Species-specific earthworm population responses in relation to flooding dynamics in a Dutch floodplain soil

Earthworms dominate the animal biomass in moist floodplain soils. They are known to survive long periods in aerated water, but little is known about earthworm population dynamics in floodplain systems with changing inundation frequencies. This study determined earthworm population dynamics in a floodplain system, in relation to frequency and duration of flooding events. From October 2000 to May 2003 earthworms were hand sorted in the ‘Afferdensche en Deestsche Waarden’, a floodplain on the south bank of the river Rhine, near Druten, The Netherlands. Earthworm numbers and biomasses per age class (adult, subadult, juvenile) were recorded. Numbers and biomasses tend to decrease during flooding. Lumbricus terrestris was found in high numbers (>10/m²) only at the end of a flooding period. Allolobophora chlorotica was hardly affected by flooding; their biomass remained stable during the year. Aporrectodea caliginosa showed fluctuating numbers and biomasses during the sampling period that did not correlate with flooding frequency. Numbers and biomasses of Lumbricus rubellus were strongly reduced at the end of each flooding event, but their population densities fully recovered until next flooding event. Earthworm populations in floodplains fluctuate in time, depending on the season and on the time, duration and frequency of flooding. Different earthworm species react differently towards these flooding dynamics.     

Effects of plant material on ammonia volatilization from simulated livestock urine applied to soil

Summary The volatilization of ammonia from simulated urine applied to small columns of soil was reduced by the presence of ryegrass growing in the soil. The ryegrass had been sown 18 weeks previously and had been cut on seven occasions to a height of 5–6 cm with the cut herbage removed. Cumulative volatilization over 8 days amounted to 39% of the urinary N from bare soil, and 23% in the presence of the ryegrass. In contrast, the volatilization of ammonia was increased by dead leaf litter placed on the soil surface, apparently due to the increase in surface area for urease activity and volatilization. Differences in the C:N ratio of the leaf litter over the range 13:1–29:1 had little effect on the extent of ammonia volatilization. When living ryegrass and dead leaf litter were examined together, the reduction in volatilization due to the ryegrass was the dominant effect.     

Effects of some environmental factors on ammonia volatilization from simulated livestock urine applied to soil

Summary The proportion of the N that was volatilized as ammonia during 8 days, following the application of simulated livestock urine to soil, increased from 25 to 38% as the temperature of incubation was increased from 4° to 20°C in a system with a continuous flow of air at 70% relative humidity. However, volatilization was reduced if the application was followed by simulated rain; the reduction was greater as the amount of rain increased (up to at least 16 mm) and became less with an increasing length of time (up to 2–3 days) after the application of the urine. The effects of the soil water content before application of the urine, and of the relative humidity of the air, were generally small but volatilization was reduced by a combination of air-dry soil with a low relative humidity. Volatilization was slight (7%) when the flow of air was restricted to 0.5 h in every 12 h but, with an air flow for 12 h in every 24 h, the volatilization was much closer to that with a continuous flow for the whole 8-day period. When cool or dry conditions were imposed for 8 days and then more favourable conditions were instituted for a second period of 8 days, there was a substantial increase in volatilization following the change.     

Ammonia volatilization from poultry manure-amended soil

Summary Poultry manure (PM) is commonly applied to cropland as a fertilizer, usually at rates determined by the nitrogen content of the manure. Limited information is available, however, on the volatilization of ammonia from poultry manure-amended soils, despite the effect these losses may have on the fertilizer value of the manure. This study was initiated to determine the influence of incorporation and residue cover on NH₃ losses from PM-amended soils. In the first experiment, a dynamic flow technique was used to measure NH₃ losses from 18 manures applied to a bare soil surface at a rate of 12 Mg ha^-1. In the second experiment, 3 of the 18 manures were incorporated either immediately, 24 h or 72 h after application. The third experiment compared the same three manures applied to a bare soil surface or to corn or soybean residues. Surface application of the manures resulted in the loss of from 4 to 31% of the total N applied in the manures. Incorporation of the PM with soil significantly reduced NH₃ loss with the greatest decrease following immediate incorporation. Crop residues either had no effect or slightly reduced NH₃ volatilization losses relative to PM application to a bare soil surface. Ammonia volatilization was not well correlated with individual manure properties, but a multiple regression approach using manure pH and total N content offered some promise as a means to segregate manures of the basis of volatilization potential.     

Effect of timing of simulated rainfall on ammonia volatilization from urea, applied to soil of varyingmoisture content

Ammonia volatilization from granular urea applied at 10gNm⁻² to pasture was investigated using an enclosure method. Misting 0, 4 or 16 mm of water on to the soil at field capacity within 3 h of urea application resulted in total NH₃ losses of 2.81, 0.92 and 0.18 g N m⁻² respectively. Further delaying the watering reduced this effect until at 48 h, volatilization was lowered from 3.33 to only 3.09gNm⁻² with 16mm of water. Hydrolysis and NH₃ loss were rapid. Similar trends occurred at a lower initial soil moisture content.
On air-dry soil (0.06 g H₂O/g soil), hydrolysis was slow (73 ± 14% of the urea remained after 30 days) and volatilization, while gradual, accounted for 33% of applied urea-N after 30 days. Addition of 16 mm of water 48 and 96 h after urea application was followed by a period of rapid hydrolysis and volatilization, resulting in a total loss of 2.59 and 2.40gNm⁻² respectively. Repeated addition of 2mm of water produced bursts of hydrolysis and NH₃ loss until completion of hydrolysis when additional water had no effect. A total loss after 30 days of 3.94 g N m⁻² occurred in this 2 mm treatment.     

Controlling ammonia volatilization from urea surface applied to sugar beet on a calcareous soil

Abstract

The extent of ammonia (NH₃) volatilization from surface‐applied urea to sugar beet and effects of NBPT [N‐(n‐butyl) thiophosphoric triamide] PG (phosphogypsum), PR (by‐product‐pyrite) and KCl (potassium chloride) on NH₃ volatilization, nitrogen (N) content of leaf blades and petioles, sugar, amine N, and refined sugar contents, and root and refined sugar yields were determined in the field. Total NH₃ loss varied from 7.0% to 23.6% depending on the compounds incorporated with urea and rate of addition. With respect to unamended urea, 540 kg KCl/ha, 1000 kg phosphogypsum/ha, and 1000 kg pyrite/ha increased NH₃ loss by 86.7%, 40.1%, and 36.2%, respectively, but the other treatments decreased the loss. The highest reduction of NH₃ loss was found with 0.5% of NBPT by 44.5%. The NBPT, KCl, and PG treatments increased both root and refined sugar yields compared with urea alone. The highest refined sugar yield and lowest NH₃ volatilization loss was obtained with 0.5 % of NBPT treatment.     

Promotion effects of salt-alkali on ammonia volatilization in a coastal soil

Coastal ecosystems are highly susceptible to salt-related problems due to their formation process and geographical location. As such ecosystems are the most accessible land resources on Earth, clarifying and quantifying the effects of salt-alkali conditions on N concentration and ammonia(NH₃) volatilization are pivotal for promoting coastal agricultural productivity. The challenge in establishing this effect is to determine how salt-alkali conditions impact NH₃ volatilizati...     

田间土壤氨挥发的原位测定——通气法

本研究设计了原位测定田间土壤氨挥发的一种通气法 ,并通过回收率试验和田间试验进行了验证。结果表明 ,和传统的密闭法相比 ,通气法不仅结构简单 ,操作简便 ,而且测定结果的准确度和精确度高 ,回收率为 99.51% ,变异系数仅为 0.77% ;由通气法测定的田间不同施肥小区氨挥发的平均速率和总量分别介于N 0.07～0.87kghm-2d-1和N 2.93～35.69kghm-2,明显高于密闭法。可见 ,通气法更适于田间土壤氨挥发的原位测定。     

东北黑土玉米单作体系氨挥发特征研究

采用通气法测定了东北黑土玉米单作体系田间土壤的原位氨挥发。试验设5个氮肥用量处理,即:施氮量（N）分别为0、150、225和300 kg/hm2（用N0、N1、N2 和N3表示）,基施氮肥和拔节期追肥各1/2,其中N3为习惯施肥;同时设置优化施肥处理N4,用量为N 225 kg/hm2,基施氮肥、拔节期和孕穗期追肥各1/3。结果表明,来自肥料的氨挥发持续时间较短,一般发生在施肥后的7 d内。由于追肥期高温低湿,追肥期氨挥发量显著高于基施氮肥。随施氮量增加,氨挥发损失增加;优化施肥（N4）的氨挥发损失量明显低于习惯施肥,N1、N2、N3和N4处理来自氮肥的氨挥发依次为N 5.09、9.18、13.47和7.14 kg/hm2,相当于施氮量的3.39%、4.08%、4.49%和3.17%。可见,优化施肥对于我国东北集约化农区节省氮肥和提高氮肥利用率有重要意义。     

Carbon and nitrogen mineralization and ammonia volatilization from fresh,aerobically and anaerobically treated pig manure during incubation with soil

Summary We studied the decomposition of aerobically and anaerobically treated pig manure during a 2-month incubation with soil. The manure samples had not been in contact with straw or with animal urine. The aerobically decomposed manure proved to be the most stable (23% C mineralization), followed by fresh (75%) and anaerobically treated manure (105%, priming effect). The course of mineralization fitted combined first- and zeroorder kinetics. In the anaerobically treated manure, 76% of NH ₄ ⁺ -N was immobilized during the initial incubation phase, followed by a slow linear mineralization. In the aerobically treated manure there was a slow linear mineralization after 5 days, and in the fresh material, a slightly faster linear mineralization after 6 days. Total mineralized N was very similar after 2 months (12%) in all treatments. Total NH₃ losses were highest from the anaerobically treated manure (14%), reflecting a higher NH ₄ ⁺ content with N mineralization following first-order kinetics. Relating NH₃ losses to the initial NH ₄ ⁺ content showed that all NH₃ in the aerobically treated manure was volatilized, whereas only 28% was volatilized from the fresh and the anaerobically treated manure. Present address: Department of Soil Science, Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK     

太湖水稻土麦季尿素氨挥发损失

Ammonia volatilization losses from urea applied as a basal fertilizer and a top dressing at tillering stage in a wheat field of Taihu Region, China, were measured with a micrometeorological technique. Urea as fertilizer was surface broadcast at 81 (low N) and 135 (high N) kg N ha-1 as basal at the 3-leaf stage of the wheat seedling on December 2002, and 54 (low N) and 90 (high N) kg N ha-1 as top dressing on February 2003. Ammonia volatilization losses occurred mainly in the first week after applying N fertilizer and mainly during the period after basal fertilizer application, which accounted for more than 80% of the total ammonia volatilization over the entire wheat growth period. Regression analysis showed that ammonia volatilization was affected mainly by pH and NH4^ -N concentration of the surface soil and air temperature.Ammonia volatilization flux was significantly correlated with pH and NH4^ -N concentration of the surface soil and with daily air average temperature and highest temperature. Thus, application of urea N fertilizer to wheat should consider the characteristics of ammonia volatilization in different periods of N application so as to reduce ammonia losses.     

Ammonia volatilization from urea-treated pasture and tillage soils: effects of soil properties

Mean NH₃ losses after nine days incubation at 18°C and 60% FC were 3.1±2.9% and 7.6±6.0% of applied urea-N from the pasture and tillage counterparts of 10 soil series. These losses were highly correlated with buffered CEC and maximal pH values (pH_m) generated three days after urea application. NH₃ volatilization was apparently controlled by buffered CEC and initial pH (R²= 72–87%) and was related to variations in soil organic matter and texture (R²= 77–81%). Losses in the acid pasture soils were attributed largely to initial pH differences, and in the tillage soils to buffered CEC only. Evolution was greater from the tillage than from the pasture equivalent in eight series. This was attributed to differences in CEC, including buffered CEC and pH-dependent charge, caused by differences in OM content primarily but also in texture between the two soil groups. Differences in NH₃ evolution from urea in pasture and tillage soils, in general, are not related to pH differences.     

Spatial variation of ammonia volatilization from soil and its scale‐dependent correlation with soil properties

Quantitative predictions of ammonia volatilization from soil are useful to environmental managers and policy makers and empirical models have been used with some success. Spatial analysis of the soil properties and their relationship to the ammonia volatilization process is important as predictions will be required at disparate scales from the field to the catchment and beyond. These relationships are known to change across scales and this may affect the performance of an empirical model. This study is concerned with the variation of ammonia volatilization and some controlling soil properties: bulk density, volumetric water content, pH, CEC, soil pH buffer power, and urease activity, over distances of 2, 50, 500, and >2000 m. We sampled a 16 km × 16 km region in eastern England and analyzed the results by a nested analysis of (co)variance, from which variance components and correlations for each scale were obtained. The overall correlations between ammonia volatilization and the soil properties were generally weak: –0.09 for bulk density, 0.04 for volumetric water content, –0.22 for CEC, –0.08 for urease activity, –0.22 for pH and 0.18 for the soil pH buffer power. Variation in ammonia volatilization was scale‐dependent, with substantial variance components at the 2‐ and 500‐m scales. The results from the analysis of covariance show that the relationships between ammonia volatilization and soil properties are complex. At the >2000 m scale, ammonia volatilization was strongly correlated with pH (–0.82) and CEC (–0.55), which is probably the result of differences in parent material. We also observed weaker correlations at the 500‐m scale with bulk density (–0.61), volumetric water content (0.48), urease activity (–0.42), pH (–0.55) and soil pH buffer power (0.38). Nested analysis showed that overall correlations may mask relationships at scales of interest and the effect of soil variables on these soil processes is scale‐dependent.     

The effects of slope and fertilizer rates on nitrogen losses in runoff from red soil and paddy soil during simulated rainfall

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Runoff and soil erosion reflect the interactions of soil properties and rainfall. However, few researchers have investigated the forms of nitrogen lost, the first...     

追氮方式对夏玉米土壤N2O和NH3排放的影响

【目的】研究氮肥与硝化抑制剂撒施及条施覆土三种追施氮肥方式下土壤N2O和NH3排放规律、 O2浓度及土壤NH4+-N、 NO2--N和NO3--N的时空动态,揭示追氮方式对两种重要环境气体排放的影响及机制。【方法】试验设置3个处理: 1)农民习惯追氮方式撒施(BC); 2)撒施添加10%的硝化抑制剂(BC+DCD); 3) 条施后覆土(Band)。 3个处理均在施肥后均匀灌水20 mm。在夏玉米十叶期追施氮肥后的15天(2014年7月23日至8月8日)进行田间原位连续动态观测,并在玉米成熟期测定产量及吸氮量。采用静态箱-气相色谱法测定土壤N2O排放量,土壤气体平衡管-气相色谱法测定土壤N2O浓度,PVC管-通气法测定土壤NH3挥发,土壤气体平衡管-泵吸式O2浓度测定仪测定土壤O2浓度。【结果】农民习惯追氮方式N2O排放量为N 395 g/hm2,NH3挥发损失为N 22.9 kg/hm2,同时还导致土壤在一定程度上积累了NO2--N。与习惯追氮方式相比,添加硝化抑制剂显著减少N2O排放89.4%,使NH3挥发略有增加,未造成土壤NO2--N的累积。条施覆土使土壤N2O排放量显著增加将近1倍,但使NH3挥发显著减少69.4%,同时造成施肥后土壤局部高NO2--N累积。条施覆土的施肥条带上土壤NO2--N含量与N2O排放通量呈显著正相关。土壤气体的O2和N2O浓度受土壤含水量控制,当土壤WFPS大于60%时,020 cm土层中的O2浓度明显降低,而N2O浓度增加,土壤N2O浓度和土壤O2浓度间呈极显著负相关。各处理地上部产量及总吸氮量差异不显著。【结论】土壤NO2--N的累积与铵态氮肥施肥方式密切相关,NO2--N的累积能够促进土壤N2O的排放,且在条施覆土时达到显著水平(P0.05)。追氮方式对N2O和NH3两种气体的排放存在某种程度的此消彼长,添加硝化抑制剂在减少N2O排放的同时会增加NH3挥发,条施覆土在显著减少NH3挥发的同时会显著增加土壤N2O排放。在条施覆土基础上添加硝化抑制剂,有可能同时降低N2O排放和NH3挥发损失,此推论值得进一步研究。     

典型红壤区稻田树脂包膜控释氮肥氨挥发研究

本文研究了红壤水稻土上,树脂包膜尿素(控释N肥)和普通尿素施用后氨挥发损失的过程及数量。结果表明:①基施后2～4天内和追施后的1～2天内,控释N肥氨挥发通量相对普通尿素处理均有下降,下降幅度分别为28.57%和25.00%;控释N肥氨挥发峰值分别于基肥后第5天和追肥后第4天出现,均滞后于普通尿素处理。②追肥2天后,控释N肥氨挥发通量极显著高于普通尿素处理。因此,只有采取合理的基施方式,控释N肥才能比普通尿素发挥更大的环境效益。     

Short‐term transport of cadmium during a heavy‐rain event simulated by a dual‐continuum approach

The transport of solutes in soils, and its intensification due to preferential flow, plays crucial role when problems related to the groundwater pollution are dealt with. The objective of this study was to examine transport of cadmium (Cd) in response to an extreme rainfall event for three different soils using numerical modeling. The ^115mCd²⁺ concentration profile had been measured in the Bodiky reference site (Danubian Lowland, Slovakia) by the radioactive‐tracer technique and used for the calibration of the dual‐continuum model S1D. The Cd transport during a single rain event was predicted with the S1D model for light, medium‐heavy, and heavy soil in the same region. The Cd transport through the soil profile was simulated by the one‐dimensional dual‐permeability model, which assumes the existence of two pore domains: the soil‐matrix domain and the preferential‐flow domain. The model is based on Richards' equation for water flow and advection‐dispersion equation for solute transport. A modified batch technique enables to distinguish process of adsorption in the matrix domain and the preferential pathways. Modeling with classical single‐permeability approach and dual‐continuum approach without considering the particle‐facilitated transport led to negligible Cd penetration. The rainfall event with extremely high rainfall intensity induced deep penetration of Cd in the medium‐heavy and heavy soil, which may indicate increased vulnerability to shallow groundwater pollution for the respective sites in Danubian Lowland region. The highest Cd leaching was predicted for heavy clay soil, where the preferential particle‐facilitated transport of Cd through the soil profile was significant due to the contrasting properties of the soil‐matrix domain and the preferential‐flow domain. The results of the sensitivity analysis suggested only slight effect of the transfer rate coefficients on simulated Cd leaching.     

Nutrient losses from a vineyard soil in Northeastern Spain caused by an extraordinary rainfall event

Vineyards are one of the lands that incur the highest soil losses in Mediterranean environments. Most of the studies that report about this problem only focus on soil losses and few investigations have addressed the nutrient losses associated with erosion processes during the storms. The present research evaluates the loss of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in vineyard soils located in a Mediterranean area (NE Spain), after an extreme rainfall event recorded on 10 June 2000. The total rainfall of this event was 215 mm, 205 mm of which fell in 2 h 15 min. The maximum intensity in 30-min periods reached 170 mm h⁻¹. This rainfall produced a large amount of sediments both inside and outside the plots, with the consequent soil mobilisation and loss of nutrients. The estimate of soil loss was based on the subtraction of two very accurate digital elevation models (DEMs) of different dates in GIS, and measures of the nutrient content of sediment collected in the plot. Soil loss in the study plot reached 207 mg ha⁻¹. Most sediment was produced by concentrated surface runoff. Nutrient losses amounted as 108.5 kg ha⁻¹ of N, 108.6 kg ha⁻¹ of P and 35.6 kg ha⁻¹ of K. The proposed method allowed mapping the sediment contribution and deposition areas and the distribution of the nutrient load and losses within the plot.     

Ammonia volatilization from ammonium sulphate,ammonium nitrate,and urea surface applied to winter wheat on a calcareous soil

Abstract

Ammonia (NH₃) volatilization losses from surface‐applied ammonium sulphate (AS), ammonium nitrate (AN), and urea to winter wheat and the effects of the NBPT [N‐(n‐butyl) thiophosphoric triamide], PG (Phospho‐gypsum), and PR (byproduct‐Pyrite) were determined in a field experiment. Effects on grain yield and protein content of the grain were also measured. Total NH₃ losses from AS, AN, and urea varied from 13.6–19.5%, 4.4–6.4%, and 3.9–12.0% depending on the compounds and their levels added to nitrogen (N) fertilizers, respectively. The compounds added to AS and AN increased NH₃‐N losses with respect to unamended fertilizers (control). On the other hand, while urea treatments with two tons of PG/ha increased NH₃ losses, the other compounds decreased the losses. The highest reductions of NH₃ loss were observed with NBPT 0.50% and NBPT 0.25% by 63.4% and 52.8%, respectively. Although the effect of nitrogeneous fertilizers on total N losses and protein content of wheat grain was found statistically significant (p<0.01), as the compounds applied with N fertilizers have had no significant effect. Also, a negative and highly significant correlation (r = ‐0.69???) was found between total N loss and protein content of the grain.