Recent research has proven soil nitrite to be a key element in understanding N-gas production (NO, N2O, N2) in soils. NO is widely accepted to be an obligatory intermediate of N2O formation in the denitrification pathway. However, studies with native soils could not confirm NO as a N2O precursor, and field experiments mainly revealed ammonium nitrification as the source of NO. The hypothesis was constructed, that the limited diffusion of NO in soil is the reason for this contradiction. To test this diffusion limitation hypothesis and to verify nitrite and NO as free intermediates in native soils we conducted through-flow (He/O2 atmosphere) 15N tracer experiments using black earth soil in an experimental set up free of diffusion limitation. All of the three relevant inorganic N soil pools (ammonium, nitrite, nitrate) were 15N labelled in separate incubation experiments lasting 81 h based on the kinetic isotope method. During the experiments the partial pressure of O2 was decreased in four steps from 20% to about 0%. The net NO emission increased up to 3.7 μg N kg−1 h−1 with decreasing O2 partial pressure. Due to the special experimental set up with little to no obstructions of gas diffusion, only very low N2O emission could be observed. As expected the content of the substrates ammonium, nitrate and nitrite remained almost constant over the incubation time. The 15N abundance of nitrite revealed high turnover rates. The contribution of nitrification of ammonium to the total nitrite production was approx. 88% under strong aerobic soil conditions but quickly decreased to zero with declining O2 partial pressure. It is remarkable that already under the high partial pressure of 20% O2 12 % of nitrite is generated by nitrate denitrification, and under strict anaerobic conditions it increases to 100%. Nitrite is present in two separate endogenous pools at least, each one fed by the nitrification of ammonium or the denitrification of nitrate. The experiments clearly revealed that nitrite is almost 100% the direct precursor of NO formation under anaerobic as well as aerobic conditions. Emitted N2O only originated to about 100% from NO under strict anaerobic conditions (0-0.2% O2), providing evidence that NO is a free intermediate of N2O formation by denitrification. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that NO has been detected in a native soil as a free intermediate product of N2O formation at denitrification. These results clearly verify the “diffusion limitation” hypothesis. 相似文献
In an alley cropping experiment, a study was carried out on N2 fixation by Gliricidia sepium, nitrogen (N) accumulation by prunings of Gliricidia, Senna siamea (formerly Cassia siamea) and Gmelina arborea, and the N contribution to associated crops of rice and cowpea.Total N accumulated by the hedgerow trees ranged from 297–524 kg N ha–1 on average but varied between tree species and depended on the growing season. Gliricidia sepium accumulated 370 kg N ha–1 on average and more than half of this came from fixation. Senna siamea and Gmelina arborea served as reference trees for estimating N2 fixation. The estimates of N2 fixation using Gmelina as a reference gave higher estimates than those using Senna.Although the dry matter and nitrogen yields of prunings from the hedgerow trees were high, their relative nitrogen contribution to the associated crops was generally low ranging from 5 to 29%. Higher crop yields and nitrogen contribution were observed with Gliricidia sepium prunings. The low N contribution from prunings was attributed to the lack of synchronization between the N released from the prunings and the crop's demand for N. 相似文献
The dynamics of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), derived from the decomposition of windrowed harvest residues, was examined in the establishment phase of a second rotation (2R) hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii Aiton ex A. Cunn) plantation in subtropical Queensland, Australia. Following harvesting and site preparation, when residues were formed into windrows, in situ N mineralisation was measured in positions along the three tree-planting rows formed between the windrows. The position above the windrow had a higher nitrification rate than the other positions, averaging about 18 kg N ha−1/month compared with 12 and 9 Kg N ha−1 for the positions between and below the windrow positions, respectively. This position also had consistently greater soil moisture.
Macroplots were formed extending 5 m above and 10 m below a windrow. Windrowed residues within the macroplots were replaced by 15N-labelled material comprising hoop pine foliage, branch and stem. Hoop pine trees were planted within each macroplot with foliar samples taken at 12 and 24 months. Differences in foliar 15N enrichment between positions within macroplots were <1‰. Soil samples were taken from positions along the macroplots at 6-monthly intervals. Samples revealed an initial release of labile C and N but soil δ15N showed that residue-derived N was largely immobilised within the windrows for the 30-month sampling period. Whilst the use of windrows may act as a barrier to the down-slope movement of water, the residue N within the windrows may not be available to the trees of the following rotation for a considerable period following planting. Trees closest to the windrows may be able to introduce roots under the windrows thereby gaining access to the available N, but trees in the central tree planting row are unlikely to derive any significant benefit from the decomposition of windrowed residues. 相似文献
The soil type is a key factor influencing N(nitrogen) cycling in soil; however, gross N transformations and N_2O emission sources are still poorly understood. In this study, a laboratory ~(15)N tracing experiment was carried out at 60% WHC(water holding capacity) and 25℃ to evaluate the gross N transformation rates and N_2O emission pathways in sandy loam and silt loam soils in a semi-arid region of Heilongjiang Province, China. The results showed that the gross rates of N mineralization, immobilization, and nitrification were 3.60, 1.90, and 5.63 mg N/(kg·d) in silt loam soil, respectively, which were 3.62, 4.26, and 3.13 times those in sandy loam soil, respectively. The ratios of the gross nitrification rate to the ammonium immobilization rate(n/ia) in sandy loam soil and silt loam soil were all higher than 1.00, whereas the n/ia in sandy loam soil(4.36) was significantly higher than that in silt loam soil(3.08). This result indicated that the ability of sandy loam soil to release and conserve the available N was relatively poor in comparison with silt loam soil, and the relatively strong nitrification rate compared to the immobilization rate may lead to N loss through NO_3~– leaching. Under aerobic conditions, both nitrification and denitrification made contributions to N_2O emissions. Nitrification was the dominant pathway leading to N_2O production in soils and was responsible for 82.0% of the total emitted N_2O in sandy loam soil, which was significantly higher than that in silt loam soil(71.7%). However, the average contribution of denitrification to total N_2O production in sandy loam soil was 17.9%, which was significantly lower than that in silt loam soil(28.3%). These results are valuable for developing reasonable fertilization management and proposing effective greenhouse gas mitigation strategies in different soil types in semiarid regions. 相似文献