Gross N transfer rates in field soils measured by 15N-pool dilution

Abstract

A micro-plot ¹⁵N-tracer experiment was established in three different soils of a long-term soil fertility field experiment. The nutrient-poor loam sand has been subjected to various treatments over the years and this has resulted in different organic C (0.35% – 0.86%), microbial biomass (38.3 – 100.0 µg C _mic g^?1 soil), clay and fine silt contents. Using the ¹⁵N-pool dilution technique, we assessed gross N-transfer rates in the field. Gross N mineralization rates varied strongly among the three plots and ranged between 0.4 and 4.2 µg N g^?1 soil d^?1. Gross nitrification rates were estimated to be between 0 and 2.1 µg N g^?1 soil d^?1. No correlation between gross N mineralization rates and the organic matter content of the soils was established. However, gross nitrate consumption rates increased with increasing soil C content. The ¹⁵N-pool dilution technique was successfully used to measure gross N transfer rates directly in the field.     

Arylamidase Activity as an Index of Nitrogen Mineralization in Soils

Abstract

The enzyme arylamidase [EC 3.4.11.2] catalyzes the hydrolysis of N‐terminal amino acids from arylamides. Because it has been proposed that this enzyme may play a major role in nitrogen (N) mineralization in soils, studies were carried out using short‐term laboratory incubations under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and chemical hydrolysis of soil organic N to assess the N mineralization in a range of 51 soils from six agroecological zones of the North Central region of the United States. The enzyme activity was assayed at its optimal pH value. With the exception of the values obtained for field‐moist soils incubated under anaerobic conditions, the amounts of N mineralized by all the biological and chemical methods studied were significantly correlated with arylamidase activity, with r values of 0.54*** for the amounts of inorganic N produced under aerobic incubation, of 0.44** for anaerobic incubation of air‐dried soils, of 0.53*** and 0.55*** for the amounts of ammonium (NH₄ ⁺)‐N released by steam distillation with PO₄‐B₄O₇ for 4 and 8 min, respectively; and of 0.49*** and 0.53*** for the amounts of NH₄ ⁺‐N released by steam distillation with disodium tetraborate (Na₂B₄O₇) for 4 min or 8 min, respectively. The amounts of N extractable with hot potassium chloride (KCl) were most significantly correlated with arylamidase activity (r=0.56***). Arylamidase activity was significantly correlated with organic carbon (C) (r=0.49***), organic N (r=0.55***), and fixed ammonium (NH₄ ⁺)‐N (r =0.42**).     

Leaf litter C and N cycling from a deciduous permanent crop

Our understanding of leaf litter carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling and its effects on N management of deciduous permanent crops is limited. In a 30-day laboratory incubation, we compared soil respiration and changes in mineral N [ammonium (NH₄⁺-N) + nitrate (NO₃^–-N)], microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), total organic carbon (TOC) and total non-extractable organic nitrogen (TON) between a control soil at ¹⁵N natural abundance (δ¹⁵N = 1.08‰) without leaf litter and a treatment with the same soil, but with almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb) leaf litter that was also enriched in ¹⁵N (δ¹⁵N = 213‰). Furthermore, a two-end member isotope mixing model was used to identify the source of N in mineral N, MBN and TON pools as either soil or leaf litter. Over 30 d, control and treatment TOC pools decreased while the TON pool increased for the treatment and decreased for the control. Greater soil respiration and significantly lower (p < 0.05) mineral N from 3 to 15 d and significantly greater MBN from 10 to 30 d were observed for the treatment compared to the control. After 30 d, soil-sourced mineral N was significantly greater for the treatment compared to the control. Combined mineral N and MBN pools derived from leaf litter followed a positive linear trend (R² = 0.75) at a rate of 1.39 μg N g^?1 soil day^?1. These results suggest early-stage decomposition of leaf litter leads to N immobilization followed by greater N mineralization during later stages of decomposition. Direct observations of leaf litter C and N cycling assists with quantifying soil N retention and availability in orchard N budgets.     

Changes in the soil C and N contents,C decomposition and N mineralization potentials in a rice paddy after long-term application of inorganic fertilizers and organic matter

A long-term experiment on combined inorganic fertilizers and organic matter in paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation began in May 1982 in Yamagata, northeastern Japan. In 2012, after the 31^st harvest, soil samples were collected from five fertilizer treatments [(1) PK, (2) NPK, (3) NPK + 6 Mg ha^?1 rice straw (RS), (4) NPK + 10 Mg ha^?1 rice straw compost (CM1), and (5) NPK + 30 Mg ha^?1 rice straw compost (CM3)], at five soil depths (0–5, 5–10, 10–15, 15–20 and 20–25 cm), to assess the changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) content and carbon (C) decomposition potential, total nitrogen (TN) content and nitrogen (N) mineralization potential resulting from long-term organic matter addition. The C decomposition potential was assessed based on the methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) produced, while the N mineralization potential was determined from the potassium chloride (KCl)-extractable ammonium-nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), after 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of anaerobic incubation at 30°C in the laboratory. Compared to NPK treatment, SOC in the total 0–25 cm layer increased by 67.3, 21.0 and10.8%, and TN increased by 64.2, 19.7 and 10.6%, in CM3, RS and CM1, respectively, and SOC and TN showed a slight reduction in the PK treatment by 5.2 and 5.7%, respectively. Applying rice straw compost (10 Mg ha^?1) instead of rice straw (6 Mg ha^?1) to rice paddies reduced methane production by about 19% after the soils were measured under 8 weeks of anaerobic incubation at 30°C. Soil carbon decomposition potential (Co) and nitrogen mineralization potential (No) were highly correlated with the SOC and TN contents. The mean ratio of Co/No was 4.49, lower than the mean ratio of SOC/TN (13.49) for all treatments, which indicated that the easily decomposed organic matter was from soil microbial biomass and soil proteins.     

Leaching Methods Can Underestimate Mineralization Potential of Soils

Aerobic incubations to estimate net nitrogen (N) mineralization typically involve periodic leaching of soil with 0.01 M calcium chloride (CaCl₂), so as to remove mineral N that would otherwise be subject to immobilization. A study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of leaching for analysis of exchangeable ammonium (NH₄⁺)-N and nitrate + nitrite (NO₃^?+ NO₂^–)-N, relative to conventional extractions using 2 M potassium chloride (KCl). Ten air-dried soils were used, five each from Illinois and Brazil, that had been amended with NH₄⁺-N (1 g kg^?1) and NO₃^–-N (0.6 g kg^?1). Both methods were in good agreement for inorganic N analysis of the Brazilian Oxisols, whereas leaching was significantly lower by 12–48% in recovering exchangeable NH₄⁺-N from Illinois Alfisols, Mollisols, and Histosols. The potential for underestimating net N mineralization was confirmed by a 12-wk incubation experiment showing 9–86% of mineral N recoveries from three temperate soils as exchangeable NH₄⁺.     

Mineralization of Three Organic Manures Used as Nitrogen Source in a Soil Incubated under Laboratory Conditions

Abstract

The rate and timing of manure application when used as nitrogen (N) fertilizer depend on N‐releasing capacity (mineralization) of manures. A soil incubation study was undertaken to establish relative potential rates of mineralization of three organic manures to estimate the value of manure as N fertilizer. Surface soil samples of 0–15 cm were collected and amended with cattle manure (CM), sheep manure (SM), and poultry manure (PM) at a rate equivalent to 200 mg N kg^?1 soil. Soil without any amendment was used as a check (control). Nitrogen‐release potential of organic manures was determined by measuring changes in total mineral N [ammonium‐N+nitrate‐N (NH₄ ⁺–N+NO₃ ^?–N)], NH₄ ⁺–N, and accumulation of NO₃ ^?–N periodically over 120 days. Results indicated that the control soil (without any amendment) released a maximum of 33 mg N kg^?1soil at day 90, a fourfold increase (significant) over initial concentration, indicating that soil had substantial potential for mineralization. Soil with CM, SM, and PM released a maximum of 50, 40, and 52 mg N kg^?1 soil, respectively. Addition of organic manures (i.e., CM, SM, and PM) increased net N released by 42, 25, and 43% over the control (average). No significant differences were observed among manures. Net mineralization of organic N was observed for all manures, and the net rates varied between 0.01 and 0.74 mg N kg^?1 soil day^?1. Net N released, as percent of organic N added, was 9, 10, and 8% for CM, SM, and PM. Four phases of mineralization were observed; initial rapid release phase in 10–20 days followed by slow phase in 30–40 days, a maximum mineralization in 55–90 days, and finally a declined phase in 120 days. Accumulation of NO₃ ^?–N was 13.2, 10.6, and 14.6 mg kg^?1 soil relative to 7.4 mg NO₃ ^?–N kg^?1 in the control soil, indicating that manures accumulated NO₃ ^?–N almost double than the control. The proportion of total mineral N to NO₃ ^?–N revealed that a total of 44–61% of mineral N is converted into NO₃ ^?–N, indicating that nitrifiers were unable to completely oxidize the available NH₄ ⁺. The net rates of mineralization were highest during the initial 10–20 days, showing that application of manures 1–2 months before sowing generally practiced in the field may cause a substantial loss of mineralized N. The rates of mineralization and nitrification in the present study indicated that release of inorganic N from the organic pool of manures was very low; therefore, manures have a low N fertilizer effect in our conditions.     

N mineralization process of the surface soils under shifting cultivation in northern Thailand

N mineralization process (ammonification plus nitrification) in the surface 0-5 cm soil layers under shifting cultivation in northern Thailand was studied. Labile pool of organic matter extracted with a K₂S0₄ solution at 1l0°C in an autoclave (fraction A) or by shaking at room temperature (fraction B) was used as factor to evaluate the N mineralization process which was examined in an incubation experiment. In the soils, in which the N mineralization pattern was fitted to a first order kinetics model, the content of (organic + NH₄ ⁺)-N in fraction B determined the initial rate of N mineralization. The soils, which showed a short lag time of less than 7 d both in the N mineralization and nitrification processes, had a high ratio of organic C to (organic + NH₄ ⁺)-N in fraction B, exceeding the value of 7. The soils, which showed a long lag time of more than 7 d only in the nitrification process, had a low pH(KCI) (less than 4.2). Thus, the rate of N mineralization was affected by the labile pool in fraction B or soil pH. On the other hand, there was a correlation between the N ₀ + N _max (inorganic N at 0 d + maximum amount of mineralizable N) value and the labile pool in the fraction A, suggesting that the N ₀ + N _max value depended on the contents of the labile pool.     

Impact of addition of different rates of rice-residue biochar on C and N dynamics in texturally diverse soils

Impacts of crop residue biochar on soil C and N dynamics have been found to be subtly inconsistent in diverse soils. In the present study, three soils differing in texture (loamy sand, sandy clay loam and clay) were amended with different rates (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2% and 4%) of rice-residue biochar and incubated at 25°C for 60 days. Soil respiration was measured throughout the incubation period whereas, microbial biomass C (MBC), dissolved organic C (DOC), NH₄⁺-N and NO₃^–N were analysed after 2, 7, 14, 28 and 60 days of incubation. Carbon mineralization differed significantly between the soils with loamy sand evolving the greatest CO₂ followed by sandy clay loam and clay. Likewise, irrespective of the sampling period, MBC, DOC, NH₄⁺-N and NO₃^–N increased significantly with increasing rate of biochar addition, with consistently higher values in loamy sand than the other two soils. Furthermore, regardless of the biochar rates, NO₃^–-N concentration increased significantly with increasing period of incubation, but in contrast, NH₄⁺-N temporarily increased and thereafter, decreased until day 60 in all soils. It is concluded that C and N mineralization in the biochar amended soils varied with the texture and native organic C status of the soils.     

长期施肥对土壤氮矿化的影响

Two field experiments were conducted in Jiashan and Yuhang towns of Zhejiang Province, China, to study the feasibility of predicting N status of rice using canopy spectral reflectance. The canopy spectral reflectance of rice grown with different levels of N inputs was determined at several important growth stages. Statistical analyses showed that as a result of the different levels of N supply, there were significant differences in the N concentrations of canopy leaves at different growth stages. Since spectral reflectance measurements showed that the N status of rice was related to reflectance in the visible and NIR （near-infrared） ranges, observations for rice in 1 nm bandwidths were then converted to bandwidths in the visible and NIR spectral regions with IKONOS （space imaging） bandwidths and vegetation indices being used to predict the N status of rice. The results indicated that canopy reflectance measurements converted to ratio vegetation index （RVI） and normalized difference vegetation index （NDVI） for simulated IKONOS bands provided a better prediction of rice N status than the reflectance measurements in the simulated IKONOS bands themselves. The precision of the developed regression models using RVI and NDVI proved to be very high with R2 ranging from 0.82 to 0.94, and when validated with experimental data from a different site, the results were satisfactory with R2 ranging from 0.55 to 0.70. Thus, the results showed that theoretically it should be possible to monitor N status using remotely sensed data.     

Temperature effects on N mineralization: changes in soil solution composition and determination of temperature coefficients by TDR

We studied the changes in composition of the soil solution following mineralization of N at different temperatures, with a view to using TDR to calculate temperature coefficients for the mineralization of N. Mineralization from soil organic nitrogen was measured during aerobic incubation under controlled conditions at six temperatures ranging from 5.5 to 30°C, and at constant water content in a loamy sand soil. We also monitored during the incubation the concentrations of SO₄^2–, Cl^–, HCO₃^–, Ca²⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺ and Na⁺, and the pH and the electrical conductivity in 1:2 soil:water extracts. Zero‐order N mineralization rates ranged between 0.164 at 5.5°C and 0.865 mg N kg^?1 soil day^?1 at 30°C. There was a significant decrease in soil pH during incubation, of up to 0.6 pH units at the end of the incubation at 30°C. The electrical conductivity of the soil extracts increased significantly at all temperatures (the increase between the start and the end of the incubation was 4‐fold at 30°C) and was strongly correlated with N mineralization. The ratio of bivalent to monovalent cations increased markedly during mineralization (from 2.2 to 5.9 at 30°C), and this increase influenced the evolution of the electrical conductivity of the soil solution through the differences in molar‐limiting ion conductivity between mainly Ca²⁺ and K⁺. Zero‐order mineralization rate constants, k, for NO₃^– concentrations calculated from TDR varied between 0.070 (at 5.5°C) and 0.734 mg N kg^?1 soil day^?1 (at 30°C), which were slightly smaller, but in the same range, as the measured rates. Underestimation of the measured N mineralization rates was due, at least in part, to differences in cation composition of the soil solution between calibration and mineralization experiments. A temperature‐dependence model for N mineralization from soil organic matter was fitted to both the measured and the TDR‐calculated mineralization rates, k and k_TDR, respectively. There were no significant differences between the model parameters from the two. Our results are promising for further use of TDR to monitor soil organic N mineralization. However, the influence of changing cation ratios will also have to be taken into account when trying to predict N mineralization from measured electrical conductivities.     

Effect of crop residue C:N ratio on N2O emissions from Gray Lowland soil in Mikasa,Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract

We studied the effect of crop residues with various C:N ratios on N₂O emissions from soil. We set up five experimental plots with four types of crop residues, onion leaf (OL), soybean stem and leaf (SSL), rice straw (RS) and wheat straw (WS), and no residue (NR) on Gray Lowland soil in Mikasa, Hokkaido, Japan. The C:N ratios of these crop residues were 11.6, 14.5, 62.3, and 110, respectively. Based on the results of a questionnaire survey of farmer practices, we determined appropriate application rates: 108, 168, 110, 141 and 0 g C m^?2 and 9.3, 11.6, 1.76, 1.28 and 0 g N m^?2, respectively. We measured N₂O, CO₂ and NO fluxes using a closed chamber method. At the same time, we measured soil temperature at a depth of 5 cm, water-filled pore space (WFPS), and the concentrations of soil NH⁺ ₄-N, NO^? ₃-N and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC). Significant peaks of N₂O and CO₂ emissions came from OL and SSL just after application, but there were no emissions from RS, WS or NR. There was a significant relationship between N₂O and CO₂ emissions in each treatment except WS, and correlations between CO₂ flux and temperature in RS, soil NH⁺ ₄-N and N₂O flux in SSL and NR, soil NH⁺ ₄-N and CO₂ flux in SSL, and WSOC and CO₂ flux in WS. The ratio of N₂O-N/NO-N increased to approximately 100 in OL and SSL as N₂O emissions increased. Cumulative N₂O and CO₂ emissions increased as the C:N ratio decreased, but not significantly. The ratio of N₂O emission to applied N ranged from ?0.43% to 0.86%, and was significantly correlated with C:N ratio (y = ?0.59 ln [x] + 2.30, r ² = 0.99, P < 0.01). The ratio of CO₂ emissions to applied C ranged from ?5.8% to 45% and was also correlated with C:N ratio, but not significantly (r ² = 0.78, P = 0.11).     

Alkaline Hydrolyzable Organic Nitrogen as an Index of Nitrogen Mineralization in Soils: Relationship with Activities of Arylamidase and Amidohydrolases

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the relationship between a recently proposed alkaline hydrolysis method for estimating the chemical index of nitrogen (N) mineralization potential of soils and the activities of arylamidase and four amidohydrolases involved in hydrolysis of organic N (ON) in soils. Nitrogen mineralization was studied in 13 soils from uncultivated fields in Iowa, USA, by direct steam distillation of 1 g field-most soil treated with 1 M KOH or 1 M NaOH. The distillate was collected in boric acids, which was changed every 5 min for a total of 40 min. The NH₄ ⁺-N in the distillate was determined by titration with 0.005 M H₂SO₄. The cumulative amounts of N hydrolyzed were fitted to the first-order exponential equation to determine the “potentially hydrolyzable N (N_max )” for the soils. The activities of arylamidase, L-asparaginase, L-glutaminase, amidase, and L-aspartase were assayed at their optimal pH values. Results showed that estimated N_max values were strongly correlated with the activities of arylamidase and amidohydrolases. The activities of arylamidase and the amidohydrolases were significantly correlated, indicating that the activities of the two groups of enzymes are coupled in mineralization of ON in soils. Based on the specificity of enzyme reactions and the strong relationship between estimated N_max values and the activities of arylamidase and amidohydrolases, we concluded that similar amide-N bonds were susceptible to enzymatic and alkaline hydrolysis, and that alkaline hydrolyzable ON can be used as an index of N mineralization in soils.     

Nitrogen Mineralization Potential as Influenced by Microbial Biomass,Cotton Residues and Temperature

Integrating information on nitrogen (N) mineralization potentials into a fertilization plan could lead to improved N use efficiency. A controlled incubation mineralization study examined microbial biomass dynamics and N mineralization rates for two soils receiving 56 and 168 kg N ha^?1 in a Panoche clay loam (Typic Haplocambid) and a Wasco sandy loam (Typic Torriorthent), incubated with and without cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) residues at 10 and 25°C for 203 days. Microbial biomass activity determined from mineralized carbon dioxide (CO₂) was higher in the sandy loam than in clay loam independent of incubation temperature, cotton residue addition and N treatment. In the absence of added cotton residue, N mineralization rates were higher in the sandy loam. Residue additions increased N immobilization in both soils, but were greater in clay loam. Microbial biomass and mineralization were significantly affected by soil type, residue addition and temperature but not by N level.     

Nitrate Transformation and N2O Emission in a Typical Intensively Managed Calcareous Fluvaquent Soil: A 15-Nitrogen Tracer Incubation Study

A 56-day aerobic incubation experiment was performed with 15-nitrogen (N) tracer techniques after application of wheat straw to investigate nitrate-N (NO₃-N) immobilization in a typical intensively managed calcareous Fluvaquent soil. The dynamics of concentration and isotopic abundance of soil N pools and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission were determined. As the amount of straw increased, the concentration and isotopic abundance of total soil organic N and newly formed labeled particulate organic matter (POM-N) increased while NO₃-N decreased. When ¹⁵NO₃-N was applied combined with a large amount of straw at 5000 mg carbon (C) kg^?1 only 1.1 ± 0.4 mg kg^?1 NO₃-N remained on day 56. The soil microbial biomass N (SMBN) concentration and newly formed labeled SMBN increased significantly (P < 0.05) with increasing amount of straw. Total N₂O-N emissions were at levels of only micrograms kg^?1 soil. The results indicate that application of straw can promote the immobilization of excessive nitrate with little emission of N₂O.     

Boiling Potassium Chloride–Extractable Nitrogen as an Index of Potentially Mineralizable and Plant‐Available Nitrogen in Soil

Abstract

Mineralization of soil organic nitrogen (N) and its contribution toward crop N uptake is central to developing efficient N‐management practices. Because biological incubation methods are time consuming and do not fit into the batch‐analysis techniques of soil‐testing laboratories, an analytical procedure that can provide an estimate of the mineralizable N would be useful as a soil‐test method for predicting plant‐available N in soil. In the present studies, the ability of boiling potassium chloride (KCl) to extract potentially mineralizable and plant‐available N in arable soils of semi‐arid India was tested against results from biological incubations and uptake of N by wheat in a pot experiment. Mineralization of organic N in soils was studied in the laboratory by conducting aerobic incubations for 112 days at 32°C and 33 KPa of moisture. Cumulative N mineralization in different soils ranged from 8.2 to 75.6 mg N kg^?1 soil that constituted 2.7 to 8.8% of organic N. The amount of mineral N extracted by KCl increased with increase in length of boiling from 0.5 to 2 h. Boiling for 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 h resulted in an increase in mineral‐N extraction by 9.3, 12.7, 19.6, and 26.1%, respectively, as compared to mineral N extracted at room temperature. The boiling‐KCl‐hydrolyzable N (ΔN_i) was directly dependent upon soil organic N content, but the presence of clay retarded hydrolysis for boiling lengths of 0.5 and 1 h. However, for boiling lengths of 1.5, and 2 h, the negative effect of clay was not apparent. The ΔN _i was significantly (P=0.05) correlated to cumulative N mineralized and N‐mineralization potential (N₀). The relationship between N₀ and ΔN _i was curvilinear and was best described by a power function. Boiling length of 2 h accounted for 78% of the variability in N₀. Results of the pot experiment showed that at 21‐ and 63‐day growth stages, dry‐matter yield and N uptake by wheat were significantly correlated to boiling‐KCl‐extractable mineral N. Thus, boiling KCl could be used to predict potentially mineralizable and plant‐available N in these soils, and a boiling time of 2 h was most suitable to avoid the negatively affected estimates of boiling‐KCl‐hydrolyzable N in the presence of clay. The results have implications for selecting length of boiling in soils varying widely in clay content, and this may explain why, in earlier studies, longer boiling times (viz. 2 or 4 h) were better predictors of N availability as compared to 0.5 and 1 h.     

Dynamics and Model Fitting of Nitrogen Transformations in Pig Slurry Amended Soils

Abstract

To optimize the efficient use of nutrients in pig slurry by crops and to reduce the pollution risks to surface and groundwater, a full knowledge of the fate of nitrogen (N) in amended soils is needed. A 120 day laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to study the effects of pig slurry application on soil N transformations. Pig slurry was added at the rates of 50 and 100 g kg^?1. A nonamended soil was used as a control treatment. Soil samples were taken after 0, 7, 14, 30, 45, 60, and 120 days of incubation and analyzed for NH₄ ⁺‐N and NO₃ ^?‐N. Initially, the application of pig slurry produced significant increases in NH₄ ⁺‐N, especially at the highest application rate, whereas NO₃ ^?‐N content was not affected. Nitrification processes were active during the entire incubation time in the three treatments. In the control soil, the net N mineralization rate was highest during the 1st week (5.7 mg kg^?1 d^?1), followed by a low‐steady phase. Initially, net N mineralization rate was slower in soil with the lowest slurry rate (2.7 mg kg^?1 d^?1), whereas in the treatment with the highest slurry rate, a net N immobilization was observed during the 1st week (4.8 mg kg^?1 d^?1). Mineral‐N concentrations after 120 days were 180, 310, and 475 mg kg^?1 in soils amended with 0, 50, and 100 g kg^?1 of pig slurry, respectively. However, when results were expressed as net mineralized N, the opposite trend was observed: 74, 65, and 44 mg kg^?1. Of the six kinetic models tested to describe the mineralization process, a two‐component, first exponential model (double model) offered the best results for all treatments.     

Carbon Mineralization and Water-Extractable Organic Carbon and Nitrogen as Predictors of Soil Health and Nitrogen Mineralization Potential

ABSTRACT

The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) launched a national “Soil health initiative” in 2012; as a part of that effort, a soil health index (SHI) has been developed. The SHI is calculated using results of three soil tests: 24-h carbon mineralization following rewetting of air-dried soil (C_min, by the “Solvita” proprietary method) and water-extractable organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). These tests are being promoted both as the inputs into the SHI calculation and as predictors of soil N mineralization potential. Soil was collected from 35 California fields in annual crop rotations; 20 fields were under certified organic management and the other 15 under conventional management, to provide a range of soil properties and management effects. Carbon mineralization was determined by the Solvita method, and by a comparison method utilizing head space carbon dioxide (CO₂) monitoring by infrared gas analyzer (IRGA); additionally, two soil wetting protocols were compared, capillary wetting (the Solvita method) and wetting to 50% water-filled pore space (WFPS). Both water-extractable C (WEOC) and N (WEON) were determined using NRCS-recommended protocols. Net N mineralization (N_min) was also determined after a 28-day aerobic incubation at 25°C. Solvita C_min was highly correlated with the IRGA method using capillary wetting (R² = 0.81). However, capillary soil wetting resulted in high gravimetric water content that significantly suppressed C_min compared to the 50% WFPS method. N_min was correlated with Solvita C_min (r = 0.54) and with WEOC and WEON (r = 0.62 for each comparison); combining these three measurements into the SHI slightly improved the correlation with N_min. The organically managed soils scored higher than the conventional soils on the SHI, with a minority of organic soils and the majority of conventional soils scoring below the NRCS target threshold. SHI and soil organic matter were correlated, suggesting an inherent bias that would complicate the application of a national SHI standard.     

Microbial biomass,N mineralization,and the activities of various enzymes in relation to nitrate leaching and root distribution in a slurry-amended grassland

High rates of cattle slurry application induce NO _inf3 ^sup- leaching from grassland soils. Therefore, field and lysimeter trials were conducted at Gumpenstein (Austria) to determine the residual effect of various rates of cattle slurry on microbial biomass, N mineralization, activities of soil enzymes, root densities, and N leaching in a grassland soil profile (Orthic Luvisol, sandy silt, pH 6.6). The cattle slurry applications corresponded to rates of 0, 96, 240, and 480 kg N ha^-1. N leaching was estimated in the lysimeter trial from 1981 to 1991. At a depth of 0.50 m, N leaching was elevated in the plot with the highest slurry application. In October 1991, deeper soil layers (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, and 40–50 cm) from control and slurry-amended plots (480 kg N ha^-1) were investigated. Soil biological properties decreased with soil depth. N mineralization, nitrification, and enzymes involved in N cycling (protease, deaminase, and urease) were enhanced significantly (P<0.05) at all soil depths of the slurry-amended grassland. High rates of cattle slurry application reduced the weight of root dry matter and changed the root distribution in the different soil layers. In the slurry-amended plots the roots were mainly located in the topsoil (0–10 cm). As a result of this study, low root densities and high N mineralization rates are held to be the main reasons for NO _inf3 ^sup- leaching after heavy slurry applications on grassland.     

Importance of organic nitrogen fractions in sandy soils,obtained by electro-ultrafiltration or CaCl2 extraction,for nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen uptake of rape

Summary Sandy soils have low reserves of mineral N in spring. Therefore organic-bound N is the most important pool available for crops. The objective of the present investigation was to study the importance of the organic-bound N extracted by electro-ultrafiltration and by a CaCl₂ solution for the supply of N to rape and for N mineralization. Mitscherlich-pot experiments carried out with 12 different sandy soils (Germany) showed a highly significant correlation between the organic N extracted (two fractions) and the N uptake by the rape (electroultrafiltration extract: r=0.76^***; CaCl₂ extract: r=0.76^***). Organic N extracted by both methods before the application of N fertilizer was also significantly correlated with N mineralization (electro-ultrafiltration extract: r=0.75^***; CaCl₂ extract: r=0.79^***). N uptake by the rape and the mineralization of organic N increased with soil pH and decreased with an increasing C:N ratio and an increasing proportion of sand in the soils. Ninety-eight percent of the variation in N uptake by the rape was determined by the differences in net mineralization of organic N. This show that in sandy soils with low mineral N reserves (NO _inf3 ^sup- -N, NH ₄ ⁺ -N) the organic soil N extracted by electro-ultrafiltration or CaCl₂ solutions indicates the variance in plant-available N. Total soil N was not related to the N uptake by plants nor to N mineralization.     

Laboratory and greenhouse assessment of plant-available N in organic materials

Laboratory indices (KCl extraction, thermal fractionation, pepsin extraction, C:N ratio and N mineralization) of organic materials were compared with plant availability of mineral-N produced from organic-N in a greenhouse experiment. Six types of organic materials [farmyard manure (FYM), pig manure (PG), poultry manure (PL), sewage sludge (SS), pressmud (PM) and compost (CP)] were compared with urea as a chemical reference fertilizer. Relative effectiveness of organic N (RE_o) was used to compare the fraction of N extracted with different N availability laboratory indices. RE_o values of organic materials ranged from 0.14 to 0.77 and decreased in the following order: PL > PG > SS > PM > CP > FYM. The KCl-extracted inorganic N, pepsin-extracted organic N and N mineralized during 42 days gave a positive relationship with RE_o, and the C:N ratio a negative relationship with RE_o. Among the different N availability laboratory indices, pepsin extraction of organic N, C:N ratio and N mineralization can be recommended for determining mineralizable organic N in organic materials. KCl-extracted inorganic N proved to be a useful index for organic materials having a low inorganic N fraction. Thermal fractionation did not provide a suitable index of plant-available N in organic materials.