Effect of long-term field exposure of soil to acetylene on nitrification,denitrification, and acetylene consumption

Coated CaC₂ is a newly developed product which can supply nitrification-inhibiting quantities of C₂H₂ (1–10 Pa) to the soil, throughout a cropping season. This method of applying C₂H₂ to the soil maintains C₂H₂ in the soil continuously for several months. It is not know whether these low C₂H₂ concentrations alter soil microbial processes. A field study was initiated to determine the effect of supplying C₂H₂ to a clay soil, using coated CaC₂, on soil respiration, denitrification, nitrification, and C₂H₂ consumption. The C₂H₂ consumption rate increased with length of soil exposure to C₂H₂ (r ²=0.59). The rates of CO₂ production (r ²=0.88) and denitrification (r ²=0.86) were both highly correlated with the C₂H₂ consumption rates. The nitrifier potential decreased to a minimum of 21% of the control after 3 months of C₂H₂ treatment. After this time, nitrifier activity increased to 41% of the control after 11 months of treatment. This increase was due to increased C₂H₂ consumption in the soil. After 3 months of continuous application of C₂H₂ to the soil, the C₂H₂ concentrations were generally below that necessary to inhibit nitrification. No adaptation to the C₂H₂ by nitrifiers was found. Repeating these measurements 1 year later showed that soils previously exposed to C₂H₂ retained their enhanced C₂H₂ oxidation capacity and the capacity to use C₂H₂ to increase denitrification. Nitrification potentials remained about 50% lower in soils exposed to C₂H₂ a year earlier compared to soils not previously exposed to C₂H₂.     

N dynamics and sources of N2O production following pig slurry application to a loamy soil

Carbon (C) and Nitrogen dynamics and sources of nitrous oxide (N₂O) production were investigated in a loamy soil amended with pig slurry. Pig slurry (40000kgha^–1) or distilled H₂O was applied to intact soil cores of the upper 5cm of a loamy soil which were incubated under aerobic conditions for 28 days at 25°C. Treatments were with or without acetylene (C₂H₂), which is assumed to inhibit the reduction of N₂O to dinitrogen (N₂), and with or without dicyandiamide (DCD), which is thought to inhibit nitrification. Volatilization of ammonia (NH₃), pH, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and N₂O production, and ammonium (NH₄ ⁺) and nitrate NO₃ ^–) concentrations were monitored. The pH of the pig slurry amended soil increased from an initial value of 7.1 to pH 8.3 within 3 days; it then decreased slowly but was still at a value of 7.4 after 28 days. Twenty percent of the NH₄ ⁺ applied volatilized within 28 days. Sixty percent of the C applied in the pig slurry evolved as CO₂, if no priming effect was assumed, but only 38% evolved when the soil was amended with DCD. Pig slurry significantly increased denitrification and the ratio between its gaseous products, N₂O and N₂, was 0.21. No significant increases in NO₃ ^– concentration occurred, and N₂O produced through nitrification was 0.07mg N₂O-N kg^–1 day^–1 or 33% of the total N₂O produced. C₂H₂ was used as a C substrate by microorganisms and increased the production of N₂O. Received: 12 May 1997     

A simple gas chromatographic approach to evaluate CO2 release,N2O evolution,and O2 uptake from soil

Summary We have developed a simple method for the determination of gaseous compounds that reflect microbial activity in soil, as affected by factors such as the presence of an organic amendment (peat) or a variation in soil moisture. The method is based on a gas chromatographic analysis of the headspace of vials containing the soil under examination. A single gas chromatograph can detect up to 10 different gases. As expected, after peat was added to the soil, CO₂ evolution and O₂ uptake increased significantly. Positive relationships were found between the evolution of N₂O, and soil moisture and the amount of peat added to the soil. Both the these variables influenced the CO₂:O₂ ratio. The results given by this method show high reproducibility.     

Nitrogen mineralization,N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O production and soil microbiological properties as affected by long-term applications of sewage sludge composts

A field study was conducted to investigate the long-term effect of surface application of sewage sludge composts vs chemical N fertilizer on total N, total C, soluble organic C, pH, EC, microbial biomass C and N, protease activity, deaminase activity, urease activity, gross and net rates of N mineralization and nitrification, CO₂ evolution, and N₂O production. Soil samples were taken from five depths (0–15, 15–20, 20–30, 30–40, and 40–50 cm) of a long-term experiment at the University of Tokyo, Japan. Three fields have been receiving sewage sludge composted with rice husk (RH), sawdust (SD), or mixed chemical fertilizer NPK (CF), applied at the rate of 240 kg N ha^–1 each in split applications in summer and autumn since 1978. Significantly higher amounts of total N and C and soluble organic C were found in the compost than in the CF treatments up to the 40-cm soil depth, indicating improved soil quality in the former. In the CF treatment, soil pH values were significantly lower and electrical conductivity values were significantly higher than those of compost-treated soils of up to 50 cm depth. Soil microbial biomass C and N, CO₂ evolution, protease, deaminase, and urease activities were significantly higher in the compost than in the CF treatments due to greater availability of organic substrates that stimulated microbial activity. Gross N mineralization rates determined by ¹⁵N dilution technique were eight and five times higher in the SD and RH treatments than in the CF treatment, respectively, probably due to high levels of microbial and enzyme activities. Net N mineralization rates were also significantly higher in the compost treatments and were negative in the CF treatment indicating immobilization. Net nitrification rates were higher in compost treatments and negative in the CF treatment. Nitrous oxide productions from compost treatments were higher than the CF treatment due to the greater availability of mineral N as a result of higher mineralization and nitrification rates and soluble organic C in the former. Most of the measured parameters were highest in the surface soil (0–15 cm) and were significantly higher in the SD treatment than in the RH treatment.     

The effect of some carbon substrates on denitrification rates and carbon utilization in soil

Summary Soil was amended with a variety of carbon sources, including four soluble compounds (glucose, sucrose, glycerol and mannitol) and two plant residues (straw and alfalfa).. Potential denitrification rates, measured both as N₂O accumulation and NO₃ ^– disappearance, were compared, and the predicted values of available C, measured as CO₂ production and water-extractable C, were assessed.The two measures of denitrification agreed well although N₂O accumulation was, found to be most sensitive. Soil treated with the four soluble C compounds resulted in the same rate of denitrification although glycerol was not as rapidly oxidized. Alfalfa-amended soil produced a significantly higher rate of denitrification than the same amount of added straw. CO₂ evolution was found to be a good predictor of denitrification over the first 2 days of sampling, but neither measure of available substrate C correlated well with denitrification rate beyond 4 days, when NO₃ ^– was depleted in most treatments. The data with alfalfa-amended soil suggested that denitrifiers used water-extractable C. materials produced by other organisms under anaerobic conditions.     

Relationships between soil moisture content and nitrous oxide production during nitrification and denitrification

Summary The effect of soil water content [60%–100% water-holding capacity (WHC)] on N₂O production during autotrophic nitrification and denitrification in a loam soil was studied in a laboratory experiment by selectively inhibiting nitrification with a low C₂H₂ concentration (2.1 Pa). Nitrifiers usually produced more N₂O than denitrifiers. During an initial experimental period of 0–6 days the nitrifiers produced more N₂O than the denitrifiers by a factor ranging from 1.4 to 16.5, depending on the water content and length of incubation. The highest N₂O production rate by nitrifiers was observed at 90% WHC, when the soil had become partly anaerobic, as indicated by the high denitrification rate. At 100% WHC there were large gaseous losses from denitrification, while nitrification losses were smaller except for the first period of measurement, when there was still some O₂ remaining in the soil. The use of 10 kPa C₂H₂ to inhibit reduction of N₂O to N₂ stimulated the denitrification process during prolonged incubation over several days; thus the method is unsuitable for long-term studies.     

Linkage of N2O emissions to the abundance of soil ammonia oxidizers and denitrifiers in purple soil under long-term fertilization

Abstract

Microbial nitrification and denitrification are responsible for the majority of soil nitrous (N₂O) emissions. In this study, N₂O emissions were measured and the abundance of ammonium oxidizers and denitrifiers were quantified in purple soil in a long-term fertilization experiment to explore their relationships. The average N₂O fluxes and abundance of the amoAgene in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria during the observed dry season were highest when treated with mixed nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer (NPK) and a single N treatment (N) using NH₄HCO₃as the sole N source; lower values were obtained using organic manure with pig slurry and added NPK at a ratio of 40%:60% (OMNPK),organic manure with pig slurry (OM) and returning crop straw residue plus synthetic NH₄HCO₃fertilizer at a ratio of 15%:85% (SRNPK). The lowest N₂O fluxes were observed in the treatment that used crop straw residue(SR) and in the control with no fertilizer (CK). Soil NH₄⁺provides the substrate for nitrification generating N₂O as a byproduct. The N₂O flux was significantly correlated with the abundance of the amoA gene in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (r = 0.984, p < 0.001), which was the main driver of nitrification. During the wet season, soil nitrate (NO₃^?) and soil organic matter (SOC) were found positively correlated with N₂O emissions (r = 0.774, p = 0.041 and r = 0.827, p = 0.015, respectively). The nirS gene showed a similar trend with N₂O fluxes. These results show the relationship between the abundance of soil microbes and N₂O emissions and suggest that N₂O emissions during the dry season were due to nitrification, whereas in wet season, denitrification might dominate N₂O emission.     

Saccharidic compounds as soil redox effectors and their influence on potential N2O production

Cellulose, xylan, and glucose were compared in waterlogged soil as modifying factors of the redox potential (Eh), of the quantity of reducing equivalents, and of the soil capacity to produce N₂O and CO₂. During the study period (168 h) soils supplied with glucose and xylan showed a higher Eh decrease than the control soil and the soil treated with cellulose. In samples taken after 0, 24, 48, and 168 h, the soils supplied with C showed a higher number of reducing equivalents than the control soil did. These quantities were not correlated with Eh values, nor with N₂O production. N₂O production was increased compared with the control soil over the entire experimental period in the glucose-amended soils but only after 48 h in the xylan-amended soils and not until 168 h in the cellulose-treated soils. The CO₂:N₂O ratio was consistently higher than the theoretical value of 2, suggesting that denitrification and CO₂ production via fermentation occurred simultaneously. Moreover, this ratio was highly correlated with the Eh values. We conclude that more research is needed to explain the role of soil redox intensity (Eh) and capacity (quantity of redox species undergoing reduction) in the expression of soil denitrification-fermentation pathways.     

施肥对夏玉米季紫色土N2O排放及反硝化作用的影响

采用原状土柱-乙炔抑制培养法研究了施肥对紫色土玉米生长季土壤N2O排放通量和反硝化作用的影响.结果表明:玉米季施肥显著增加土壤N2O排放和反硝化损失,同时,各施肥处理间N2O排放与反硝化损失量差异显著.猪厩肥、猪厩肥配施氮磷钾肥、氮肥、氮磷钾肥和秸秆配施氮磷钾肥等处理的土壤N,O排放量分别为3.01、2.86、2.51、2.19和1.88 kg hm-2,分别占当季氮肥施用量的1.63％、1.53％、1.30％、1.09％和0.88％,反硝化损失量分别为6.74、6.11、5.23、4.69和4.12 kg hm-2,分别占当季氮肥施用量的3.97％、3.55％、2.97％、2.61％和2.23％,不施肥土壤的N2O排放量和反硝化损失量仅为0.56和0.78 kg hm-2.施肥是紫色土玉米生长前期(2周内)土壤N2O排放和反硝化速率出现高峰的主要驱动因子,土壤铵态氮和硝态氮含量是影响土壤N2O排放、土壤硝化和反硝化作用的限制因子,土壤含水量是重要影响因子,降雨是主要促发因素.土壤N2O排放量与反硝化损失量的比值介于0.45 ～0.72之间,土壤反硝化损失量极显著高于土壤N2O排放量,说明土壤反硝化作用是紫色土玉米生长季氮肥损失的重要途径.     

Effects of nitrogen fertilization and irrigation on N2O emissions from a sandy soil in Germany

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of supplemental irrigation on the amount of N₂O emissions on a sandy soil in north-east Germany. N₂O flux measurements were carried out over two vegetation periods from the emergence of plants to harvest. The level of N₂O emissions was low, which is typical for sandy soils in north-east Germany. In both periods, irrigation had no increasing effect on N₂O emissions. Relevant factors were the soil temperature and the soil water-filled pore space (WFPS), which were mainly influenced by weather conditions. This may indicate that nitrification was the main source of N₂O emissions. In conclusion, this study has confirmed that sandy soils under weather conditions of north-east Germany generally have a very low potential for N₂O emissions.     

Long-term fertilization, manure and liming effects on soil organic matter and crop yields

Yield decline or stagnation and its relationship with soil organic matter fractions in soybean (Glycine max L.)–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping system under long-term fertilizer use are not well understood. To understand this phenomenon, soil organic matter fractions and soil aggregate size distribution were studied in an Alfisol (Typic Haplustalf) at a long-term experiment at Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, India. For 30 years, the following fertilizer treatments were compared with undisturbed fallow plots (without crop and fertilizer management): unfertilized (control), 100% recommended rate of N, NP, NPK, NPK+ farmyard manure (FYM) and NPK + lime. Yield declined with time for soybean in control (30 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and NP (21 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) treatments and for wheat in control (46 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and N (25 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) treatments. However, yield increased with time for NPK + FYM and NPK + lime treatments in wheat. At a depth of 0–15 cm, small macroaggregates (0.25–2 mm) dominated soil (43–61%) followed by microaggregates (0.053–0.25 mm) with 13–28%. Soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), nitrogen (SMBN) and acid hydrolysable carbohydrates (HCH) were greater in NPK + FYM and NPK + lime as compared to other treatments. With three decades of cultivation, C and N mineralization were greater in microaggregates than in small macroaggregates and relatively resistant mineral associated organic matter (silt + clay fraction). Particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON) decreased significantly in control, N and NP application over fallow. Results suggest that continuous use of NPK + FYM or NPK + lime would sustain yield in a soybean–wheat system without deteriorating soil quality.     

The effect of urea and pig slurry fertilization on denitrification, direct nitrous oxide emission, volatile fatty acids, water-soluble carbon and anthrone-reactive carbon in maize-cropped soil from the Po plain (Modena, Italy)

 The use of zootechnical slurries in agriculture can increase N losses as N₂O by direct emission and by denitrification. The aim of this research was to determine the influence of pig slurry, as well as its combination with mineral N, on N₂O emissions in the field and their relationships with some fractions of soil organic matter, with soil moisture and with rainfall. In spite of varying amounts of organic substance applied, the diverse agronomic treatments did not produce substantial differences in N losses due to denitrification. Wide variations between the slurry fertilized and the urea-fertilized plots were not found, whereas the combination of pig slurry with urea usually produced an increase both in N₂O emissions due to denitrification and in direct N₂O emissions (N losses corresponding to about 50% of those due to denitrification). The greatest losses of N₂O-N occurred in the first month following fertilizer administration. N₂O emissions due to denitrification were highest in the days immediately following the administration of fertilizers and lowest in a later period. N₂O emissions due to nitrification occurred later. Therefore, N₂O emission via nitrification differed from N₂O losses via denitrification which, under optimal conditions, presented peaks of activity during the whole growth cycle. The N₂O-N losses were highly influenced by physical parameters, particularly rain. An increase in micropore water creates conditions of scarce oxygenation or of anaerobiosis which influence oxidation-reduction processes and, at the same time, can limit the diffusion of bacteria-produced gas towards the soil surface. Received: 14 January 1998     

Transitioning from standard to minimum tillage: Trade-offs between soil organic matter stabilization, nitrous oxide emissions, and N availability in irrigated cropping systems

Few studies address nutrient cycling during the transition period (e.g., 1–4 years following conversion) from standard to some form of conservation tillage. This study compares the influence of minimum versus standard tillage on changes in soil nitrogen (N) stabilization, nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, short-term N cycling, and crop N use efficiency 1 year after tillage conversion in conventional (i.e., synthetic fertilizer-N only), low-input (i.e., alternating annual synthetic fertilizer- and cover crop-N), and organic (i.e., manure- and cover crop-N) irrigated, maize–tomato systems in California. To understand the mechanisms governing N cycling in these systems, we traced ¹⁵N-labeled fertilizer/cover crop into the maize grain, whole soil, and three soil fractions: macroaggregates (>250 μm), microaggregates (53–250 μm) and silt-and-clay (<53 μm). We found a cropping system effect on soil N_new (i.e., N derived from ¹⁵N-fertilizer or -¹⁵N-cover crop), with 173 kg N_new ha⁻¹ in the conventional system compared to 71.6 and 69.2 kg N_new ha⁻¹ in the low-input and organic systems, respectively. In the conventional system, more N_new was found in the microaggregate and silt-and-clay fractions, whereas, the N_new of the organic and low-input systems resided mainly in the macroaggregates. Even though no effect of tillage was found on soil aggregation, the minimum tillage systems showed greater soil fraction-N_new than the standard tillage systems, suggesting greater potential for N stabilization under minimum tillage. Grain-N_new was also higher in the minimum versus standard tillage systems. Nevertheless, minimum tillage led to the greatest N₂O emissions (39.5 g N₂O–N ha⁻¹ day⁻¹) from the conventional cropping system, where N turnover was already the fastest among the cropping systems. In contrast, minimum tillage combined with the low-input system (which received the least N ha⁻¹) produced intermediate N₂O emissions, soil N stabilization, and crop N use efficiency. Although total soil N did not change after 1 year of conversion from standard to minimum tillage, our use of stable isotopes permitted the early detection of interactive effects between tillage regimes and cropping systems that determine the trade-offs among N stabilization, N₂O emissions, and N availability.     

长期施肥对潮土团聚体有机碳分子结构的影响

采取长期施用有机肥（CM）、一半化肥氮和一半有机肥氮（HCM）、化肥（NPK）和不施肥对照（CK）的土壤,用湿筛法分为大团聚体（2000~250 μm）、微团聚体（250~53 μm）和粉砂 黏粒组分（<53 μm）,利用固态13C-核磁共振技术分析了土壤和团聚体中有机质的分子结构特征。结果表明,随着团聚体粒径减小,烷基碳/烷氧碳比值逐渐提高,并与土壤C/N呈显著负相关（R2 = 0.421,p = 0.022）,表明随着团聚体粒径减小,有机质的分解程度不断增加。与对照土壤相比,长期施用有机肥（HCM和CM处理）提高了土壤中烷氧碳和羰基碳的相对含量,烷氧碳的增加主要是由于大团聚体中甲氧基和含氮烷基碳相对含量的增加,羰基碳则主要在大团聚体和微团聚体中积聚。施用化肥土壤提高了烷氧碳和烷基碳的相对含量,烷氧碳增加主要是由于大团聚体中甲氧基和含氮烷基碳以及微团聚体中含氧烷基碳相对含量的提高,烷基碳增加主要发生在大团聚体。有机肥和化肥处理土壤中芳基碳相对含量降低1.8%~4.6%,主要是大团聚体和微团聚体中芳基碳比例下降引起的。而在粉砂 黏粒组分中芳基碳和酚基碳均增加,烷基碳相对含量降低5.9%~7.1%,表明施肥更利于芳香碳在小粒径组分中积累,减弱烷基碳在小粒径组分中的积累。结果表明长期施用有机肥可通过大团聚体和微团聚体物理保护肥料带入的大量碳水化合物和有机酸从而提高土壤有机碳含量。     

Twenty years of intensive fertilization and competing vegetation suppression in loblolly pine plantations: Impacts on soil C, N, and microbial biomass

Silvicultural treatments of fertilization (F) and competing vegetation suppression (H) have continued to increase as demands for forest products have grown. The effects of intensive annual F and H treatments on soil C, N, microbial biomass, and CO₂ efflux were examined in a two-way factorial experiment (control, F, H, FxH) in late-rotation (20+ years) loblolly pine stands. This study is unique in testing the cumulative effects of continual H and repeated F treatments for the first 20 years of stand growth, an uncommon operational practice, and in having treatments replicated upon four different soil types in the state of Georgia, USA. Annual fertilization included applications of N, P, K and periodic additions of micronutrients while competing vegetation suppression was maintained for all non-pine vegetation with herbicides throughout the rotation. Measurements included total O-horizon (forest floor) organic matter, C, and N, and 0-10 cm mineral soil pH, C, N, microbial biomass C and N, and surface CO₂ efflux. Sample collections and analyses were conducted seasonally for 1.5 yrs. Competing vegetation suppression was associated with a decrease of total soil C, soil microbial biomass C and N, and soil surface CO₂ efflux, while increasing O-horizon C:N. The fertilization treatment greatly reduced soil microbial biomass C and N, soil pH, and O-horizon C:N, while increasing O-horizon mass, N content, and soil carbon. No significant interactions between F and H were found. The combination of F and H treatments acted additively to achieve the greatest loss of soil microbial biomass, which may possibly have negative implications for long-term soil fertility.     

Short-term effects of single or combined application of mineral N fertilizer and cattle slurry on the fluxes of radiatively active trace gases from grassland soil

After implementation of legislative measures for the reduction of environmental hazards from nitrate leaching and ammonia volatilisation when using organic manures and fertilizers in Europe, much attention is now paid to the specific effects of these fertilizers on the dynamics of global warming-relevant trace gases in soil. Particularly nitrogen fertilizers and slurry from animal husbandry are known to play a key role for the CH₄ and N₂O fluxes from soils. Here we report on a short-term evaluation of trace gas fluxes in grassland as affected by single or combined application of mineral fertilizer and organic manure in early spring. Methane fluxes were characterised by a short methane emission event immediately after application of cattle slurry. Within the same day methane fluxes returned to negative, and on average over the 4-day period after slurry application, only a small but insignificant trend to reduced methane oxidation was found. Nitrous oxide emissions showed a pronounced effect of combined slurry and mineral fertilizer application. In particular fresh cattle slurry combined with calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) mineral fertilizer induced an increase in mean N₂O flux during the first 4 days after application from 10 to 300 μg N₂O-N m⁻² h⁻¹. ¹⁵N analysis of emitted N₂O from ¹⁵N-labelled fertilizer or manure indicated that easily decomposable slurry C compounds induced a pronounced promotion of N₂O-N emission derived from mineral CAN fertilizer. Fluxes after application of either mineral fertilizer or slurry alone showed an increase of less than 5-fold. The NO_x sink strength of the soil was in the range of −6 to −10 μg NO_x-N m⁻² h⁻¹ and after fertilization it showed a tendency to be reduced by no more than 2 μg NO_x-N m⁻² h⁻¹, which was a result of both, increased NO emission and slightly increased NO₂ deposition. Associated determination of the N₂O:N₂ emission ratio revealed that after mineral N application (CAN) a large proportion (c. 50%) was emitted as N₂O, while after application of slurry with easily decomposable C and predominantly -N serving as N-source, the N₂O:N₂ emission ratio was 1:14, i.e. was changed in favour of N₂. Our work provides evidence that particularly the combination of slurry and nitrate-containing N fertilizers gives rise to considerable N₂O emissions from mineral fertilizer N pool.     

Gaseous nitrogen losses from fertilized soil during nitrification and denitrification using the acetylene blockage technique

Summary A sandy soil amended with different forms and amounts of fertilizer nitrogen (urea, ammonium sulphate and potassium nitrate) was investigated in model experiments for N₂O emission, which may be evolved during both oxidation of ammonia to nitrate and anaerobic respiration of nitrate. Since C₂H₂ inhibits both nitrification and the reduction of N₂O to N₂ during denitrification, the amount of N₂O evolved in the presence and absence of C₂H₂ represents the nitrogen released through nitrification and denitrification.Results show that amounts of N₂O-N lost from soils incubated anaerobically with 0.1% C₂H₂ and treated with potassium nitrate (23.1 µg N-NO ₃ ^– /g dry soil) exceeded those from soils incubated in the presence of 20% oxygen and treated with even larger amounts of nitrogen as urea and ammonium sulphate. This indicates that nitrogen losses by denitrification may potentially be higher than those occurring through nitrification.     

Injection of pig slurry and its effects on dynamics of nitrogen and carbon in a loamy soil unter laboratory conditions

Dynamics of nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) were investigated in a loamy soil amended or injected with pig slurry. Treatments were with or without acetylene C₂H₂ (which is assumed to inhibit reduction of nitrous oxide (N₂O) to dinitrogen (N₂), and soil cores were conditioned for 15 days at 25°C while pH, production of CO₂ and N₂O, ammonia (NH₃) emission and (nitrate) (NO₃ ^–) and (ammonium) (NH₄ ⁺) concentrations were monitored. There was no significant difference in CO₂ production between the injected and surface applied pig slurry treatments, and within 15 days ca. 5% of the C applied had been mineralized, if no priming effect was assumed. Neither the production of N₂O nor the total gaseous production of the denitrification process (N₂O plus N₂) were affected by the way the pig slurry was added to the soil. NH₃ volatilization, however, decreased by 90% when pig slurry was injected. The addition of C₂H₂ significantly increased the CO₂ production and the concentration of NH₄ ⁺, but significantly decreased the concentration of NO₃ ^–. It was concluded that the injection of pig slurry to a dry soil was an acceptable alternative to its application to the soil surface, as not only was NH₃ volatilization reduced, but the production of N₂O and N₂ through denitrification was not stimulated. It is also suggested that the composition of the organic C fraction in the pig slurry, most likely the concentration of fatty acids, had an important effect on the dynamics of N and C in the soil. Received: 12 May 1997     

Methods for measuring N2O flux from water surface and N2O dissolved in water from agricultural land

A new chamber method and a stripping method were developed for field measurements of the rate of N₂O emission from the water surface and for determinations of dissolved N₂O in water from agricultural land.

These methods were used for the measurement of drainage canal water and flooded water of rice fields during the period of June 1982 to January 1983. The results demonstrate that aquatic systems of agricultural land may provide both source and sink for atmospheric N₂O.     

Denitrification,N2-fixation and fermentation during anaerobic incubation of soils amended with glucose and nitrate

Nitrate and glucose additions were investigated for their role in the C and N dynamics during anaerobic incubation of soil. A gas-flow soil core method was used, in which the net production of N₂, N₂O, NO, CO₂, and CH₄ under a He atmosphere could be monitored both accurately and frequently. In all experiments clayey silt loam soil samples were incubated for 9 days at 25 °C. Addition of nitrate (50 mg KNO₃-N kg^-1 soil) had no effect on total denitrification and CO₂ production rates, while the N₂O/N₂ ratio was affected considerably. The cumulative N₂O production exceeded the cumulative N₂ production for 6 days in the treatment with nitrate addition, compared to 1.2 days in the unamended treatment. Glucose addition stimulated the microbial activity considerably. The denitrification rates were limited by the growth rate of the denitrifying population. During denitrification no significant differences were observed between the treatments with 700 mg glucose-C kg^-1 and 4200 mg glucose-C kg^-1, both in combination with 50 mg KNO₃-N kg^-1. The N₂ production rates were remarkably low, until NO _inf3 ^sup- exhaustion caused rapid reduction of N₂O to N₂ at day 2. During the denitrification period 15–18 mg N kg^-1 was immobilised in the growing biomass. After NO _inf3 ^sup- shortage, a second microbial population, capable of N₂-fixation, became increasingly important. This change was clearly reflected in the CO₂ production rates. Net volatile fatty acid (VFA) production was monitored during the net N₂-fixation period with acetate as the dominant product. N₂-fixation faded out, probably due to N₂ shortage, followed by increased VFA production. In the high C treatment butyrate became the most important VFA, while in the low C treatment acetate and butyrate were produced at equal rates. During denitrification no VFA accumulation occurred; this does not prove, however, that denitrification and fermentation appeared sequentially. The experiments illustrate clearly the interactions of C-availability, microbial population and nitrate availability as influencing factors on denitrification and fermentation.Dedicated to Professor J. C. G. Ottow on the occasion of his 60th birthday