MEASUREMENT OF LOSSES FROM FERTILIZER NITROGEN DURING INCUBATION IN ACID SANDY SOILS AND DURING SUBSEQUENT GROWTH OF RYEGRASS, USING 15N-LABELLED FERTILIZERS

Ammonium sulphate and calcium nitrate both containing excess ¹⁵N were applied to four acid sandy soils; two were from old arable fields and two from grassland, selected so that one of each pair was about pH 5 and the other about pH 6 (in water). The soils were incubated for 6 weeks at 21°C in large glazed earthenware pots, one set with the nitrification inhibitor 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)-pyridine added and another without inhibitor. Ammonium and nitrate N were determined at intervals, and the total-N at the start and after 6 weeks. The atom per cent ¹⁵N in the mineral-N extracted from soils treated with ammonium sulphate was determined after 0, 3, and 6 weeks, and in the total-N of all the soils given N-fertilizer at 0 and 6 weeks. Much added N was immobilized at first, but some was re-mineralized during the second half of the incubation. Mineral-N extracted from soils treated with ammonium sulphate contained less ¹⁵N than the fertilizer added, showing that part of the apparent re-mineralization during the second half was from unlabelled soil organic matter. After incubating for 6 weeks less than 5 per cent of the N added as nitrate was lost but about 5 per cent of the labelled-N added as ammonium sulphate was lost from the two grassland soils. Adding the inhibitor prevented this loss. After incubating, the soil remaining in each jar was halved to provide duplicate pots and sown with ryegrass. A similar series of pots with the same treatments (but with unlabelled fertilizer) was also prepared from the soils that had been stored slightly moist and at 21°C; these were sown with ryegrass. All pots were harvested after 42 days and again after 70 days. More than 93 per cent of the labelled-N was recovered in plants and soil, except from the two grassland soils to which calcium nitrate was added. It is concluded that while a little nitrogen may be lost during nitrification in some of these soils, more nitrogen may be lost during the growth of grass, when nitrate is present in relatively large amounts. The nitrification inhibitor decreased yields of grass at the first cutting on grassland soils treated with ammonium, but increased them on soil treated with nitrate, suggesting that changing the proportions of nitrate to ammonium by adding the inhibitor alters the growth rate and yield of grass.     

Soil Acidification Induced by Ammonium Sulphate Addition in a Norway Spruce Forest in Southwest Sweden

The contributions of different acidifying processes to the total protonload (TPL) of the soil in control plots (C) and ammonium sulphate treatedplots (NS) were studied in a Norway spruce stand in Southwest Sweden during 1988–1998. The annual deposition of inorganic nitrogen and sulphate was on average 18 kg N and 20 kg S ha^-1. In addition the NS treated plots received 100 kg N and 114 kg S ha^-1 annually. The amounts of nutrients added to the ecosystem by wet and dry deposition and the leaching at 50 cm depth were calculated. The net atmosphericproton load, the proton load by nitrogen transformations in the soil, the sulphate sorption/desorption in the soil and the excess base cation accumulation in biomass were calculated. There was no leaching of inorganic nitrogen from control plots during the study period. The net atmospheric proton deposition, originating from sulphuric and nitric acid deposition, was the main contributor to TPL in control plots. The addition of ammonium sulphate increased the leaching of ammonium, nitrate, sulphate, magnesium and calcium but not of potassium. The TPL in NS plots was about ten times that in control plots. The nitrogen transformation processes were the main contributors to TPL to NS soil, in the beginning by ammonium uptake and later also by nitrification. The pH decreased by 0.4 units in the mineral soil. The between-year variation in TPL during the eleven year period in C plots (200–1500 mol_c ha^-1 yr^-1) and in NS plots (1000–13000 mol_c ha^-1 yr^-1) was mainly dependent on the sorption or release of sulphate. Both in C and NS, the TPL was buffered mainly by dissolving solid aluminium compounds, most probably some Al(OH)₃ phase.     

Influence of added ammonium sulphate on the leaching of aluminium,nitrate and sulphate —A laboratory experiment

Relationships between the concentrations of sulphate, nitrate and Al were studied in leachates from reconstructed soil profiles of a previously N fertilized Haplic Podzol. Half of the profiles were covered with the grassDeschampsia fexuosa (Trin.), and the other half were not. The soil profiles were subjected to different N loads, in the form of ammonium sulphate. The doses were 0.5 mmol ammonium-N during the first part of the experiment and 1.0 mmol ammonium-N during the later part. Uptake of N by the vegetation almost completely eliminated the effects of added ammonium, even when the soil profile was strongly nitrifying. Fertilizer treatment caused nitrate to leach from the non-covered soil profiles, although there was a net retention of N. The concentration of Al in leachates was positively correlated with nitrate. Fertilizer treatment increased the proportion of inorganic monomeric Al in leachates. Most sulphate retention seemed to take place in the O horizon. In the presence of vegetation sulphate concentration was enhanced to a greater degree than could be explained from differences in evapotranspiration estimated from the Cl^?/S0₄ ^2? ratio in the leachates. Soil N dynamics on a forest clear-cutting are discussed with reference to the present findings.     

Interaction of 15N-labelled ammonium nitrate,urea and ammonium sulphate with soil N during growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under field conditions

The effects of ¹⁵N-labelled ammonium nitrate, urea and ammonium sulphate on yield and uptake of labelled and unlabelled N by wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Mexi-Pak-65) were studied in a field experiment. The dry matter and N yields were significantly increased with fertilizer N application compared to those from unfertilized soil. The wheat crop used 64.0–74.8%, 61.5–64.7% and 61.7–63.4% of the N from ammonium nitrate, urea and ammonium sulphate, respectively. The fertilizer N uptake showed that ammonium nitrate was a more available source of N for wheat than urea and ammonium sulphate. The effective use of fertilizer N (ratio of fertilizer N in grain to fertilizer N in whole plant) was statistically similar for the three N fertilizers. The application of fertilizer N increased the uptake of unlabelled soil N by wheat, a result attributed to a positive added N interaction, which varied with the method of application of fertilizer N. Ammonium nitrate, urea and ammonium sulphate gave 59.3%, 42.8% and 26.3% more added N interaction, respectively, when applied by the broadcast/worked-in method than with band placement. A highly significant correlation between soil N and grain yield, dry matter and added N interaction showed that soil N was more important than fertilizer N in wheat production. A values were not significantly correlated with added N interaction (r=0.719). The observed added N interaction may have been the result of pool substitution, whereby added labelled fertilizer N stood proxy for unlabelled soil N.     

TRANSFORMATION OF 15N-LABELLED AMMONIUM IN TWO SOILS DIFFERING IN NH+4-FIXING CAPACITY

Two soils differing in ammonium fixation capacity were incubated for 127 days with ¹⁵N-ammonium sulphate. In a gley soil with high NH⁺₄-fixing capacity caused by smectites with a charge up to 0.8 per formula unit, the major part of the added ammonium was first fixed by minerals and then released slowly during incubation. The proportion of labelled N in the nitrate fraction increased during the first weeks and then decreased permanently. In contrast, in a histosol with low NH⁺₄-fixing capacity, the exchangeable fraction contained most of the labelled NH⁺₄, this being highly available to microorganisms and therefore subject to nitrification. About 50% of the added ¹⁵NH₄ was lost from the histosol in 127 days, but only about 20 per cent was lost from the gley soil.     

Can differences in 15N natural abundance be used to quantify the transfer of nitrogen from legumes to neighbouring non-legume plant species?

Natural variations in the stable isotope ¹⁵N are often exploited in studies of N cycling in ecosystems. Lower ¹⁵N natural abundance in non-legume plants growing in association with legumes, compared with the non-legume grown alone in pure stands have been observed in cropping, forage, and agroforestry systems. Such observations have frequently been attributed to the transfer of biologically-fixed nitrogen (N) from the legume to the companion non-legume, and various methodologies have been employed to calculate the extent of the N transfer. While some of these ¹⁵N natural abundance-based estimates of N transfer were within the range previously reported using equivalent ¹⁵N-enriched techniques (<20% of non-legume plant N and <10 kg N ha⁻¹ derived from fixed N contributed by neighbouring legumes), many of the values obtained using natural abundance were much higher (30%–83% of the non-legume N derived from fixed N representing up to 30–40 kg N ha⁻¹) than generally measured by ¹⁵N-enriched methods; with even greater estimates being determined where data were available to allow N transfer to be re-calculated on the basis of total legume N rather than fixed N (42% to >100%, and up to 110 kg N ha⁻¹ per year). This review raises concerns about the assumptions behind the natural abundance approach, and provides some alternative interpretations for the observed differences in natural ¹⁵N abundance between plants grown in the presence and absence of legumes. It was concluded that simple comparative measures of non-legume δ¹⁵N alone cannot provide a quantitative estimate of N transfer between plant species if the dominant source and the isotopic identity of the transferred N cannot be validated, and if the extent of any isotopic fractionation associated with relevant N transformations occurring during transfer cannot be defined. To date this information is not forthcoming. There is a need to greatly improve our understanding of the transfer processes before the real value of the δ¹⁵N technology can be realized. In the first instance this will primarily be achieved by carefully executed experiments under controlled conditions, and in the field, employing both ¹⁵N natural abundance and enrichment approaches so estimates of transfer can be compared, and the data interrogated using modelling approaches to explore isotopic fractionation.     

Subsoil retention of organic and inorganic nitrogen in a Brazilian savanna Oxisol

Abstract. Nitrogen (N) loss by leaching poses great challenges for N availability to crops as well as nitrate pollution of groundwater. Few studies address this issue with respect to the role of the subsoil in the deep and highly weathered savanna soils of the tropics, which exhibit different adsorption and drainage patterns to soils in temperate environments. In an Anionic Acrustox of the Brazilian savanna, the Cerrado, dynamics and budgets of applied N were studied in organic and inorganic soil pools of two maize (Zea mays L.) – soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) rotations using ¹⁵N tracing. Labelled ammonium sulphate was applied at 10 kg N ha^?1 (with 10 atom%¹⁵N excess) to both maize and soybean at the beginning of the cropping season. Amounts and isotopic composition of N were determined in above‐ground biomass, soil, adsorbed mineral N, and in soil solution at 0.15, 0.3, 0.8, 1.2 and 2 m depths using suction lysimeters throughout one cropping season. The applied ammonium was rapidly nitrified or immobilized in soil organic matter, and recovery of applied ammonium in soil 2 weeks after application was negligible. Large amounts of nitrate were adsorbed in the subsoil (150–300 kg NO₃^?‐N ha^?1 per 2 m) matching total N uptake by the crops (130–400 kg N ha^?1). Throughout one cropping season, more applied N (49–77%; determined by ¹⁵N tracers) was immobilized in soil organic matter than was present as adsorbed nitrate (2–3%). Most of the applied N (71–96% of ¹⁵N recovery) was found in the subsoil at 0.15–2 m depth. This coincided with an increase with depth of dissolved organic N as a proportion of total dissolved N (39–63%). Hydrophilic organic N was the dominant fraction of dissolved organic N and was, together with nitrate, the most important carrier for applied N. Most of this N (>80%) was leached from the topsoil (0–0.15 m) during the first 30 days after application. Subsoil N retention as both adsorbed inorganic N, and especially soil organic N, was found to be of great importance in determining N losses, soil N depletion and the potential of nitrate contamination of groundwater.     

Effect of sewage sludge and ammonium nitrate on wheat yield and soil profile inorganic nitrogen accumulation 1

The beneficial effect of sewage sludge in crop production has been demonstrated, but there is concern regarding its contribution to nitrate (NO₃) leaching. The objectives of this study were to compare nitrogen (N) rates of sewage sludge and ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) on soil profile (0–180 cm), inorganic N [ammonium nitrate (NH₄‐N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃‐N)] accumulation, yield, and N uptake in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). One field experiment was established in 1993 that evaluated six N rates (0 to 540 kg·ha^‐1·yr^‐1) as dry anaerobically digested sewage sludge and ammonium nitrate. Lime application in 1993 (4.48 Mg ha^‐1) with 540 kg N ha^‐1·yr^‐1 was also evaluated. A laboratory incubation study was included to simulate N mineralization from sewage sludge applied at rates of 45, 180, and 540 kg N ha^‐1·yr^‐1. Treatments did not affect surface soil (0–30 cm) pH, organic carbon (C), and total N following the first (1994) and second (1995) harvest. Soil profile inorganic N accumulation increased when ≥270 kg N ha^‐1 was applied as ammonium nitrate. Less soil profile inorganic N accumulation was detected when lime was applied. In general, wheat yields and N uptake increased linearly with applied N as sewage sludge, while wheat yields and N uptake peaked at 270 kg N ha^‐1 when N was applied as ammonium nitrate. Lime did not affect yields or N uptake. Fertilizer N immobilization was expected to be high at this site where wheat was produced for the first time in over 10 years (previously in native bermudagrass). Estimated N use efficiency using sewage sludge in grain production was 20% (average of two harvests) compared to ammonium nitrate. Estimated plant N recovery was 17% for sewage sludge and 27% for ammonium nitrate.     

Dynamics of soil extractable carbon and nitrogen under different cover crop residues

Purpose

Cover crop residue is generally applied to improve soil quality and crop productivity. Improved understanding of dynamics of soil extractable organic carbon (EOC) and nitrogen (EON) under cover crops is useful for developing effective agronomic management and nitrogen (N) fertilization strategies.

Materials and methods

Dynamics of soil extractable inorganic and organic carbon (C) and N pools were investigated under six cover crop treatments, which included two legume crops (capello woolly pod vetch and field pea), three non-legume crops (wheat, Saia oat and Indian mustard), and a nil-crop control (CK) in southeastern Australia. Cover crops at anthesis were crimp-rolled onto the soil surface in October 2009. Soil and crop residue samples were taken over the periods October?CDecember (2009) and March?CMay (2010), respectively, to examine remaining crop residue biomass, soil NH₄ ⁺?N and NO₃ ^??CN as well as EOC and EON concentrations using extraction methods of 2?M KCl and hot water. Additionally, soil net N mineralization rates were measured for soil samples collected in May 2010.

Results and discussion

The CK treatment had the highest soil inorganic N (NH₄ ⁺?N?+?NO₃ ^??CN) at the sampling time in December 2009 but decreased greatly with sampling time. The cover crop treatments had greater soil EOC and EON concentrations than the CK treatment. However, no significant differences in soil NH₄ ⁺?N, NO₃ ^??CN, EOC, EON, and ratios of EOC to EON were found between the legume and non-legume cover crop treatments across the sampling times, which were supported by the similar results of soil net N mineralization rates among the treatments. Stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated that soil EOC in the hot water extracts was mainly affected by soil total C (R ²?=?0.654, P?<?0.001), while the crop residue biomass determined soil EON in the hot water extracts (R ²?=?0.591, P?<?0.001).

Conclusions

The cover crop treatments had lower loss of soil inorganic N compared with the CK treatment across the sampling times. The legume and non-legume cover crop treatments did not significantly differ in soil EOC and EON pools across the sampling times. In addition, the decomposition of cover crop residues had more influence on soil EON than the decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM), which indicated less N fertilization under cover crop residues. On the other hand, the decomposition of SOM exerted more influence on soil EOC across the sampling times among the treatments, implying different C and N cycling under cover crops.     

Sesbania rostrata green manure and the nitrogen content of rice crop and soil

The effects of four treatments upon the N content of rice crop and soil in 1m² irrigated microplots were compared: (1) PK fertilization + Sesbania rostrata (inoculated stems) ploughed in as green manure when it was 52 days old. (2) PK fertilization + S. rostrata (non-inoculated stems) ploughed in as green manure. (3) PK fertilization + ammonium sulphate (60kg N ha^?1). (4) PK fertilization alone (control).The application of chemical N fertilizer (treatment 3) increased the grain yield by 169 g m^?2 (1.69t ha^?1). whereas incorporating S. rostrata as green manure resulted in a grain yield increase of 372 g m^?2 (3.72t ha^?1). N₂ fixed by S. rostrata was estimated to be at least 26.7 g m^?2 (267kg N ha^?1), one third being transferred to the crop and two thirds to the soil.     

Nitrogen and phosphorus use in maize sole cropping and maize/cowpea mixed cropping systems on an Alfisol in the northern Guinea Savanna of Ghana

Summary The use of N and P by mixed and by sole cropping (crop rotation) of maize and cowpeas were compared in a field experiment on an Alfisol at the Nyankpala Agricultural Experiment Station in the northern Guinea Savanna of Ghana, using two levels of N (0 and 80 kg N ha^-1 year^-1 as urea) and P application (0 and 60 kg P ha^-1 year^-1 as Volta phosphate rock). Maize grain yields were significantly reduced in the mixed cropping system. This yield difference became smaller with the application of N and P fertilizer. The N and P concentrations in maize ear leaves at silking indicated that a deficiency in N and P contributed to the maize yield depression in mixed cropping. Competition for soil and fertilizer N between maize and cowpeas was suggested by: (1) A similarity in total N uptake between the two cropping systems; (2) efficient use of soil nitrate by the cowpeas; and (3) low N₂ fixation by the cowpeas, calculated with the aid of an extended-difference method. In general, N₂ fixation was low, with the highest values in the sole cropping (53 kg ha^-1) and a substantial reduction in the mixed cropping system. The application of N fertilizer further reduced N₂ fixation. This was substantiated by nodule counts. The lower N₂ fixation in the mixed cropping system was only partly explained by the lower density of cowpeas in this system. In addition, dry spells during the cropping season and shading by the maize component could have reduced the nodulation efficiency. No N transfer from the legume/rhizobium to the non-legume crop was observed. Impaired P nutrition in the mixed compared with the sole-cropped maize might have been due to less P mobility in the soil. This was indicated by lower soil moisture contents in the topsoil under mixed cropping, especially during the dry year of 1986. The results show that mixed cropping of maize and cowpeas did not lead to improved use of soil and fertilizer N and P or to an enhanced N₂ fixation. On the contrary, an annual rotation of maize and cowpeas was clearly superior.     

Mineral N dynamics in bare and cropped Leucaena leucocephala and Dactyladenia barteri alley cropping systems after the addition of 15N-labelled leaf residues

In tropical cropping systems with few external inputs, efficient management of mineral N derived from added organic residues is essential for the proper functioning of the system. We studied the dynamics of mineral nitrogen (N) in the top 100 cm of soil with a system of tensiometers and suction cups after applying ¹⁵N-labelled Leucaena leucocephala and Dactyladenia barteri residues to bare and cropped microplots installed in the respective alley cropping systems, and followed the fate of the N for two maize-cowpea rotations (1992 and 1993). Fifty days after applying the residues (DDA), 20% of the added residue N was found in the soil profile of the bare Leucaena treatment, and 5% under Dactyladenia, compared with 5% and 1%, respectively, where cropped. All values decreased to about 1% after 505 days. In the cropped soil, no mineral N derived from the residues was lost by leaching during the first 6 weeks. As the maize grew, the soil profile was gradually depleted of nitrate to near Zero in the Dactyladenia treatment, whereas during the cowpea season the amount of nitrate N increased to 36 kg N ha^?1 for the Leucaena treatment, and 26 kg N ha^?1 for the Dactyladenia treatment. The soil of the bare microplots contained substantially more nitrate N (98 and 47 kg N ha^-1 during the first year on average, under Leucaena and Dactyladenia, respetively) than that of the cropped microplots, except during the 1993 cowpea season. Nitrate residing in the subsoil (80–100 cm) in the bare treatments was not readily leached to deeper soil. The risk of losses of native mineral N was greatest during the first 50 DAA and to a lesser extent during the cowpea seasons. Improved management of the hedgerows could increase the potential of the hedgerow trees to recycle mineral N.     

Fate of fertilizer nitrogen.

Results are presented from a three year lysimeter investigation, employing single (¹⁵NH₄NO₃) and double (¹⁵NH₄¹⁵NO₃) labelled ammonium nitrate to study the uptake of soil and fertilizer nitrogen by cut ryegrass at 250, 500 and 900 kg N ha^?1 a^?1. Average annual recoveries of nitrogen were equivalent to 99,76 and 50% of the nitrogen added at 250, 500 and 900 kg N ha^?1, respectively. At 250 kg N ha^?1 the difference between the overall nitrogen recovery and the fertilizer recovery was almost entirely attributable to pool substitution resulting from mineralization/immobilization turnover (MIT). At 900 kg N ha^?1 both the low overall recovery of nitrogen and the low fertilizer recovery reflected the large excess of available nitrogen over crop requirements. No evidence of ‘priming’ was obtained. Analysis of the results from single and double labelled lysimeters using simultaneous equations indicated that at 250 kg N ha^?1,～70% of the nitrogen in the crop was derived from the ammonium pool. At 500 kg N ha^?1 this dropped to 64%, while at 900 kg N ha^?1 the figure was 59%. There was a suggestion that at the lower application rates, preferential uptake of ammonium was occurring but that as N supply exceeded crop requirements, nitrate was the major N source. Despite the preferential exploitation of the ammonium pool, at 250 and 500 kg N ha^?1 pool substitution resulting from MIT resulted in lower recoveries of fertilizer ammonium compared with fertilizer nitrate.     

Accumulation of Nutrients in Above and Below Ground Biomass in Response to Ammonium Sulphate Addition in a Norway Spruce Stand in Southwest Sweden

The effects of ammonium sulphate (NS) on the accumulation of nutrients in above and below ground biomass and soil were studied in a Norway spruce stand in south-west Sweden during 1988–1993. Ammonium sulphate addition resulted in nitrogen accumulation with 326 and 16 kg ha^?1 in above and below ground biomass, respectively. Corresponding figures for the control plots (C) were 34 and 3 kg ha^?1. Nitrogen accumulation in forest floor of NS was 266 kg ha^?1 and 47 kg ha^?1 in mineral soil. About 70% of added sulphate by fertiliser was retained in NS plots (482 kg S ha^?1) of which 274 kg ha^?1 was adsorbed in the mineral soil. The sulphate addition resulted in increased leaching of nitrogen, magnesium, calcium and sulphur. It is suggested that the spruce stand at the study site has a high capacity to accumulate nitrogen with a high above ground production. The high input of ammonium sulphate may in the long run result in increased losses of cations to ground water.     

Microbial activities in a histosol: Effects of wood ash and NPK fertilizers

Mineralization of organic matter and microbial activities in an intensively cultivated acid, N-rich peat soil planted with Salix sp. cv. aquatica were examined for 3 yr. The soil was amended with wood ash or NPK fertilizers providing N as ammonium nitrate or urea. The wood ash amendment (10 tons ha^?1) increased soil pH from 4.6 to 5.5 and increased markedly all microbial activities measured, resulting in increased mineralization and N availability, and in loss of 9% total soil N during the first year. The addition of ammonium nitrate caused a corresponding though less pronounced increase in N mineralization. Cellulose decomposition increased in all amended soils, reaching rates 53–86% higher than in non-amended soil. Potential N₂ fixation (C₂H₂ reduction) by free-living organisms was increased by the ash-amendment. Potential denitrification rates were positively correlated (r = 0.98) with the presence of water-soluble organic-C, which was more abundant in ash-amended and non-amended soils than in the soils fertilized with N.     

Utilization by wheat crops of nitrogen from legume residues decomposing in soils in the field

Ground ¹⁵N-labelled legume material (Medicago littoralis) was mixed with topsoils in confined microplots in the field, and allowed to decompose for 7 and 5 months in successive years (1979, 1980) before sowing wheat. The soil cropped in 1979 (and containing ¹⁵N-labelled wheat roots and legume residues) was cropped again in 1980.The results support evidence that ungrazed legume residues, incorporated in amounts commonly found in southern Australian wheat growing regions, contribute only a little to soil available N and to crop N uptake, even in the first year of their decomposition. Thus mature first crops of wheat, although varying greatly in dry matter yield (2.9-fold) and total N uptake (2.4-fold), took up only 27.8 and 20.2% of the legume N applied at 48.4 kg ha^?1, these corresponding to 6.1 and 10.8% of the N of the wheat crops. The availability of N from medic residues to a second wheat crop declines to <5% of input. For both first and second wheat crops, uptake of N from legume residues was approximately proportional to legume N input over the range 24.2 to 96.8 kg ha ^?1.The proportional contributions of medic N to soil inorganic N, N released in mineralization tests, and to wheat crop N, differed between seasons and soils, but for a given crop did not significantly differ between tillering, flowering and maturity. In both years, grain accounted for 52–65% of the total ¹⁵N of first crops, roots for < 5–6%. In neither year did the amounts of N or ¹⁵N in the tops change significantly between flowering and maturity, despite a gain in tops dry matter in 1979; by contrast N and ¹⁵N of roots decreased significantly during ripening in both years. Wheat plants at tillering contained about 75% of the N and ¹⁵N taken up at flowering. The amounts of legume-derived ¹⁵N in mature first wheat crops were equivalent to 82–88% of the amounts of inorganic ¹⁵N in the soil profiles at sowing. Wheat straw added at the rate of 2.5 t ha^?1, 2 months before sowing, decreased the uptake of N (15%) and ¹⁵N (18%) by wheat in a nitrogen responsive season.     

Soil-Applied Nitrogen and Composted Manure Effects on Soybean Hay Quality and Grain Yield

ABSTRACT

Grain yield in many soybean experiments fails to respond to fertilizer nitrogen (N). A few positive responses have been reported when soybean were grown in the southern U.S., when N was applied near flowering and when biosolids were added. In a previous study, low N concentrations of soybean forage in north Texas on a high pH calcareous soil were reported and thus, we suspected a N nutrition problem. Consequently, we initiated this study to determine whether selected preplant N sources broadcast and incorporated into a Houston Black clay (fine, smectitic, thermic Udic Haplusterts) might increase forage N concentration, forage yield, or soybean grain yield. In 2003, N was applied as ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃, AN) up to 112 kg N ha^{? 1} and dairy manure compost (DMC) was applied at rates of 4.9, 9.9, 15.0, and 19.9 Mg ha^{? 1}. The DMC contained 5.9, 2.6, and 6.7 g kg^{? 1} of total N, P, and K, respectively; thus DMC added 29 to 116 kg N ha^{? 1}. In 2004, AN was applied at rates of 112 and 224 kg N ha^{? 1} and DMC was applied at 28 and 57 Mg ha^{? 1}; thus, DMC added 168 to 335 kg N ha^{? 1}. In another 2004 test, biosolids, a biosolids/municipal yard waste compost mixture (BYWC), and AN were compared. The biosolids contained 31, 18, and 2.9 g kg^{? 1} total N, P, and K, respectively. The BYWC mixture contained 8.8, 6.1, and 3.4 g kg^{? 1} of total N, P, and K, respectively. Biosolids were applied at 10 Mg ha^{? 1} (310 kg N ha^{? 1}), BYWC was applied at 58 Mg ha^{? 1} (510 kg N ha^{? 1}), and AN up to 224 kg N ha^{? 1}. None of the soil treatments increased soybean grain yield or forage yield although AN slightly increased forage N concentration in 2003.     

Seasonal nitrogen dynamics in lowland rice cropping systems in inland valleys of northern Ghana

Farmers in the inland valleys of northern Ghana are challenged with nitrogen (N) deficiency as a major production constraint of rainfed lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.). With extremely low use of external inputs, there is a need to efficiently use the systems' internal resources such as native soil N. Largest soil nitrate‐N losses are expected to occur during the transition between the dry and wet season (DWT) when the soil aeration status changes from aerobic to anaerobic conditions. Technical options avoiding the build‐up of nitrate are expected to reduce N losses and may thus enhance the yield of rice. A field study in the moist savanna zone of Ghana assessed the in situ mineralization of native soil N, the contribution of nitrate to the valley bottom by sub‐surface flow from adjacent slopes, and the effects of crop and land management options during DWT on seasonal soil N_min dynamics and the yield of lowland rice. Large amounts of nitrate accumulated during DWT with a peak of 58 kg ha⁻¹ in lowland soils, of which 32 kg ha⁻¹ were contributed from the adjacent upland slope. Most of this nitrate disappeared at the onset of the wet season, possibly by leaching and denitrification upon soil flooding. While the incorporation of rice straw (temporary immobilization of soil N in the microbial biomass) had little effect on soil N conservation, growing a crop during DWT conserved 22–27 kg of soil N ha⁻¹ in the biomass and Crotalaria juncea supplied an additional 43 kg N ha⁻¹ from biological N₂ fixation. Farmers' practice of bare fallow during DWT resulted in the lowest rice grain yield that increased from 1.3 (2.2) to 3.9 t ha⁻¹ in case of the transition‐season legume. Growing a pre‐rice legume during DWT appears a promising option to manage N and increase lowland rice yields in the inland valleys of northern Ghana.     

Denitrification losses from 15N-labelled calcium nitrate fertilizer in a clay soil in the field

Calcium nitrate fertilizer containing 92.3 atoms % excess nitrogen-15 was applied on 5 May 1981 at a rate equivalent to 100 kg N ha^?1 to a clay soil in southern England cropped to winter wheat. Samples of the soil gases were collected frequently during the following 3 weeks. The soil oxygen concentration declined to 5% after 60 mm rain. A maximum of 1.5 ± 0.5 atom % N-15 enrichment in labelled N₂ gas (²⁹N₂) was detected in the soil atmosphere on 28 May. Total denitrification losses, calculated from air-filled pore space and rates of gas loss from the soil estimated using a Fick's law approximation, were 9.5 kg N ha^?1 with a daily rate of 0.30 ± 0.07 kg N ha^?1. Estimated total losses were greater than 30 kg N ha^?1, 93% in the form N₂, but the estimation depends on several assumptions about the amount of double labelled gas (³⁰N₂), rates of gas diffusion and flux.     

Amino acid 15N in long-term bare fallow soils: influence of annual N fertilizer and manure applications

Long‐term dynamics of amino acids (AAs), from a bare fallow soil experiment (established in 1928 at INRA‐Versailles, France), were examined in unamended control (Con) plots and plots treated with ammonium sulphate (Amsul), ammonium nitrate (Amnit), sodium nitrate (Nanit) or with animal manure (Man). Topsoil (0–25 cm) from 1929, 1963 and 1997 was analysed for C, N and ¹⁵N content and distribution of 18 amino acids recovered after acid hydrolysis with 6 m HCl. With time, soil N, C and AA content were reduced in Con, Amsul, Amnit and Nanit, but increased in Man. However, the absolute N loss was 3–11 times larger in Man than Nanit, Amsul, Amnit and Con, due to the much higher N annual inputs applied to Man. From 1929 to 1997 in Con, Amsul, Amnit and Nanit the whole soil and non‐hydrolysable‐N pool δ¹⁵N increased associated with the loss of N (indicative of Rayleigh ¹⁵N^/14N fractionation). No δ¹⁵N change from 1929 to 1997 was found in the hydrolysable AA‐N (HAN) pool. Fertilizer N inputs aided stabilization of soil AA‐N, as AA half‐life in the mineral N fertilizer treatments increased from 34 years in 1963 to 50 years in 1997. The δ¹⁵N values of alanine and leucine reflected both source input and ¹⁵N^/14N fractionation effects in soils. The δ¹⁵N increase of ornithine (～6‰) was similar to the whole soil. The δ¹⁵N change of phenylalanine in Con (decrease of 7‰) was related to its proportional loss since 1929, whereas for Amsul, Amnit, Nanit and Man it was associated with isotope effects caused by the fertilizer inputs. However, the soil δ¹⁵N value of most individual amino acids (IAAs) did not significantly change over nearly 70 years, even with mineral or organic N inputs. We conclude for these bare fallow systems that: (i) δ¹⁵N changes in the whole soil and non‐hydrolysable AA pool were solely driven by microbial processes and not by the nature of fertilizer inputs, and (ii) without plant inputs, the δ¹⁵N of the HAN pool and (most) IAAs may reflect the influence of plant–soil interactions from the previous (arable cropping) rather than present (fallow) land use on these soil δ¹⁵N values.