Production of urease by microbial activity in soils under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Summary Several workers have reported that O₂ has little, if any, effect on hydrolysis of urea by soil urease, but others have reported that it has a marked effect, hydrolysis being significantly faster in soils under aerobic conditions than in O₂-depleted soils. In studies to account for these divergent results, we found that whereas plant residues and other readily decomposable organic materials markedly stimulated microbial production of urease in soils under aerobic conditions, they did not greatly stimulate production of urease in soils under anaerobic conditions. We also found that although anaerobic conditions retarded production of urease by soil microorganisms, they did not inhibit hydrolysis of urea by soil urease. These observations suggest that the divergent findings concerning the effect of O₂ on hydrolysis of urea by soil urease may have resulted from differences in the amounts of readily decomposable organic materials in the soils studied.     

Role of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in soil N cycling in grassland soils

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) represents a significant pool of soluble N in many soils and freshwaters. Further, the low molecular weight (LMW) component of DON represents an important source of N for microorganisms and can also be utilized directly by some plants. Our purpose was to determine which of the pathways in the decomposition and subsequent ammonification and nitrification of organic N represented a significant block in soil N supply in three agricultural grassland soils. The results indicate that the conversion of insoluble organic N to LMW-DON and not LMW-DON to NH₄⁺ or NH₄⁺ to NO₃⁻ represents a major constraint to N supply. We hypothesize that there are two distinct DON pools in soil. The first pool comprises mainly free amino acids and proteins and is turned over very rapidly by the microbial community, so it does not accumulate in soil. The second pool is a high molecular weight pool rich in humic substances, which turns over slowly and represents the major DON loss to freshwaters. The results also suggest that in NO₃⁻ rich soils the uptake of LMW-DON by soil microorganisms may primarily provide them with C to fuel respiration, rather than to satisfy their internal N demand.     

长期添加外源有机物料对华北平原不同粒级土壤氮素和氨基糖的影响

华北平原是我国主要的粮食生产基地之一,农民为了追求高产,过量施用化肥的弊端日益凸显。本研究依托中国科学院栾城农业生态系统试验站有机养分循环再利用长期定位试验,开展不同外源有机物料对土壤氮素和氨基糖在不同粒级土壤库中分布的影响研究,为阐释不同农业管理措施下土壤氮素的物理保护机制和生物保护机制提供依据。定位试验设6个处理：无肥无秸秆处理（对照,CK）、单施猪圈肥（M）、单施化肥（NPK）、单施秸秆（SCK）、化肥配施猪圈肥（MNPK）和化肥配施秸秆（SNPK）。通过超声波分散-离心分离得到3种粒径土壤——砂粒级（2 000~53 μm）、粉粒级（53~2 μm）和黏粒级（<2 μm）,分析全土及各粒级土壤中全氮和3种土壤氨基糖（氨基葡萄糖、胞壁酸和氨基半乳糖）的含量及变化;基于这3种土壤氨基糖的稳定性和异源性,以氨基糖作为微生物残留物标识物,了解真菌和细菌残留物的积累和转化,阐释真菌和细菌在养分转化中的作用。结果表明：添加有机物料（秸秆、猪圈肥）明显提升了土壤全氮和氨基糖含量,粒级间土壤氮素和氨基糖含量顺序均为黏粒级>砂粒级>粉粒级。添加有机物料对砂粒级土壤氮素影响最大,长期化肥配施猪圈肥中氮素主要在砂粒级中富集,长期化肥配施秸秆的氮素主要在黏粒级中富集。添加秸秆主要提高了真菌来源的氨基葡萄糖的含量,而添加猪圈肥主要提高了土壤中细菌来源的胞壁酸含量,表明添加不同有机物料可影响土壤微生物的群落结构。从各粒级中氨基葡萄糖/胞壁酸的比值来看,添加不同类型外源有机物料对砂粒级土壤微生物群落结构影响最为明显。由此可见,在长期秸秆还田措施下实施有机粪肥部分替代化肥不仅可以减少化肥用量,还可提升土壤养分含量和微生物多样性,改善土壤质量。     

施用铵态氮对森林土壤硝态氮和铵态氮的影响

对取自武夷山的红壤、黄壤、黄壤性草甸土分别在对照(CK,N 0 mg/kg)、低氮(LN,N 50 mg/kg)、高氮(HN,N 100 mg/kg)3种氮(N)水平处理下开展培养实验,研究施加NH4+-N对森林土壤N转化的短期影响.结果表明,添加NH4+-N可显著(p＜0.05)降低土壤NO3--N含量4.5％～25.7％,但LN与HN处理差异不显著,NO3--N降低可能与NO3--N反硝化和异氧还原有关;然而,黄壤性草甸土NO3--N没有降低.与培养前比较,在第56天红壤NO3--N含量显著增加5倍左右;桐木关黄壤增加40％左右,而黄冈山25 km黄壤仅在CK处理下增加16％,但是黄壤性草甸土显著降低;结果显示LN与HN处理土壤NO3--N含量变化幅度小于CK.与CK相比,LN和HN处理红壤NH4+-N分别显著(p＜0.05)升高24.1％ ～ 96.5％和68.7％～114.1％,且随培养进行没有累积,可能与微生物固N有关;桐木关NH4+-N分别升高17.6％ ～ 39.6％和37.6％～95.8％ (p＜0.05),LN处理黄冈山25 km黄壤NH4+-N只有第7天升高17.8％ (p＜0.05),HN处理第7、14、28、42天显著升高17.5％～48.6％(p＜0.05).LN处理黄壤性草甸土的NH4+-N在前3周显著降低11.6％～28.5％ (p＜0.01); HN处理在第7天和14天分别降低10.8％(p＜0.01)和7.5％,但是在第28～56天显著增加17.6％～20.4％(p=0.002).随着培养进行,CK处理红壤NH4+-N逐渐降低,桐木关黄壤、黄冈山25 km黄壤和黄壤性草甸土升高;LN和HN处理黄壤和黄壤性草甸土NH4+-N逐渐升高.可见,不同海拔土壤类型对NH4+-N添加响应存在差异.     

Response of soil microbial communities and the production of plant-available nitrogen to a two-year rainfall manipulation in the New Jersey Pinelands

Projected changes in precipitation patterns in the northeastern U.S. may alter soil moisture dynamics and cause a shift in the structure and function of soil microbial communities. We studied the potential for such changes by manipulating annual precipitation amount in an oak-pine forest of the New Jersey Pinelands. During a two-year field study we tested the effects of a complete rain exclusion, as well as a doubling of rainfall, on soil microbial biomass, community composition (phospholipid fatty acid analysis) and the production of plant-available nitrogen (nitrogen mineralization + amino-acid production). We found that neither microbial biomass nor community composition was affected by the experimental manipulations. Despite having studied the organic horizon, the relatively high sand content appeared to influence this response by limiting the extent to which soil moisture increased in response to elevated rainfall. Furthermore, a strong correlation between soil moisture and the physiological status of Gram-negative bacteria suggested that soil microbes in the New Jersey Pinelands are well adapted to soil drying. We observed a sustained accumulation of ammonium in drought plots that was more than four times the value of all other treatments after one year. The relationship between soil moisture and nitrogen mineralization changed with season, suggesting that the effect of changing rainfall patterns on nitrogen cycling will depend upon microbial physiological demand and substrate diffusion. Based on available estimates of foliar N concentration in the New Jersey Pinelands, we conclude that neither the accumulation of ammonium in drought plots, nor the changes in nitrogen mineralization rates in response to high and low soil moisture will affect plant nitrogen demand. However, if the ammonium pool in dry soil had been mobilized by precipitation, a shift towards a higher bacteria:fungi ratio - and therefore higher nitrogen mineralization rates - may have occurred.     

Gross nitrogen mineralization-, immobilization-, and nitrification rates as a function of soil C/N ratio and microbial activity

A laboratory experiment was designed to challenge the idea that the C/N ratio of forest soils may control gross N immobilization, mineralization, and nitrification rates. Soils were collected from three deciduous forests sites varying in C/N ratio between 15 and 27. They were air-dried and rewetted to induce a burst of microbial activity. The N transformation rates were calculated from an isotope dilution and enrichment procedure, in which ¹⁵NH₄Cl or Na¹⁵NO₃ was repeatedly added to the soils during 7 days of incubation. The experiments suggested that differences in gross nitrogen immobilization and mineralization rates between the soils were more related to the respiration rate and ATP content than to the C/N ratio. Peaks of respiration and ATP content were followed by high rates of mineralization and immobilization, with 1-2 days of delay. The gross immobilization of NH₄⁺ was dependent on the gross mineralization and one to two orders of magnitude larger than the gross NO₃⁻ immobilization. The gross nitrification rates were negatively related to the ATP content and the C/N ratio and greatly exceeding the net nitrification rates. Taken together, the observations suggest that leaching of nitrate from forest soils may be largely dependent on the density and activity of the microbial community.     

Temporal variation in pools of amino acids, inorganic and microbial N in a temperate grassland soil

Plants can take up intact amino acids, even in competition with soil microbes, yet we lack detailed information on which amino acids dominate the soil and whether amino acid composition varies seasonally. This study tested the hypotheses that 1) the pool of amino acid N is generally larger than inorganic N; 2) temporal changes in the concentration of amino acid N is related to changes in the size of the microbial N pool; and 3) amino acid N is dominated by simple, neutral amino acids during warm months, whereas during cold months the amino acid N is dominated by more complex aromatic and basic amino acids. Approximately every month for two years we collected soil from a temperate, sub-alpine grassland in the Snowy Mountains of Australia. We quantified exchangeable pools of amino acids, nitrate and ammonium in 1 M KCl extracts. Microbial N was quantified by chloroform fumigation. Averaged across the 21 monthly samples, nitrate was 13% of the quantified pool of soluble non-protein N, ammonium was 34% and amino acid N was 53%. These data are consistent with our hypothesis that the pool of amino acid N is larger than inorganic N. There was substantial variation between months in concentrations of amino acids and inorganic N, but no clear temporal pattern. Microbial N did not vary between months, and thus changes in amino acid N were unrelated to microbial N. Principal components analysis indicated multivariate groupings of the different pools of N that were broadly indicative of function and/or biosynthetic relationships. Thus PCA identified a grouping of aromatic amino acids (Phe and Try) with amino acids derived from oxaloacetate (Asp, Ala, Val, Leu, Ile), and a second group comprising microbial N, nitrate and glycine. The pool of exchangeable amino acid N was dominated by Arg (26% of amino N) Val (20%) Gln (18%), Try (8%) and Asn (8%). Contrary to our hypothesis, the composition of the amino acid pool did not vary in a consistent way between months, and there was no evidence simple amino acids were relatively more abundant in warm months and complex amino acids in cool months.     

施氮对茶园土壤氟和茶树新梢氟含量的影响

通过田间试验研究了不施肥(CK)、施氮360 kg?hm?2(T1)、施氮720 kg?hm?2(T2)处理下茶园土壤无机氮、p H、各形态氟含量的动态变化和春、夏、秋茶树新梢一芽四叶、一芽五叶氟含量,探讨茶园施氮对土壤和茶树新梢氟含量的影响。结果表明:1)茶园施氮后短期内(20~30 d)土壤水溶态氟含量显著降低,土壤交换态氟和铁锰结合态氟含量降低;长期(45~50 d)土壤水溶态氟含量的降低作用减弱,土壤交换态氟和铁锰结合态的含量增加;在试验结束时(164 d),与CK处理相比,T1处理0~20 cm土壤各形态氟含量降低,T2处理0~20 cm土壤各形态氟含量增加。2)0~20 cm茶园土壤水溶态氟、铁锰结合态氟与NH4+-N分别呈极显著负、正相关(P0.01),20~40 cm土壤水溶态氟、交换态氟与NO3?-N分别呈极显著正、负相关(P0.01)。土壤p H与土壤水溶态氟含量极显著负相关(P0.01),与其他3种形态氟含量相关性不显著。土壤铁锰结合态氟与交换态氟、有机结合态氟呈显著、极显著正相关,但与土壤水溶态氟均无显著相关性。3)春茶前后施氮可以降低春、夏、秋茶树新梢一芽四叶、一芽五叶氟含量,但未达显著水平。T1处理新梢氟含量的降低值为夏茶(25.15~27.95 mg?kg?1)秋茶(21.06~24.31 mg?kg?1)春茶(18.58~21.03 mg?kg?1),T2处理的降低值为秋茶(18.64~22.34 mg?kg?1)夏茶(7.79~14.14 mg?kg?1)春茶(3.52~7.30 mg?kg?1)。春、夏、秋茶树新梢氟含量主要受0~20 cm土壤无机氮和20~40 cm土壤p H的影响。因此推测施氮通过影响茶树根系氟的吸收和氟在叶片中的累积过程调控茶树新梢氟含量,该研究成果为合理利用施氮技术降低茶园土壤和茶树新梢氟含量提供了理论依据。     

Extraction of nitrogen from soils

Summary A roller bed and rotary end-over-end shaker were compared for the extraction of mineral N from a variety of soil types; both were equally efficient with an optimum extraction time of 30 min. However, the roller bed permitted a greater operational capacity, a faster throughput of samples, and easier identification of sample bottles compared with the end-over-end shaker. More NH₄ ⁺-N and NO₃ ^–-N (P<0.001) was recovered from soil by 2 M KCl than by any other extractant, in a soil: extractant ratio of 1 to 5 (w:v), except water, which was equally efficient at removing NO₃ ^–-N from soils.     

不同浸提剂以及保存方法对土壤矿质氮测定的影响

为探明影响土壤矿质氮测定的因素,从棕壤、潮土和黄棕壤3种类型土壤中各采集10个经不同施肥处理的土样,用连续流动注射分析仪测定经不同浸提剂以及不同保存方法处理后土样的NO3-N和NH4-N含量。结果表明:不论是棕壤、潮土还是黄棕壤,2 mol.L?1 KCl提取硝态氮的数量与0.01 mol.L?1 CaCl2提取的数量相关性均达到P<0.01水平;3种土壤各个土样硝态氮含量的测定值多表现为新鲜土<冷冻土<风干土;将鲜样浸提后作短时间的冷冻处理,其效果与鲜样24 h内的测定结果较接近;土样不同保存方式以及浸提液的保存时间对3种土壤NH4-N测定结果的影响规律不及NO3-N明显。     

Comparison of uptake of different N forms by soil microorganisms and two wet-grassland plants: A pot study

Two common plant species of temperate wet grasslands, Carex acuta and Glyceria maxima, were tested for their preferences in the uptake of different nitrogen (N) sources (amino acid, ammonium, nitrate) and their ability to compete for these sources with soil microorganisms. The experiment was a one-day incubation study with plants growing in soil obtained from the field, which was supplied with a solution containing the three N sources, one at a time labeled with ¹⁵N. The bulk of the N demand of both species was covered by nitrate-N, which was the dominant N form in the soil at the time of the experiment. Ammonium-N was taken up less strongly, and organic N formed only a negligible part of their nutrition. The assimilated inorganic N was preferentially transported to apical meristem of the youngest leaf, while organic N remained mostly in the roots. The fast-growing Glyceria took up more N and was a better competitor vis-à-vis soil microbes for rarer N forms than Carex. However, both plants were poor competitors for N vis-à-vis soil microbes, irrespective of the N form. Microbes took up nitrate ca. five times faster and organic N more than a hundred times faster than plants. Correspondingly, the calculated turnover time of microbial N was 17 days, compared to 40 days for N in plant roots. A significant amount of added ¹⁵N was found at non-exchangeable sites in the soil, which points to the importance of microbial N transformation and abiotic N fixation for N retention in soil. In summary, the preferential assimilation of inorganic N by the wetland plants studied here and their poor ability to compete for N with soil microbes over the short term agree with the results of studies carried out with other species from temperate grasslands.     

Regulation of amino acid biodegradation in soil as affected by depth

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and in particular free amino acids represent a key pool in the terrestrial soil C and N cycle. The factors controlling the rate of turnover of this pool in soil, however, remain poorly understood. We investigated the factors regulating the rate of amino acid turnover at different depths (up to 1.2 m) in five low-input, acid soil profiles. Within the root zone (0–60 cm), amino acids constituted 8% of the DON and represented only a small fraction of plant available N. In all the soil profiles, the rate of amino acid mineralisation decreased progressively with depth. The average half-life of the exogenously added amino acids in the soil was 5.8 h in topsoils (0–10 cm), falling to 20 h at a depth of 50 cm and to 33 h at 100 cm. Generally, the rate of amino acid mineralisation correlated positively with total soil C and N, soil microbial activity (basal soil respiration rate) and soil content. The relatively rapid rates of microbial amino acid assimilation in subsoils below the root zone (>60 cm) indicate that long-term transport of amino acids (e.g. from soil to freshwaters) will be low. Based upon the C-to-N ratio of the amino acid substrate and the microbial C assimilation efficiency, we estimate that approximately 40–60% of the amino acid-N will be excreted as . In conclusion, the rapid rate of free amino acid turnover and their low concentration in soil solution indicate that the formation of inorganic N ( and ) in soil is limited primarily by the rate of free amino acid appearance in soil and not by the rate of amino acid mineralisation.     

Nitrogen fertilization inhibits soil microbial respiration regardless of the form of nitrogen applied

We tested how amendments of different forms of nitrogen (N) affect microbial respiration rates by adding six different forms of N (NH₄NO₃, (NH₂)₂CO (urea), KNO₃, NH₄Cl, (NH₄)₂SO₄, Ca(NO₃)₂) to three distinct soils. All inorganic N forms led to a net reduction in microbial respiration, and the magnitude of the observed response (up to 60 % reduction) was consistent across all soils and negatively correlated with N concentration. Urea also reduced respiration rates in nearly all cases, but the effect was attenuated by the associated input of labile organic carbon. We observed decreases in respiration regardless of soil type, the specific N counter ion, N added as NH₄⁺ or NO₃⁻, or the effects of N form on soil pH, suggesting that decreases in respiration rates were mainly a direct result of the increase in soil N availability, rather than indirect effects caused by the form of N added.     

Urease activity and its relation to soil organic matter, microbial biomass nitrogen and urea-nitrogen assimilation by maize in a Brazilian Oxisol under no-tillage and tillage systems

 We studied the relationship between urease activity (UA) and soil organic matter (SOM), microbial biomass N (N_biom) content, and urea-N fertilizer assimilation by maize in a Dark Red Latosol (Typic Haplustox) cultivated for 9 years under no-tillage (NT), tillage with a disc plough (DP), and tillage with a moldboard plough (MP). Two soil depths were sampled (0–7.5 cm and 7.5–15 cm) at 4 different times during the crop cycle. Urea was applied at four different rates, ranging from 0 to 240 kg N ha^–1. The levels of fertilizer N did not affect the UA, SOM content, and N_biom content. No significant difference between the treatments (NT, DP, and MP) was observed for SOM during the experiment, probably because the major part of the SOM was in recalcitrant pools, since the area was previously cultivated (conventional tillage) for 20 years. The N_biom content explained 97% and 69% of the variation in UA in the upper and deeper soil layer, respectively. UA and biomass N were significantly higher in the NT system compared to the DP and MP systems. The highest maize productivity and urea-N recovery was also observed for the NT system. We observed that the increase in urea-N losses under NT, possibly as a consequence of a higher UA, was compensated for by the increase in N immobilized in the biomass. Received: 2 July 1999     

Fate of low molecular weight organic substances in an arable soil: From microbial uptake to utilisation and stabilisation

Microbial uptake and utilisation are the main transformation pathways of low molecular weight organic substances (LMWOS) in soil, but details on transformations are strongly limited. As various LMWOS classes enter biochemical cycles at different steps, we hypothesize that the percentage of their carbon (C) incorporation into microbial biomass and consequently stabilisation in soil are different.Representatives of the three main groups of LMWOS: amino acids (alanine, glutamate), sugars (glucose, ribose) and carboxylic acids (acetate, palmitate) – were applied at naturally-occurring concentrations into a loamy arable Luvisol in a field experiment. Incorporation of ¹³C from these LMWOS into extractable microbial biomass (EMB) and into phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) was investigated 3 d and 10 d after application. The microbial utilisation of LMWOS for cell membrane construction was estimated by replacement of PLFA-C with ¹³C.35–80% of initially applied LMWOS-¹³C was still present in the composition of soil organic matter after 10 days of experiment, with 10–24% of ¹³C incorporation into EMB at day three and 1–15% at day 10. Maximal incorporation of ¹³C into EMB was observed from sugars and the least from amino acids. Strong differences in microbial utilisation between LMWOS were observed mainly at day 10. Thus, despite similar initial rapid uptake by microorganisms, further metabolism within microbial cells accounts for the specific fate of C from various LMWOS in soils.¹³C from each LMWOS was incorporated into each PLFA. This reflects the ubiquitous utilisation of all LMWOS by all functional microbial groups. The preferential incorporation of palmitate into PLFAs reflects its role as a direct precursor for fatty acids. Higher ¹³C incorporation from alanine and glucose into specific PLFAs compared to glutamate, ribose and acetate reflects the preferential use of glycolysis-derived substances in the fatty acids synthesis.Gram-negative bacteria (16:1ω7c and 18:1ω7c) were the most abundant and active in LMWOS utilisation. Their high activity corresponds to a high demand for anabolic products, e.g. to dominance of pentose-phosphate pathway, i.e. incorporation of ribose-C into PLFAs. The ¹³C incorporation from sugars and amino acids into filamentous microorganisms was lower than into all prokaryotic groups. However, for carboxylic acids, the incorporation was in the same range (0.1–0.2% of the applied carboxylic acid ¹³C) as that of gram-positive bacteria. This may reflect the dominance of fungi and other filamentous microorganisms for utilisation of acidic and complex organics.Thus, we showed that despite similar initial uptake, C from individual LMWOS follows deviating metabolic pathways which accounts for the individual fate of LMWOS-C over 10 days. Consequently, stabilisation of C in soil is mainly connected with its incorporation into microbial compounds of various stability and not with its initial microbial uptake.     

Nutrient limitations to soil microbial biomass and activity in loblolly pine forests

We performed an assay of nutrient limitations to soil microbial biomass in forest floor material and intact cores of mineral soil collected from three North Carolina loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forests. We added solutions containing C, N or P alone and in all possible combinations, and we measured the effects of these treatments on microbial biomass and on microbial respiration, which served as a proxy for microbial activity, during a 7-day laboratory incubation at 22 °C. The C solution used was intended to simulate the initial products of fine root decay. Additions of C dramatically increased respiration in both mineral soil and forest floor material, and C addition increased microbial biomass C in the mineral soil. Additions of N increased respiration in forest floor material and increased microbial biomass N in the mineral soil. Addition of P caused a small increase in forest floor respiration, but had no effect on microbial biomass.     

不同保水剂对土壤水分和氮素保持的比较研究

保水剂应用对土壤水肥利用效率具有重要影响。本文采用土柱模拟试验方法,以不施保水剂处理为对照,比较3种保水剂——聚丙烯酸盐类保水剂(A)、有机–无机复合保水剂(B)、腐植酸型多功能保水剂(C)对土壤水分和两种氮肥(尿素、硝酸铵)的保持效应,筛选保水剂与氮肥的合理施用配合。8次土壤淋溶结果表明:3种保水剂对土壤水分和两种氮肥都有保持作用,但差异明显。在保水方面,A、B保水剂土壤水分保持效果较好且保水效果相近,C保水剂相对较差;随浇水次数增加,3种保水剂的保水效果均有所降低。在保肥方面,C保水剂对两种氮素的保持效果显著优于对照,且对硝酸铵保持效果优于对尿素的保持效果;A保水剂对尿素的保持效果明显,但对硝酸铵的保持效果很小,淋溶8次后,甚至对氮素淋溶有促进作用;B保水剂对尿素的保持效果8次淋溶后与C保水剂相近,对硝酸铵的保持效果介于其他两种保水剂之间。此外,保水剂对土壤脲酶活性有一定影响,其变化与氮素转化有关;施用尿素的土壤中,保水剂对土壤脲酶活性的影响为B保水剂C保水剂A保水剂,而施用硝酸铵的土壤中为A保水剂B保水剂C保水剂。     

脲酶抑制剂NBPT对鸡粪好氧堆肥的保氮效果

利用堆肥反应器, 以鸡粪和蘑菇渣为原料进行好氧堆肥, 在堆肥中添加不同浓度的脲酶抑制剂NBPT, 研究其对堆肥氮素转化的影响及保氮效果。结果表明: 添加不同浓度的脲酶抑制剂NBPT对堆肥进程中温度无显著影响, 在堆肥的高温阶段可有效控制堆料pH的升高, 在堆肥高温前期的0~10 d可有效降低堆肥的脲酶活性, 在堆肥中后期10~25 d明显提高全氮含量。堆肥25 d后, 添加0.04 mL·kg^-1、0.08 mL·kg^-1、0.16 mL·kg^-1脲酶抑制剂NBPT分别比CK减少氮素损失6.61%、4.89%和13.51%。堆肥过程中, 堆料铵态氮含量呈升-降-升-降的双峰趋势, 且大部分时间CK处理的铵态氮含量高于添加脲酶抑制剂NBPT处理, 且CK处理铵态氮的两次升高速度均高于添加脲酶抑制剂NBPT处理。在堆肥的升温和高温期硝态氮含量不稳定, 但堆肥结束时, 各添加脲酶抑制剂NBPT处理的硝态氮含量显著高于CK处理。本试验结果表明, 在堆肥过程中添加脲酶抑制剂NBPT可延缓鸡粪中的尿素态氮向铵态氮的转化, 增加堆肥成品中的硝态氮含量。在畜禽粪好氧堆肥中加入脲酶抑制NBPT可起到一定的保氮作用。     

Dissolved organic nitrogen dynamics in a Mediterranean vineyard soil

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) have been hypothesized to play a central role in nutrient cycling in agricultural soils. The aim of this study was to investigate the annual dynamics of DOC and DON in a Greek vineyard soil and to assess the potential role of DON in supplying N to the vines. Our results indicated that significant quantities of DOC and DON existed in soil throughout the year and that peaks in concentration appeared to correlate with discrete agronomic events (e.g. onset of irrigation and plowing). Both field and laboratory experiments showed that free amino acids were rapidly mineralized in soil and that consequently free amino acids represented only a small proportion of the soil's total soluble N. Due to rapid nitrification the soil solution N was dominated by NO₃⁻. Based upon the calculation of a plant-soil N budget and previous studies on N uptake in Vitis vinifera L., it is likely that DON uptake does not directly supply significant amounts of N to the plant. As the soil was not N limited we hypothesize that amino acids are used by the microbial community more as a source of C rather than a source of N. While we conclude that DON constitutes a significant N pool in vineyard soils further work is required to chemically characterize its constituent units and their relative bioavailability so that their overall role in N cycling can be determined.     

Responses of nitrogen transformation and microbial community composition to nitrogen enrichment patch

Fertilization produces many nutrient patches that have been confirmed to affect root growth. However, it is not clear how nutrient transformation and microbial community composition are affected in an inorganic nutrient patch. In this experiment, a nitrogen enrichment patch was formed by the diffusion of a urea fertilizer layer in a specially-designed container. Responses of nitrogen transformation and microbial community composition to the nitrogen enrichment patch were investigated at different incubation times. Results showed that nitrogen status and microbial community composition were slightly affected in the control patch (CK patch). In the nitrogen enrichment patch, however, soil pH was significantly increased in most soil layers close to the urea fertilizer layer; NO₂⁻-N was the predominant form of mineral N, and its transformation to NO₃⁻-N was delayed. Microbial community composition shifted significantly, especially before day 28 of incubation. Principal components analysis (PCA) of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) patterns showed that the microbial community presented different sensitivity to high nitrogen concentration. Fungi (18:2ω6,9) showed the least sensitivity to high concentrations of NO₂⁻-N and NO₃⁻-N. Gram-positive bacteria showed the most sensitivity to NO₂⁻-N. Gram-negative bacteria (cy17:0, cy19:0, 18:1ω9, and 18:1ω7) and actinomycetes (10Me17:0 and 10Me18:0) presented similar responses to NO₂⁻-N and NO₃⁻-N. Results of this study indicate that changes in nitrogen transformation and microbial community composition are likely to occur in nitrogen enrichment patches, but the extent of those changes depend on the microbial species and the distance of soil layers from the urea layer.