequencies of every day (I₁ treatment, 30 d), every two days (I₂ treatment, 12 d), every three days (I₃ treatment, 30 d), and every six days (I₆ treatment, 18 d, after I₂ treatment). Rates of CO₂ exchange for estimating net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (F_N), ecosystem respiration (R_E), and soil respiration (R_S) were measured, and gross C uptake by plants (F_G) and respiration from leaves (R_L) were calculated during two periods, 1–12 and 13–30 d, of the 30-d experiment. During the first 12 d, there were no significant differences in cumulative F_N (mean ±standard deviation, 61 ±30 g C m^-2, n = 4). During the subsequent 18 d, cumulative F_N decreased with decreasing irrigation frequency and increasing cumulative soil water deficit (W), with values of 70 ±22, 60 ±16, and 18 ±12 g C m^-2 for the I₁, I₃, and I₆ treatments, respectively. There were similar decreases in F_G, R_E, and R_L with increasing W, but differences in R_S were not significant. Use of the C₄ grass growing in a C₃-derived soil enabled partitioning of R_S into its autotrophic (R_A) and heterotrophic (R_H) components using a ¹³C natural abundance isotopic technique at the end of the experiment when differences in cumulative W between the treatments were the greatest. The values of R_H and its percentage contributions to R_S (43% ±8%, 42% ±8%, and 8% ±5% for the I₁, I₃, and I₆ treatments, respectively) suggested that R_H remained unaffected across a wide range of W and then decreased under extreme W. There were no significant differences in aboveground biomass between the treatments. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission was measured to determine if there was a trade-off effect between irrigation frequency and increasing W on net greenhouse gas emission, but no significant differences were found between the treatments. These findings suggest that over short periods in well-drained soil, irrigation frequency could be managed to manipulate soil water deficit in order to reduce net belowground respiratory C losses, particularly those from the microbial decomposition of soil organic matter, with no significant effect on biomass production and N₂O emission.     

施入粉煤灰和污泥对酸性淋溶土镉和铅吸附的影响

The safe recycling of fly ash (FA) and sewage sludge (SS) in the agricultural processes comprises an important environmental technology on waste management. Soils amended with FA and SS may change their ability to adsorb heavy metals due to either increase of soil pH or decomposition of sludge-borne organic matter. Thus, Cd and Pb sorption was investigated by 1-month incubation under soil moisture content at field capacity and room temperature with an acidic Typic Haploxeroalf from central Greece amended with varying amounts of FA and SS. Batch experiments were conducted by equilibrating the soil samples with CaCl₂ solutions containing 0-400 mg Pb L^-1 or 0-100 mg Cd L^-1. The results showed that the Freundlich equation described well the Cd and Pb sorption. Distribution coefficient (K_d) values of Pb were higher than those of Cd in all the treatments of this study. Application of FA increased K_d values for Cd and Pb to 8.2 and 2.3 times more than the controls, respectively. Simultaneous applications of FA and SS caused a K_d increase of 3.8 and 2.1 times compared to the treatments that received only SS for Cd and Pb, respectively. Treatment of SS alone did not significantly change Cd and Pb sorption compared to the controls. The sorption reactions seemed to be mainly affected by soil pH, which was revealed by the significant correlations of Cd and Pb sorption with soil pH. These suggested that fly ash was very useful as a low-cost adsorbent for Cd and Pb and could be used as an ameliorant for biosolid-amended acidic soils.     

DMPP mitigates N2O and NO productions by inhibiting ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in an intensified vegetable field under different temperature and moisture regimes

Vegetable soils with high nitrogen input are major sources of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and nitric oxide (NO), and incorporation of the nitrification inhibitor 3, 4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) into soils has been documented to effectively reduce emissions. However, the efficiency of DMPP in terms of soil N₂O and NO mitigations varies greatly depending on soil temperature and moisture levels. Thus, further evaluations of DMPP efficiency in diverse environments are required to encourage widespread application. A laboratory incubation study (28 d) was established to investigate the interactive effects of DMPP, temperature (15, 25, and 35 ℃), and soil moisture (55% and 80% of water-holding capacity (WHC)) on net nitrification rate, N₂O and NO productions, and gene abundances of nitrifiers and denitrifiers in an intensive vegetable soil. Results showed that incubating soil with 1% DMPP led to partial inhibition of the net nitrification rate and N₂O and NO productions, and the reduction percentage of N₂O production was higher than that of NO production (69.3% vs. 38.2%) regardless of temperature and soil moisture conditions. The increased temperatures promoted the net nitrification rate but decreased soil N₂O and NO productions. Soil moisture influenced NO production more than N₂O production, decreasing with the increased moisture level (80%). The inhibitory effect of DMPP on cumulative N₂O and NO productions decreased with increased temperatures at 55% WHC. Conversely, the inhibitory effect of DMPP on cumulative N₂O production increased with increased temperatures at 80% WHC. Based on the correlation analyses and automatic linear modeling, the mitigation of both N₂O and NO productions from the soil induced by DMPP was attributed to the decreases in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) amoA gene abundance and NO^-₂-N concentration. Overall, our study indicated that DMPP reduced both N₂O and NO productions by regulating the associated AOB amoA gene abundance and NO^-₂-N concentration. These findings improve our insights regarding the implications of DMPP for N₂O and NO mitigations in vegetable soils under various climate scenarios.     

大田条件下草本及灌木豆科植物固氮能力的评价

Natural ¹⁵N abundance method was used in this study to investigate the N₂-fixing capacities of several herbaceous and shrub legumes by a field experiment. For herbaceous legumes, the results were in consistent with those obtained by a pot experiment. Crotalaria mucronata Desv. had a higher N₂-fixing capacity than Vigna sinensis (L.) Savi. For shrub legumes, N₂-fixing capacity under field condition was slightly different from that in pot experiment. These results demonstrated that the natural ¹⁵N abundance method was applicable to evaluating N₂-fixing capacities of herbaceous and shrub legumes, and that pot experiment was suitable for evaluating the N₂-fixing capacities of not only herbaceous legumes but also shrub legumes. Leguminous N₂-fixing plants differed in response to phosphorus fertilization. Phosphorus fertilizer application greatly increased the percentage of nitrogen derived from air (% N dfa) and total amount of N₂ fixed by Lespedeza formosa (Vog.) Koehne (Jiangxi). Phosphorus fertilizer showed no significant effect on the N₂-fixing percentage of Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. but increased its total biomass, thus increasing the total amount of N₂ fixed.     

上海郊区园艺土壤氮素的生物形成动态变化

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) represents a significant pool of soluble nitrogen (N) in soil ecosystems. Soil samples under three different horticultural management practices were collected from the Xiaxiyang Organic Vegetable and Fruit Farm, Shanghai, China, to investigate the dynamics of N speciation during 2 months of aerobic incubation, to compare the effects of different soils on the mineralization of ¹⁴C-labeled amino acids and peptides, and to determine which of the pathways in the decomposition and subsequent ammonification and nitrification of organic N represented a significant blockage in soil N supply. The dynamics of N speciation was found to be significantly affected by mineralization and immobilization. DON, total free amino acids, and NH₄⁺-N were maintained at very low levels and did not accumulate, whereas NO₃^--N gradually accumulated in these soils. The conversion of insoluble organic N to low-molecular-weight (LMW) DON represented a main constraint to N supply, while conversions of LMW DON to NH₄⁺-N and NH₄⁺-N to NO₃^--N did not. Free amino acids and peptides were rapidly mineralized in the soils by the microbial community and consequently did not accumulate in soil. Turnover rates of the additional amino acids and peptides were soil-dependent and generally followed the order of organic soil > transitional soil > conventional soil. The turnover of high-molecular-weight DON was very slow and represented the major DON loss. Further studies are needed to investigate the pathways and bottlenecks of organic N degradation.     

中国陕西省施有机肥黄土NH4+固定的热力学性质

Some thermodynamic properties of NH₄⁺ fixation by loess soil in plowing and clay layers are discussed. The results indicate that the four ion adsorption equations commonly used can describe the properties of NH₄⁺ fixation in these soils under constant temperature. Among the four adsorption equations, the single-surface Langmuir equation is the best. When the concentration of NH₄Cl solution is 10^-1 mol below, the Freundlich equation can be used. The changes of apparent standard free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy (ΔH°) and entropy (ΔS°) illustrate that NH₄⁺ fixation in soil is an endothermic adsorption and spontaneous reaction, and the process can be enhanced by a higher temperature and clay content in soil. The "proper value of NH₄⁺ fixation by soil (K₁ × q_m) increased with increasing clay content and temperature. The heat of NH₄⁺ fixation in soil (Q_m) confirms the conclusions made in this paper.     

Net mineralization, net nitrification and potentially available nitrogen in the subsoil beneath a cultivated crop and a permanent pasture

The brigalow clay soils of central Queensland in eastern Australia contain large quantities of nitrate-N in the subsoil beneath shallow rooting cultivated crops. A laboratory incubation study was conducted to determine whether nitrate accumulation at depth beneath these crops was due to in situ nitrogen mineralization. Intact soil cores, 5 cm long and 5 cm diameter, were obtained at four depths to 120 cm beneath cultivated black gram (Vigna mungo) and green panic (Panicum maximum var trichoglume) permanent pasture and incubated for 12 weeks at 60% water-filled pore space and 25°C. Net mineralization of organic N occurred in all soil cores obtained from under black gram with values ranging from 4.3 to 9 mg N kg^?1 soil at 12 weeks. Beneath the pasture, net mineralization had not commenced by the end of 12 weeks. Potentially available nitrogen (N_a) ranged from 1.2 to 62.7 kg N ha^?1 under black gram, and from 10.2 to 136.9 kg N ha^?1 under pasture. A significant relationship was observed between N_a and total N beneath both crops, and between N_a and total C under the pasture. Leaching of N mineralized in the surface layers of soil appears to be the main avenue of nitrate build-up in the subsoil beneath black gram, with subsoil mineralization making only a partial contribution to the accumulated nitrate pool.     

Emission of N2O from rye grass (Lolium perenne L.)

 The possibility of an additional N₂O emission pathway via plants was investigated in a soil-rye-grass (Lolium perenne L.) system. The N₂O emission rate of the system varied between 0.8 and 13.3 mg N₂O-N m^–2 day^–1. Comparing the N₂O emission rate of the system before and immediately after cutting the rye grass allowed us to calculate the contribution of the rye grass to the N₂O emission from the soil-plant system. It was found that, depending on the type of fertilization and the growing period of the plants, the N₂O released from the rye grass varied between 0 and 2.8 mg N₂O-N m^–2 day^–1. N ₂ O emission mediated by the rye grass increased towards the end of the growing period. An exponential correlation [R²=0.93, y=(8×10^–6 x ² )–(2×10^–5 x)+0.21] was observed between the N₂O emission (y) from the rye grass and its NO₃ ^––N content (x). However, it was not clear whether N₂O was produced by the plants themselves or whether the rye grass served as a conduit for N₂O produced in the soil. Received: 18 March 1998     

不同培肥措施对采煤塌陷区复垦土壤氮素矿化的影响

为揭示不同培肥措施对采煤塌陷区复垦土壤氮素矿化特征,采用间歇淋洗好气培养法,研究了不施肥(CK)、单施化肥(CF)、单施有机肥(M)、化肥配施有机肥(MCF)和化肥配施生物有机肥(MCFB)5种培肥措施对复垦4年和8年土壤矿质态氮和可溶性有机氮变化及氮素矿化特征的影响。结果表明:间歇淋洗好气培养过程中,复垦8年土壤累积NO_3~-—N产生量较4年增加2.63%~26.83%,NH_4~+—N累积产生量增加12.50%~32.14%,可溶性有机氮(SON)累积产生量在CF和M处理下减少31.59%~62.50%,其他处理增加3.44%~34.69%。同一复垦年限下NO_3~-—N、NH_4~+—N和SON累积产生量均以MCFB最高。从矿化参数来看,5种培肥措施土壤矿化势(N_0)均表现为复垦8年高于复垦4年土壤,增加幅度为MCFB(26.9%)CK(15.9%)CF(15.0%)M(12.7%)MCF(4.8%);CK和CF处理下潜在可矿化有机氮(N_0/N)随复垦年限增加而减少,减少率分别为9.4%和13.8%,其余3种培肥措施N_0/N呈增加趋势,增加率表现为MCF(13.2%)MCFB(7.5%)M(2.8%);MCF处理下矿化率(N_t/N)随复垦年限增加而增加,增加率为13.2%,其余4种培肥措施的矿化率(N_t/N)均表现为复垦8年低于复垦4年土壤,减少幅度为CF(12.1%)CK(9.4%)MCFB(7.5%)M(2.7%)。不同处理间N_0、N_0/N和N_t/N值则均以8年复垦土壤的MCFB处理最高。综合来看,经过连续8年复垦,化肥配施生物有机肥较其他培肥措施更大程度上提高了各项矿化参数值,但随着复垦年限的增加,以化肥配施有机肥处理的N_0、N_0/N的增加幅度最大,以化肥配施生物有机肥处理的N_t/N减少率最低,长期单施化肥有降低潜在可矿化有机氮量(N_0/N)的趋势。     

几种土壤剖面的硝化作用及其动力学特征

选用陕西省六种主要耕作土壤及其剖面不同层次23个土样,在实验室培养条件下,研究其硝化作用的特点,并选用dN/dt=bN(B-N)/B方程（式中,N为硝态氮的累积量,t为试验培养时间,B耿硝态氮累积量的渐进值）,描述硝化作用过程中硝态氮含量随时间的累积,获得定量描述硝化作用强弱的两个指标（Kmx和td)。结果表明耕层土壤由北向南硝化作用强度逐渐减弱,硝化作用的最大速率（Kmx)变幅为2．70－16．58mg/kg.d,陕北的黑垆硝化作用进行最快,陕南的黄泥巴最慢,在不同土壤剖面中,硝化作用由上到下呈现减弱趋势,硝化作用的最大速率（Kmx)随土层深度增加而下降,迟缓期（td)随土层深度增加而延长,在粘化层和粘重土层中,硝化作用非常微弱或基本不发生硝化作用,这些不同土壤及剖面层次硝化作用的较差与土壤的物理,化学特性有关。     

不同培肥措施下复垦土壤氮素转化特征

为揭示不同复垦年限和培肥措施对采煤塌陷区复垦土壤氮素转化特征影响,分别采用间歇淋洗好气培养法、室内恒温控湿好气培养法和硝酸盐消失法研究了5种培肥措施下复垦4,8年土壤矿化、硝化、反硝化作用规律。结果表明:随复垦年限增加,土壤的矿化量(Nt)和矿化势(N0)均有增加,但土壤矿化率(Nt/N)及矿化势占全氮的比例(N0/N)无明显变化;不同培肥措施下,复垦8年土壤生物有机肥配施化肥处理(MCFB)Nt、N0、Nt/N和N0/N分别较单施化肥处理(CF)提高65.22%,65.21%,60.42%和60.76%。土壤硝化率和达到最大硝化速率需要的时间(Tmax)受复垦年限影响较小,不同施肥措施均可提高土壤硝化率,但处理间差异不显著;最大硝化速率(Vmax)随复垦年限增加而增大,复垦4,8年土壤Vmax和Tmax总体以MCFB效果优于其他培肥处理。土壤硝态氮损失率和硝酸盐消失速率随复垦年限的增加而增加,经过7天培养,不同培肥措施下复垦4年土壤硝态氮损失率以单施有机肥处理(M)最高,达78.72%,硝酸盐消失速率以MCFB处理最低,与不施肥对照(CK)一致;复垦8年土壤反硝化作用在不同处理下无显著差异。通过短期氮素转化作用强度比较,复垦土壤硝化作用>反硝化作用>矿化作用。综合来看,培肥对复垦土壤氮素转化作用提升效果明显,生物有机肥配施化肥更有利于土壤有效氮的保持和提高,减少氮素损失。     

有机肥和化肥长期配合施用对土壤及不同粒级供氮特性的影响

通过间隙淋洗培养试验 ,研究水旱轮作下有机肥与化肥长期配合施用后土壤及不同粒级中氮的矿化特性。结果表明 ,经 14年 2 9茬连续施肥后土壤氮素矿化势明显增加 ,不同处理间的顺序为 :猪粪 化肥 (3 10mgkg- 1) >秸秆 化肥 (2 98mgkg- 1) >化肥 (2 76mgkg- 1) >对照 (2 0 4mgkg- 1)。长期施肥对土壤氮素矿化速率常数影响较小 ,反映了在相同土壤条件下有机氮矿化的共性。经 16周连续培养各处理土壤氮素的矿化率均在 17%左右。土壤不同粒级中氮的矿化量和矿化势均为 0～ 2 μm >2～ 10 μm >50～ 10 0 μm >10～ 50 μm ,有机肥与化肥长期配合施用显著增加了 0～ 2和 2～ 10 μm粒级氮的矿化势和矿化量。与盆栽试验结果相比 ,培养过程矿化释放的氮明显高于同期土壤的供氮量 ,表明在使用矿化氮评价土壤供氮能力时必须加以矫正。     

Effects of biochar,urea and their co‐application on nitrogen mineralization in soil and growth of Chinese cabbage

Experiments were conducted to study the effect of soil applications of kunai grass (Imperata cylindrica) biochar (0 and 10 t/ha) and laboratory grade urea (0, 200 and 500 kg N/ha) and their co‐application on nitrogen (N) mineralization in an acid soil. The results of an incubation study showed that the biochar only treatment and co‐application with urea at 200 kg N/ha could impede transformation of urea to ammonium‐N (NH₄⁺‐N). Soil application of biochar together with urea at 500 kg N/ha produced the highest nitrate‐N (NO₃^?‐N) and mineral N concentrations in the soil over 90 days. Co‐application of urea N with biochar improved soil N mineralization parameters such as mineralization potential (N_A) and coefficient of mineralization rate (k) compared to biochar alone. In a parallel study performed under greenhouse conditions, Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. chinensis L.) showed significantly greater (P < 0.05) marketable fresh weight, dry matter production and N uptake in soil receiving urea N at 500 kg/ha or co‐application of biochar with urea N compared to the control. Application of biochar only or urea only at 200 kg N/ha did not offer any short‐term agronomic advantages. The N use efficiency of the crop remained unaffected by the fertilizer regimes. Applications of biochar only at 10 t/ha did not offer benefits in this tropical acid soil unless co‐applied with sufficient urea N.     

Microbial and soil parameters in relation to N mineralization in soils of diverse genesis under differing management systems

 Oregon soils from various management and genetic histories were used in a greenhouse study to determine the relationships between soil chemical and biological parameters and the uptake of soil mineralized nitrogen (N) by ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). The soils were tested for asparaginase, amidase, urease, β-glucosidase, and dipeptidase activities and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis. Microbial biomass carbon (C) and N as well as metabolic diversity using Biolog GN plates were measured, as were total soil N and C, pH, and absorbance of soil extracts at 270 nm and 210 nm. Potentially mineralizable N (N₀) and the mineralization rate constant (k) were calculated using a first order nonlinear regression model and these coefficients were used to calculate the initial potential rate of N mineralization (N₀ k). Except for Biolog GN plates, the other parameters were highly correlated to mineralized N uptake and each other. A model using total soil N and β-glucosidase as parameters provided the best predictor of mineralized N uptake by ryegrass (R ² =0.83). Chemical and biological parameters of soils with the same history of formation but under different management systems differed significantly from each other in most cases. The calculated values of the initial potential rate of mineralization in some cases revealed management differences within the same soil types. The results showed that management of soils is readily reflected in certain soil chemical and biological indicators and that some biological tests may be useful in predicting N mineralization in soils. Received: 31 January 1997     

Influence of cover crops on potential nitrogen availability to succeeding crops in a Southern Piedmont soil

Winter cover crops are essential in conservation tillage systems to protect soils from erosion and for improving soil productivity. Black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb) and oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus L.) could be useful cover crops in the southeastern USA, but successful adoption requires understanding their influence on N availability in conservation tillage systems. Black oat and oilseed radish were compared to crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) and rye (Secale cereale L.) for biomass production and effects on N mineralization during the summer crop growing season from fall 1998 through summer 2002 near Watkinsville, GA. Rye produced 40 to 60% more biomass, although N contents were less than the other cover crops. Oilseed radish and black oat N contents were similar to crimson clover. Black oat, oilseed radish, and crimson clover C/N ratios were less than 30, whereas rye averaged 39. Amount of N mineralized in 90 days (N _min90) measured with in situ soil cores was 1.3 to 2.2 times greater following black oat, crimson clover, and oilseed radish than following rye. No differences in N _min90 were found between black oats, crimson clover, and oilseed radish in 1999 and 2000. The amount of potentially mineralizable N (N ₀) was not different due to cover crop, but was 1.5 times greater in 2000 and 2002 than in 1999. The rate of N mineralization (k) was 20 to 50% slower following rye than the other three cover crops. Black oat and oilseed radish biomass production and soil N mineralization dynamics were more similar to crimson clover than to rye, which indicates that they could be used as cover crops in the southeast without significant changes in N recommendations for most crops.

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The effect of different tree species on the chemical and microbial properties of reclaimed mine soils

The chemical and microbial properties of afforested mine soils are likely to depend on the species composition of the introduced vegetation. This study compared the chemical and microbial properties of organic horizons and the uppermost mineral layers in mine soils under pure pine (Pinus sylvestris), birch (Betula pendula), larch (Larix decidua), alder (Alnus glutinosa), and mixed pine–alder and birch–alder forest stands. The studied properties included soil pH, content of organic C (C_org) and total N (N_t), microbial biomass (C_mic), basal respiration, nitrogen mineralization rate (Min-N), and the activities of dehydrogenase, acid phosphomonoesterase, and urease. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) was used to detect differences in the chemical composition of soil organic matter under the studied forest stands. There were significant differences in C_org and N_t contents between stands in both O and mineral soil horizons and also in the chemical composition of the accumulated organic matter, as indicated by NIR spectra differences. Alder was associated with the largest C_org and N_t accumulation but also with a significant decrease of pH in the mineral soil. Microbial biomass, respiration, the percentage of C_org present as C_mic, Min-N, and dehydrogenase activity were the highest under the birch stand, indicating a positive effect of birch on soil microflora. Admixture of alder to coniferous stand increased basal respiration, Min-N, and activities of dehydrogenase and acid phosphomonoesterase as compared with the pure pine stand. In the O horizon, soil pH and N_t content had the most important effects on all microbial properties. In this horizon, the activities of urease and acid phosphomonoesterase did not depend on microbial biomass. In the mineral layer, however, the amount of accumulated C and microbial biomass were of primary importance for the enzyme activities.