Leaching of nitrogen forms from controlled‐release nitrogen fertilizers

Abstract

Application of soluble forms of nitrogen (N) fertilizers to sandy soils may cause leaching of nitrate N (NO₃‐N) resulting in contamination of groundwater. The leaching loss of N may be reduced to a certain extent by the use of controlled‐release N formulations. A leaching column study was conducted to evaluate the leaching of urea, ammonium N (NH₄‐N), and NO₃‐N forms from selected urea‐based controlled‐release formulations (Meister, Osmocote, and Poly‐S) and uncoated urea under eight cycles of intermittent leaching and dry conditions. Following leaching of 1,760 mL of water (equivalent to 40 cm rainfall) through the soil columns, the recovery of total N (sum of all forms) in the leachate accounted for 28, 12, 6, or 5% of the total N applied as urea, Poly‐S, Meister, and Osmocote, respectively. Loss of urea‐N from all fertilizer sources was pronounced during the initial leaching events (with the exception of Meister). Cumulative leaching of urea‐N was 10% for uncoated urea while <1.7% for the controlled‐release formulations. Cumulative leaching of NH₄‐N was 6.2% for uncoated urea while <0.5% for the controlled‐release formulations. Cumulative leaching loss of NO₃‐N was 3.78% for Osmocote, 4.6% for Meister, 10.4% for urea, and 10.5% for Poly‐S. This study demonstrates a significant reduction in leaching of N forms from controlled‐release formulations as compared to that from the soluble form.     

Potassium release from selected slow‐release fertilizers

Abstract

Potassium (K) release rate from Osmocote 14–6.3–11.6 (N‐P‐k), MagAmp 7–18–5, Choice 10–4.3–8.3, Scotts 21–3–5.8 and Unimix 10–8.7–4.2 was determined. During the 63‐day experiment Osmocote and Scotts had relatively linear release rates while the release rate from the other fertilizers was initially rapid and decreased over time.     

Response of four woody ornamental species to superphosphate and controlled‐release fertilizers

Abstract

Shoot dry weights of Ilex vomitoria Ait. ‘Schellings Dwarf’, Pittosporum tobira Thunb., and Juniperus chinensis L. ‘Blue Vase’ fertilized with Sref 20N‐2P‐8K and Step (micronutrient formulation) or Osmocote 18N‐3P‐10K and Micromax (micronutrient formulation) were not different when grown in a 1 sedge peat: 1 cypress sawdust: 1 cypress shavings (v/v/v) medium with or without superphosphate. Photinia X fraseri Dress shoot and root dry weights decreased if supersphosphate was added to the growing medium and fertilized with Sref and Step, but were not different when fertilized with Osmocote and Micromax. Shoot tissue P levels of P. X fraseri and P. tobira increased with the addition of superphosphate regardless if Osmocote and Micromax or Sref and Step were used, but there was no corresponding increase in shoot dry weight. Water soluble P levels of the superphosphate amended medium with Sref and Step decreased about 70 ppm during the 6‐month experimental period.     

Uptake of ammonium‐nitrogen by blueberry plants

Blueberry plants (Vaccinium ashei Reade cv. Tifblue) and Citrus natsudaidai Hayata were compared in terms of their ability to regulate the uptake of ammonium‐nitrogen (NH₄‐N). Plants of both species were grown in N‐free nutrient solutions for three days and then transferred to nutrient solutions that contained various concentrations of NH4‐N. Blueberry plants showed increases in rates of uptake of NH₄‐N 8 to 24 h after application of NH₄‐N. At concentrations of NH₄‐N above 200 (μM, uptake rates decreased to the initial value 24 h after application of NH₄‐N and then increased. By contrast, seedlings of Citrus natsudaidai showed constant rates of uptake of NH₄‐N during the experiment. These results indicate that blueberry plants are able to repress the uptake of NH₄‐N periodically when they are exposed to high concentrations of external NH₄‐N, but not seedlings of Citrus natsudaidai.     

Localized root growth in soil induced by controlled‐release urea granule and barley nitrogen uptake

Controlled‐release urea is a fertilizer which meters out urea over a long period of time. It can provide a favorable nitrogen (N) concentration for root growth, especially at the early stage of plant development. The objective of this study was to determine the interactions of urea or controlled‐release urea granules with barley roots and the resultant N uptake by plants. Two experiments (Experiment I and Experiment II) with treatments of Nil, non‐coated urea, Coated I and Coated II (Coated I and Coated II are controlled‐release urea products) were conducted in a greenhouse at 23±5°C. In both experiments, one barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Duke) seed and one granule of urea or controlled‐release urea were placed in a pot (5.2‐cm height and 8‐cm diameter) containing soil low in mineral N. In Experiment I, shoot and soil samples were taken at 14, 28, and 46 days after seeding. Roots and fertilizer interaction were visually examined and photographed. In Experiment II, root samples both around the fertilizer granule and away from the granule were taken only at 28 days after seeding. In both experiments, dry matter mass and total N content of shoot and root, and mineral N in soil were determined. In Experiment I, at the 28‐day sampling roots proliferated around the controlled‐release urea granule but not around the urea granule. Shoot N uptake since the 28 days was higher with controlled‐release urea than with urea because of the root proliferation. In Experiment II, root dry mass and N content around the granule was higher with controlled‐release urea than with urea. In the controlled‐release urea treatments, root mass and N content away from the granule were also increased in comparison to the Nil. This shows a stimulus relationship between the two portions of the roots in the same plant, i.e., the roots being accessed to the N source increased growth of the other roots with no access to the source. Because only a small portion of roots was involved in N uptake in the controlled‐release urea treatments, the intensity of N uptake per unit of root mass was much higher with controlled‐release urea as compared to urea. In conclusion, root growth was enhanced around controlled‐release urea granule, and that portion of roots around the fertilizer granule played a major role in absorbing N. In addition, a stimulus relationship existed between roots grown around the granule and those grown away from the granule.     

Agronomic effectiveness of partially acidulated phosphate rock fertilizers in an allophanic soil at near‐neutral pH

Abstract

The agronomic effectiveness of five partially acidulated phosphate rocks (PAPRs) and an unground phosphate rock (PR) were compared against single superphosphate (SSP) in a glasshouse experiment using a high phosphorus (P) retention soil at a near‐neutral pH (pH 6.5), and corn (Zea mays L.) as the test crop. The PAPRs were prepared by acidulating unground North Carolina PR with either phosphoric or sulphuric acid (expressed as Phos‐PAPR and SA‐PAPR, respectively) and at three levels of acidulation (20, 33, and 50%). The relative agronomic effectiveness (RAE) and substitution value (SV) of the test fertilizers, calculated with respect to SSP using the standard “vertical”; and “horizontal”; comparisons, showed that 50% phosphoric acidulated PAPR performed as effectively as SSP whereas the other fertilizers were less effective. The PR treatment showed a small yield response. The dry matter yield and P uptake were linearly related to water‐soluble P of the fertilizers up to 66% of total P and there was no advantage in acidulating fertilizers above this level of water‐soluble P using reactive PR. Whereas very little of the directly‐applied PR dissolved (3.4% of PR applied), PR applied as a component of PAPRs dissolved up to 22%. The dissolved proportion of added PR component increased with increasing water‐soluble P content of the fertilizer. The results suggest a greater efficiency of PAPR than SSP as a P supplier to plants.     

Effect of nitrogen and sulphur fertilizers and seed inoculation with rhizobium phaseoli on the nitrogen‐sulphur relationships of bean (phaseolus vulgaris L.)

A greenhouse experiment with beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) was performed in order to investigate the effect of nitrogen and sulphur application and seed inoculation on the yield, leaf area, distribution of different nitrogen and sulphur fractions and N/S ratio in shoot, fruit and root.

Inoculation of plants together with nitrogen or sulphur application produces an increase in the concentration of total nitrogen and a decrease in the accumulation of nitrate‐nitrogen and sulphate‐sulphur in shoot, fruit and root. Leaf area increased more with nitrogen than with sulphur application while the highest amounts of fruit dry matter were obtained with sulphur application.

N: S ratios obtained were different according to the part of the plant tested. Sulphur fertilization decreased the N: S ratios in shoot, fruit and root. The data obtained indicate that and adequate N: S ratio can insure maximum production of yield.     

Evaluation of methods for nitrogen‐15 analysis of inorganic nitrogen in soil extracts: I. Steam‐distillation methods

Abstract

A study was conducted to evaluate conventional steam‐distillation techniques for N‐isotope analysis of inorganic forms of N in soil extracts. Extracts obtained with 2 M KCl from 10 diverse soils were treated with: (i) (¹⁵NH₄)₂SO₄ and KNO₃, (ii) (NH₄)₂SO₄ and K¹⁵NO₃, or (iii) KNO₃and Na¹⁵NO₂. Steam distillations were performed sequentially to determine NH₄ ⁺‐N and NO₃ ^‐‐N, and were also carried out to determine (NO₃ ^‐ + NO₂ ^‐)‐N or (NH₄ ⁺ + NO₃ ^‐ + NO₂ ^‐)‐N; a pretreatment with sulfamic acid was used to determine NO₃ ^‐‐N in the presence of NO₂ ^‐‐N. Recovery of added N ranged from 95 to 102%. Significant isotopic contamination was observed in sequential distillation of unlabeled NO₃ ^‐‐N following labeled NH₄ ⁺‐N; otherwise, analyses for ¹⁵N were usually within 1% of the values calculated by isotope‐dilution equations.     

Long‐term supply and uptake by plants of elements from coal fly ash

Abstract

To assess the mineral composition of plants growing in pure fly ash, grasses growing on lysimeters filled with alkaline, neutral, or acid fly ash were sampled several times in a 6‐year period. The samples were analyzed for elements essential for plants and animals as well as non‐essential, but environmentally significant, trace elements. Grasses were also sampled from ash dumps that were 20 and 30 years old. Fly ash is not a proper source of plant macronutrients N, P, and K. Plant growth on the alkaline fly ash can be influenced for some time by the high salinity of that ash. Grasses growing on unweathered fly ash were found to be high in Al, B, Co, Fe, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Se. Concentrations of several elements declined in time but levels of B, Fe, Mo, and Ni were still elevated in grasses on both fly ash dumps. All concentrations, except Al, were lower than toxicity levels for plants as found in literature. In plants growing on fresh fly ash concentrations of Mo, Pb, and Se can exceed the maximum tolerable levels for domestic animals. On weathered fly ashes (ash dumps) the Mo, Pb, and Se concentrations in grasses were below the maximum tolerable levels. Effects on animals by Mo in weathered ash may not be excluded because Mo concentrations can be high enough to induce Cu deficiency. Animals that feed on plants grown on fly ash could suffer from Ca, Mg, Na, and P deficiency.     

The use of the 15N‐dilution technique for field measurement of symbiotic nitrogen fixation

Abstract

Quantitative distribution of ¹⁵N in artificially and naturally enriched field‐growing legume‐based pastures are presented and compared. The results are discussed in terms of the assumption of the ¹⁵N‐dilution technique as a means of measuring symbiotic nitrogen fixation under field conditions.     

Salinity effects on nitrogen metabolism in plants – focusing on the activities of nitrogen metabolizing enzymes: A review

Nitrogen (N) metabolism is of great economic importance because it provides proteins and nucleic acids which in turn control many cellular activities in plants. Salinity affects different steps of N metabolism including N uptake, NO₃^? reduction, and NH₄⁺ assimilation, leading to a severe decline in crop yield. Major mechanisms of salinity effects on N metabolism are salinity-induced reductions in water availability and absorption, disruption of root membrane integrity, an inhibition of NO₃^? uptake by Cl^?, low NO₃^? loading into root xylem, alteration in the activities of N assimilating enzymes, decrease in transpiration, and reduction in relative growth rate which results in a lower N demand. However, the effects of salinity on N metabolism are multifaceted and may vary depending on many plant and soil factors. The present review deals with salinity effects on N metabolism in plants, emphasizing on the activities of N metabolizing enzymes in a saline environment.     

Galápagos flora: The threat of introduced plants

A wide variety of cultivated plants has been introduced to the Galápagos Islands since settlements were first established there in the 1830s. Through poor management, many of these plants have escaped to the wild and are taking over extensive areas of native forest. Two endemic species, Scalesia pedunculata Hook.f. and Miconia robinsoniana Cogn., are especially endangered by farming practices. Some measures for the control and use of cultivated plants must be enforced to save the Galápagos flora from further damage.     

The effects of volcanic ash influenced soils and nitrogen fertilization on douglas‐fir seedlings

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to help understand the contributions of different soil layers to soil fertility, plant growth, and response to fertilization. Douglas‐fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings were used in a pot bioassay to delimit the effects of volcanic ash soils, urea fertilization at 100 and 200 ppm, and the technique of using undisturbed soil as a growth medium. Volcanic ash horizons contained more available phosphorus and mineralized more nitrogen than underlying horizons. Best seedling growth occurred in ash horizons fertilized with 200 ppm of urea‐N. Fertilization decreased soil pH, mycorrhizae formation and foliar‐P levels but increased foliar‐N. The technique of using undisturbed soil had little effect on seedling growth in the weak structured ash horizons but did decrease root weights in the moderate structured sub‐ash layers.     

The relationship between applied nitrogen and the concentration of nitrate‐N in cotton petioles

Abstract

Cotton petioles from irrigated plants grown under varying nitrogen regimes were analyzed for nitrate‐N (NO₃‐N). The most recent, fully matured petioles were selected. The concentration of NO₃‐N in the petioles was related to applied N rates and the yields of lint obtained. The concentration of NO₃‐N for any given N application declined as the season progressed. The concentration of petiole nitrate increased at all sampling dates as the rate of applied N increased. The relationship between applied N and NO₃‐N concentrations was most predictable when samples were collected two weeks after the initiation of squaring. The influence of applied N on the concentration of petiole nitrate was also greatest at this stage. The diagnosis of either N deficiency or excess N would be feasible by petiole analysis when the effects of stage of growth could be separated from the effects of soil N.     

Recent advances in the chemistry of nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium as fertilizers in soil: A review

The advent of civilization has made humans dependent on plants for food and medicine, leading to the intensification of agricultural production. The intense cultivation of crops has resulted in the depletion of available nutrients from soil, thereby demanding the application of excess nutrients to soil to improve yield. Thus, mineral fertilizer discovery and application have, in many ways, contributed greatly to meeting global food demands. However, aside from the positive effects of mineral fer...     

Release and recovery of nitrogen from winter annual cover crops in no‐till corn production

Abstract

Soil bulk density markedly influences hydrolysis of surface‐applied granular urea that is vulnerable to serious ammonia volatilization losses. In order to decrease the ammonia losses by retarding urea hydrolysis, several chemicals have been tested for their soil urease inhibition properties. Phenyl phosphorodiamidate (PPDA) is a potent soil urease inhibitor. Laboratory studies using soil column incubations were conducted to investigate the effect of soil bulk density on inhibition of hydrolysis of surface‐applied urea granules (=20 mg of urea/granule) containing 1% PPDA in unsaturated soils. The increase in soil bulk density (from 0.69 to 1.50 Mg/m³) markedly increased the rate of hydrolysis of surface‐applied urea granules and significantly decreased the apparent urease inhibition by PPDA present in the granules. These results are attributed to the probable spatial separation of urea and PPDA because of the differences in diffusive transports in unsaturated soils caused in part by differences in their solubilities in water.     

Determination of nitrogen by microdiffusion in mason jars: III. Nitrogen and nitrogen‐15 in Kjeldahl digests

Abstract

Diffusion methods for quantitative determination and isotope‐ratio analysis of inorganic N in soil extracts were modified for use with Kjeldahl digests. The digest was diluted to 25 mL with deionized water, and an aliquot (to 6 mL) was transferred in a shell vial (17 mm dia., 60 mm long) to a 473‐mL (1‐pint) wide‐mouth Mason jar containing 15 mL of 8 M NaOH. The NH₃ liberated by overturning the vial inside the sealed jar was collected for 48 h at room temperature (24 h with orbital shaking) in 3 mL of boric acid‐indicator solution in a Petri dish, or in an acidified glass‐fiber disk, suspended from the Mason‐jar lid. Determinations of N and ¹⁵N by diffusion were in close agreement with analyses using conventional steam‐distillation and concentration techniques.     

The effects of leaching surface‐applied amendments on subsoil aluminum and alfalfa growth in a Louisiana Ultisol

Abstract

A greenhouse leaching column study was conducted to compare the effects of surface‐applied langbeinite (LB), phosphogypsum (PG), Ca‐ silicate slag (SS), and calcitic lime (CL) on subsoil Al and growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. ‘Florida 77') in Toula silt loam soil (Typic Fragiudult). Langbeinite was found to be more effective than PG in the reduction of subsoil exchangeable Al, apparently through SO₄ ^2‐‐induced Al precipitation. This study demonstrated that high exchangeable Al levels are not always indicative of Al toxicity in the soil solution phase. The primary factors limiting alfalfa growth in the Toula soil were found to be surface soil pH and Mn toxicity rather than subsoil Al toxicity. The liming materials, SS and CL, effectively corrected the surface soil Mn and pH problems, but had no effect on subsoil chemical properties.     

Organic acid induced release of nutrients from metal-stabilized soil organic matter – The unbutton model

Processes of soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization and the reverse, destabilization of SOM resulting in subsequent release and mobilization of nutrients from SOM, remain largely unresolved. The perception of SOM as supramolecular aggregates built of low molecular mass biomolecules is currently emerging. Polyvalent metal cations contribute to SOM tertiary structure by bridging functional groups of such molecules (Simpson et al., 2002). The strong bond to metals protects high quality organic material from being immediately accessed and decomposed. Here we propose a three-step process by which low molecular mass organic acids (LMMOAs) and hydrolytic enzymes act in series to destabilize SOM supramolecules to release organic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for local hyphal and root uptake. Complexation of the stabilizing metals by fungal-released LMMOA gives fungal-root consortia direct access to organic substrates of good quality. Because of their small sizes and carboxyl group configuration, citric and oxalic acids are the most effective LMMOAs forming stable complexes with the main SOM bridging metals Ca and Al in SOM. Citrate, forming particularly strong complexes with the trivalent cations Al and Fe, is dominant in soil solutions of low-productive highly acidic boreal forest soils where mycorrhizal associations with roots are formed predominantly by fungi with hydrophobic hyphal surfaces. In these systems mycelia participate in the formation of N-containing SOM with a significant contribution from strong Al bridges. In less acidic soils of temperate forests, including calcareous influenced soils, SOM is stabilized predominantly by Ca bridges. In such systems mycorrhizal fungi with more hydrophilic surfaces dominate, and oxalic acid, forming strong bidentate complexes with Ca, is the most common LMMOA exuded. A plant-fungus driven biotic mechanism at the supramolecular aggregate level (10³–10⁵ Da) resolves micro-spatial priming of SOM, where the destabilization step is prerequisite for subsequent release of nutrients.     

Relative Efficacy of a Drinking‐Water Treatment Residual and Alum in Reducing Phosphorus Release from Poultry Litter

Abstract

Amending poultry litter with alum (aluminum sulfate) effectively reduces soluble phosphorus (P) concentrations, but the practice can be expensive. Aluminum (Al)‐based drinking‐water treatment residuals (WTRs) can be obtained free of charge and are enriched in Al hydr(oxides) that make them efficient P sorbents. Substituting Al‐WTRs for alum would be a cost‐effective practice to reduce soluble P in manures when compared with alum‐only use. The research studied the reductions in soluble P, Al, and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations in suspensions prepared by mixing variable Al‐WTR and alum rates (0 to 25% by weight) with poultry litter. Suspensions were maintained at pH of 6.5 during the sorption step, and allowed to react up to 50 d, without shaking. On a per‐mole of oxalate‐extractable Al basis, the Al‐WTR was nearly as effective as alum in reducing P release. Increasing mixed alum/WTR mass loads resulted in greater soluble P reduction, simply due to increased molar Al/P ratios. Contact time did not significantly influence soluble P reduction. Two significant advantages of Al‐WTRs compared to alum indicated by this study are cost effectiveness and significantly less release of dissolved Al. Soluble Al and TOC concentrations were least for suspensions with the lowest soluble P levels, suggesting that P was removed from solution as an organo‐Al‐P amorphous phase. The amount of P desorbed from the mixtures decreased to <1% with increasing molar Al/P ratios ≥1. Results suggest that Al‐WTR application with or without alum can reduce soluble P in poultry litter; however, field validation of the amendment effectiveness is needed.