Nitrogen losses from two grassland soils with different fungal biomass

Nitrogen losses from agricultural grasslands cause eutrophication of ground- and surface water and contribute to global warming and atmospheric pollution. It is widely assumed that soils with a higher fungal biomass have lower N losses, but this relationship has never been experimentally confirmed. With the increased interest in soil-based ecosystem services and sustainable management of soils, such a relationship would be relevant for agricultural management. Here we present a first attempt to test this relationship experimentally. We used intact soil columns from two plots from a field experiment that had consistent differences in fungal biomass (68 ± 8 vs. 111 ± 9 μg C g⁻¹) as a result of different fertilizer history (80 vs. 40 kg N ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ as farm yard manure), while other soil properties were very similar. We performed two greenhouse experiments: in the main experiment the columns received either mineral fertilizer N or no N (control). We measured N leaching, N₂O emission and denitrification from the columns during 4 weeks, after which we analyzed fungal and bacterial biomass and soil N pools. In the additional ¹⁵N experiment we traced added N in leachates, soil, plants and microbial biomass. We found that in the main experiment, N₂O emission and denitrification were lower in the high fungal biomass soil, irrespective of the addition of fertilizer N. Higher ¹⁵N recovery in the high fungal biomass soil also indicated lower N losses through dentrification. In the main experiment, N leaching after fertilizer addition showed a 3-fold increase compared to the control in low fungal biomass soil (11.9 ± 1.0 and 3.9 ± 1.0 kg N ha⁻¹, respectively), but did not increase in high fungal biomass soil (6.4 ± 0.9 after N addition vs. 4.5 ± 0.8 kg N ha⁻¹ in the control). Thus, in the high fungal biomass soil more N was immobilized. However, the ¹⁵N experiment did not confirm these results; N leaching was higher in high fungal biomass soil, even though this soil showed higher immobilization of ¹⁵N into microbial biomass. However, only 3% of total ¹⁵N was found in the microbial biomass 2 weeks after the mineral fertilization. Most of the recovered ¹⁵N was found in plants (approximately 25%) and soil organic matter (approximately 15%), and these amounts did not differ between the high and the low fungal biomass soil. Our main experiment confirmed the assumption of lower N losses in a soil with higher fungal biomass. The additional ¹⁵N experiment showed that higher fungal biomass is probably not the direct cause of higher N retention, but rather the result of low nitrogen availability. Both experiments confirmed that higher fungal biomass can be considered as an indicator of higher nitrogen retention in soils.     

烤烟成熟期氮素灌淋调亏对烟叶生长发育及质量的影响

于豫中砂壤土设计田间试验,在两个施氮水平下(常规施氮水平、常规施氮水平上增加15%),研究成熟期统一氮素灌淋调亏对烟叶生长发育、烤后烟叶化学成分、中性香气成分以及感官质量等的影响。结果表明:烤烟成熟期氮素灌淋调亏处理,有利于控制烟株生长后期的长势,促进成熟落黄和降低烤后烟叶的蛋白质、烟碱、总氮、钾以及氯的含量,提高还原糖和总糖含量,化学成分更趋协调;增氮条件下调亏处理中上等烟比例和均价分别高出不调亏处理18.03%和20.23%,亩产值高出其他处理12.72%~32.97%,上部叶中性致香成分高出其他处理15.75%~23.55%。因此,适当增加施氮量并结合成熟期灌淋调亏处理既有利于促进烟株前中期发育和干物质积累,提高中性致香物质含量,同时也可促进成熟期烟叶成熟,提高烟叶感官质量、均价、产量以及亩产值,从而提高经济效益。     

Nitrate-N dynamics following improved fallows and maize root development in a Zimbabwean sandy clay loam

Improved or planted fallows using fast-growing leguminous trees are capable of accumulating large amounts of N through biological N₂-fixation and subsoil N capture. During the fallow phase, the cycling of nutrients is largely efficient. However, there are few estimates of the fate of added N during the cropping phase, after the 'safety net' of fallow-tree roots is removed. Nitrate-N at the end of the fallow phase, which is pre-season to the subsequent crop, was monitored in seven land use systems in successive 20-cm soil layers to 120 cm depth at Domboshawa, Zimbabwe in October 2000. Thereafter, nitrate-N dynamics was monitored during cropping phase until April 2001 at 2-week intervals in plots that had previously 2-year planted fallows of Acacia angustissima and Sesbania sesban, and in a continuous maize control. Pre-season nitrate concentrations below 60 cm soil depth were <3 kg N ha⁻¹ layer⁻¹ for S. sesban, A. angustissima, Cajanus cajan and natural woodland compared with the maize (Zea mays L.) control, which had >10 kg N ha⁻¹ layer⁻¹. There was a flush of nitrate in the S. sesbania and A. angustissima plots with the first rains. Topsoil nitrate had increased to >29 kg N ha⁻¹ by the time of establishing the maize crop. This increase in nitrate in the topsoil was not sustained as concentrations decreased rapidly due to leaching. Nitrate then accumulated below 40 cm, early in the season when maize root length density was still low (<0.1 cm cm⁻³) and inadequate to effectively intercept the nitrate. It is concluded that under light soil and high rainfall conditions, there is an inherent problem in managing nitrate originating from mineralization of organic materials as it accumulates at the beginning of the season, well ahead of peak demand by crops, and is susceptible to leaching before the crop root system develops. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Dissolved organic matter originating from the riparian shrub Salix gracilistyla

To estimate the importance of leaching of dissolved organic matter (DOM) as a pathway through which organic matter is supplied to stream ecosystems, we examined the amount of leachate over time and chemical properties of DOM leached from leaves in different conditions. The samples used were green leaves, yellow senescent leaves, and leaf litter of Salix gracilistyla Miq., which is the dominant riparian plant species in the middle reaches of rivers in western Japan. We analyzed dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total sugar, and polyphenol in the leachate of leaf samples collected from a fluvial bar in the middle reaches of the Ohtagawa River in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Considerable leaching of DOC from senescent leaves [37.3 mg g⁻¹ dry weight (dw) leaf] and leaf litter (8.1 mg g⁻¹ dw leaf) occurred within 24 h after immersion. In contrast, DOC leached from green leaves was negligible until 1 week after leaf immersion. Carbon loss of leaves by leaching within 24 h after leaf immersion was estimated to be less than 8%, suggesting that leaching of DOC from S. gracilistyla leaves is a minor pathway through which organic matter is supplied to stream ecosystems. DOM leached from the leaves included sugar and polyphenol, which were among the major chemical forms of DOM leached from the leaves (based on the molecular mass). In a laboratory experiment in which the difference in the stability of DOM between the chemical forms was examined, sugar decomposed more rapidly than polyphenol.     

城市樟子松人工林降雨分配过程中养分变化特征

为了探究城市森林生态系统中伴随降雨分配过程的养分循环变化及养分平衡特征,采用定位研究的方法,于2015年5—9月份对东北林业大学城市林业示范研究基地樟子松人工林内穿透雨、树干径流以及林外大气降雨进行了观测和取样,测定了水样中NO₃^-、PO₄^3-、SO₄^2-、Cl^-、F^-、K、Ca和Mg的浓度,分析了伴随降雨分配过程中各养分质量浓度的变化特征和输入规律。结果表明:生长季内,NO₃^-、PO₄^3-、SO₄^2-、Cl^-、F^-、K、Ca和Mg在大气降雨中的输入量分别为11.508、1.654、13.625、6.122、2.219、7.778、17.853、1.005 kg·hm^-2;穿透雨的输入量为14.038、0.890、10.677、3.058、1.908、4.299、9.463、0.862 kg·hm^-2;树干径流输入量则为3.448、0.192、2.103、1.004、0.298、2.298、5.194、0.668 kg·hm^-2。大气降雨、穿透雨和树干径流的养分输入均以NO₃^-、SO₄^2-和Ca为主,且3种养分输入量之和均占8种养分总输入量的69%以上。生长季内,8种养分的净淋溶总量为-1.365 kg·hm^-2,而其中仅NO₃^-和Mg的净淋溶量为正值。在降雨分配过程中,樟子松人工林的冠层能够少量过滤掉大气降雨中的PO₄^3-、SO₄^2-、Cl^-、F^-、K和Ca。     

酸化环境对紫色母岩风化产物交换性盐基离子及其酸缓冲容量的影响

为了分析研究酸化环境对紫色母岩风化产物交换性盐基离子及其酸缓冲容量的影响规律。本研究以侏罗纪紫色岩层中的遂宁组(J3s)、沙溪庙组(J2s)和蓬莱镇组(J3p)为研究对象，设置pH分别为2.5、3.5、4.5、5.6等4个酸性环境，以及去离子水（pH=7.0）为对照处理（CK），采用循环浸泡试验和模拟淋溶试验，研究酸性环境对紫色母岩风化产物特征的影响。结果表明，通过酸化环境处理后，3组紫色母岩风化产物交换性盐基离子及其总量均随酸化环境的pH降低而减小，且3组紫色母岩风化产物的酸缓冲容量与其交换性K+、Na+、Ca2+、Mg2+含量以及交换性盐基总量均呈极显著正相关关系(P<0.01)。以pH =7.0 (CK)处理为对照，循环浸泡处理后的遂宁组(J3s)、蓬莱镇组(J3p)和沙溪庙组(J2s)风化产物中交换性盐基总量的减小幅度分别为8.75%～18.21%、10.83%～23.18%和5.85%～18.41%。而且模拟淋溶24次后，遂宁组(J3s)、沙溪庙组(J2s)和蓬莱镇组(J3p)风化产物中交换性盐基总量较模拟淋溶12次时分别减小为1.77%～24.85%、8.99%～25.75%和8.05%～25.66%。此外，在同一酸度处理下，风化产物中的交换性盐基离子均表现为Ca2+> Mg2+> Na+> K+。本试验中淋溶处理下风化产物酸缓冲容量、交换性盐基离子及盐基总量低于浸泡处理。可见，丘陵地带坡面的矿物或养分的迁移以淋溶作用为主，平地的矿物或养分的迁移以浸泡作用为主。因此，酸沉降可能在一定程度上加速坡面土壤侵蚀的发生，进而导致平原化进程的加速。     

石漠化山区露石岩面流对岩-土界面土壤氮磷淋溶与输入作用的研究

基岩出露的石漠化区露石岩面在承接降水（含穿透雨）后易形成岩面流，并携带岩面有机或无机物质输送至岩周土壤中，对岩-土界面土壤养分变化具有重要影响。为探明岩面流对岩-土界面土壤氮磷的淋溶与输入影响，选取基岩明显出露的休耕地（1年岩面流作用）、退耕灌草地（5年岩面流作用）和坡耕地（无/少岩面流作用）3种样地，并分别选择外凸、平直和内凹3种特殊的岩面形状，研究了距岩面不同水平距离及土层的岩-土界面及非岩-土界面土壤的全氮和全磷变化特征。结果表明：岩面流对0～10 cm表层岩-土界面土壤氮磷产生输入或淋溶作用，对10～20 cm层岩-土界面土壤氮磷作用不明显。不同岩面形状形成的岩面流对岩-土界面土壤氮磷的淋溶与输入作用强度依次为：内凹型>平直型>外凸型。其中，在1年岩面流作用的休耕地中，内凹型岩面形成的岩面流对岩-土界面土壤氮素的影响主要表现为淋溶，而平直型和外凸型岩面表现为输入作用；不同形状岩面流对岩-土界面土壤磷素的影响均表现为淋溶。然而，在植被生长较好的退耕灌草地中，5年岩面流作用下不同形状岩面流对岩-土界面土壤氮磷的影响主要表现为输入。研究结果可为深入认识出露岩石对喀斯特生态系统土壤特性的影响提供科学依据。