Comparative effects of applying leguminous and non-leguminous green manures and inorganic N on biomass yield and nitrogen uptake in flooded rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.)

The beneficial role of green manures in rice production is generally ascribed to their potential of supplying plant nutrients, particularly nitrogen (N). However, the mechanisms through which green manures enhance the crop productivity are poorly understood. Pot experiments were conducted using a ¹⁵N-tracer technique: (1) to compare the biomass production potential of sesbania (Sesbania aculeata Pers.) and maize (Zea mays L.) as green manuring crops for lowland rice and (2) to compare the effect of the two types of green manure and inorganic N on the dry matter accumulation and N uptake by two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars, viz. IR-6 and Bas-370. Although maize produced three times higher shoot biomass compared with sesbania, the latter showed higher N concentration; and thus the total N yield was similar in the two types of plants. Applying the shoot material of the two plants to flooded rice significantly enhanced the dry matter yield and N uptake by the two rice cultivars, the positive effects generally being more pronounced with sesbania than with maize amendment. The difference in the growth-promoting potential of the two plant residues was related more to an increased uptake of the native soil N rather than to their direct role as a source of plant-available N. A positive added nitrogen interaction (ANI) was observed due to both plant residues, the effect was much more pronounced with the application of sesbania than with maize residues. In both rice cultivars, inorganic N also caused a substantial ANI, particularly at higher application rate. Losses from the applied N were 2–3 times lower from sesbania, compared with maize treatment. Green manuring with sesbania also caused much lower N losses than the inorganic N applied at equivalent or higher rates. The overall benefit of green manuring to rice plants was higher than inorganic N applied at comparable rates. The two rice cultivars differed in their response to green manuring, IR-6 generally being more responsive than Bas-370.     

Isotopic fractionation during N2 fixation by four tropical legumes

To quantify the contribution of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) to legume crops using the ¹⁵N natural abundance technique, it is necessary to determine the ¹⁵N abundance of the N derived from BNF—the B value. In this study, we used a technique to determine B whereby both legume and non-N₂-fixing reference plants were grown under the same conditions in two similar soils, one artificially labelled with ¹⁵N, and the other not. The proportion of N derived from BNF (%Ndfa) was determined from the plants grown in the ¹⁵N-labelled soil and it was assumed that the %Ndfa values of the legumes grown in the two soils were the same, hence the B value of the legumes could be calculated. The legumes used were velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens), sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) and soybean (Glycine max) inoculated, or not, with different strains of rhizobium. The values of %Ndfa were all over 89%, and all the legumes grown in unlabelled soil showed negative δ¹⁵N values even though the plant-available N in this soil was found to be approximately +6.0‰. The B values for the shoot tissue (B_s) were calculated and ranged from approximately −1.4‰ for inoculated sunnhemp and groundnut to −2.4 and −4.5‰ for soybean inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain CPAC 7 and Bradyrhizobium elkanii strain 29W, respectively. The B (B_wp) values for the whole plants including roots, nodules and the original seed N were still significantly different between the soybean plants inoculated with CPAC 7 (−1.33‰) and 29W (−2.25‰). In a parallel experiment conducted in monoxenic culture using the same soybean variety and Bradyrhizobium strains, the plants accumulated less N from BNF and the values were less negative, but still significantly different for soybean inoculated with the two different Bradyrhizobium strains. The results suggest that the technique utilized in this study to determine B with legume plants grown in soil in the open air, yields B values that are more appropriate for use under field conditions.     

Effect of successive cuttings on uptake and partitioning of 15N among plant parts of Leucaena leucocephala

Summary We studied the effect of three successive cuttings on N uptake and fixation and N distribution in Leucaena leucocephala. Two isolines, uninoculated or inoculated with three different Rhizobium strains, were grown for 36 weeks and cut every 12 weeks. The soil was labelled with 50 ppm KNO₃ enriched with 10 atom % ¹⁵N excess soon after the first cutting. Except for the atom % ¹⁵N excess in branches of K28 at the second cutting, both the L. leucocephala isolines showed similar patterns of total N, fixed N₂, and N from fertilizer distribution in different parts of the plant at each cutting. The Rhizobium strain did not influence the partitioning of ¹⁵N among the different plant parts. Significant differences in ¹⁵N enrichment occurred in different parts. Live nodules of both isolines showed the lowest atom % ¹⁵N excess values (0.087), followed by leaves (0.492), branches (0.552), stems (0.591), and roots (0.857). The roots contained about 60% of the total plant N and about 70% of the total N derived from fertilizer over the successive cuttings. The total N₂ fixed in the roots was about 60% of that fixed in the whole plant, while the shoots contained only 20% of the fixed N₂. We conclude that N reserves in roots and nodules constitute another N source that must be taken into account when estimating fixed N₂ or the N balance after pruning or cutting plants. ¹⁵N enrichment declined up to about fivefold in the reference and the N₂-fixing plants over 24 weeks following the ¹⁵N application. The proportion and the amounts of N derived from fertilizer decreased, while the amount derived from N₂ fixation increased with time although its proportion remained constant.     

Denitrification losses from puddled rice soils in the tropics

Summary Although denitrification has long been considered a major loss mechanism for N fertilizer applied to lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) soils, direct field measurements of denitrification losses from puddled rice soils in the tropics have only been made recently. This paper summarizes the results of direct measurement and indirect estimation of denitrification losses from puddled rice fields and reviews the status of research methodology for measurement of denitrification in rice fields. The direct recovery of (N₂+N₂O)-¹⁵N from ¹⁵N-enriched urea has recently been measured at sites in the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. In all 12 studies, recoveries of (N₂+N₂O)-¹⁵N ranged from less than 0.1 to 2.2% of the applied N. Total gaseous N losses, estimated by the ¹⁵N-balance technique, were much greater, ranging from 10 to 56% of the applied urea-N. Denitrification was limited by the nitrate supply rather than by available C, as indicated by the values for water-soluble soil organic C, floodwater (nitrate+nitrite)-N, and evolved (N₂+N₂O)-¹⁵N from added nitrate. In the absence of runoff and leaching losses, the amount of (N₂+N₂O)-¹⁵N evolved from ¹⁵N-labeled nitrate was consistently less than the unrecovered ¹⁵N in ¹⁵N balances with labeled nitrate, which presumably represented total denitrification losses. This finding indicates that the measured recoveries of (N₂+N₂O)-¹⁵N had underestimated the denitrification losses from urea. Even with a probable two-or threefold underestimation, direct measurements of (N₂+N₂O)-¹⁵N failed to confirm the appreciable denitrification losses often estimated by the indirect difference method. This method, which determines denitrification losses by the difference between total ¹⁵N loss and determined ammonia loss, is prone to high variability. Measurements of nitrate disappearance and ¹⁵N-balance studies suggest that nitrification-denitrification occurs under alternate soil drying and wetting conditions both during the rice cropping period and between rice crops. Research is needed to determine the magnitude of denitrification losses when soils are flooded and puddled for production of rice.     

Amino acids in grassland soils: Climatic effects on concentrations and chirality

The response of soil organic nitrogen (SON) dynamics to climate may partly be deduced from changes in the concentration and origin of the major N constituents in soil, such as amino acids. In this study, we determined the enantiomers of bound amino acids in 18 native grassland soils (0–10 cm) that were sampled along a transect from central Saskatchewan, Canada, to Southern Texas, USA. Mean annual temperature (MAT) ranged from 0.9 to 23.4 °C and mean annual precipitation (MAP) from 300 to 1308 mm. d-alanine and d-glutamic acid served as markers for the bacterial origin of SON. The d-content of lysine, phenylalanine, and aspartic acid indicated an ageing of the respective SON forms. Deuterium labeling was applied to account for hydrolysis-induced racemization reactions. We found that the concentration of the bacterial biomarkers was weakly but significantly parabolically related to MAT, as previously reported for microbial-derived amino sugars. The age markers d-lysine, d-phenylalanine, and d-aspartic acid comprised 2–15% of the respective l-form. The presence of these compounds demonstrated that the structures that contained these d-enantiomers had survived microbial attack, i.e., these hydrolyzable SON forms were conserved in soil despite a living environment. First estimates indicate that the mean residence time of the lysine-containing organic matter forms extend beyond a century. Within this time-scale we did not find that climate significantly affects the degree of ageing of SON constituents in the studied topsoils.     

秸秆还田种类对稻田N2O排放及硝化反硝化微生物的影响

以太湖流域典型单季稻田的原状土柱为研究对象,通过设置温室土柱试验,同步监测3种秸秆(水稻秸秆RS、小麦秸秆WS、玉米秸秆MS)施用下水稻各生长期N₂O排放、水稻产量和土壤理化因子,同时定量化分析多个N₂O排放相关菌群及功能基因的丰度,以阐明N₂O排放对不同种类秸秆施用引发的微生物响应机制,筛选控制单季稻田N₂O减排增效最佳的秸秆种类。结果表明：与对照相比,RS、WS和MS处理下水稻生长期N₂O排放量分别增加162.32%、107.11%和9.48%,其中RS处理显著高于MS处理。水稻生育期内,土壤氨氧化菌(AOA、AOB)和反硝化菌群落(nir S、nos Z)丰度均呈现先上升后下降的变化趋势。与对照相比,拔节期RS处理显著增加AOA、AOB、nirS和nosZ拷贝数,MS和WS处理对上述功能基因丰度均无显著影响。各生育期土壤NH₄⁺-N含量整体高于NO₃^–-N含量,二者均在水稻分蘖期达到峰...     

Growth and Nutritional Response of Melon to Water Quality and Nitrogen Potassium Fertigation Levels under Greenhouse Mediterranean Conditions

The Mediterranean area has been experiencing an extensive development of intensive horticulture, with a majority of that located in arid and semi-arid regions with limited water resources and poor water quality. One of the most important greenhouse vegetable crops is melon. This article studies the effects of different nitrogen–potassium (N–K) fertilizers applications and two types of irrigation water on yield and nutritional behavior of melon crop Cucumis melo L. (var. cantalupensis Naud. Alpes). The trial was conducted during two cycles under Mediterranean greenhouse conditions, on sandy mulching soil. The experimental design was bifactorial: NK fertigation and water quality, with three nutrition levels and two water qualities [MS with electrical conductivity (EC) = 0.6 dS m^?1 and HS with EC = 2.3 dS m^?1]. During the first cycle, the fertigation levels were F₁ (50% NK), F₂ (100% NK), and F₃ (125% NK). In the second cycle, the fertigation levels were F₂, F₄ (125% N and 150% K) and F₅ (180% N and 220% K). Treatment F₂ was the recommended total doses (220 kg N ha^?1 and 355 kg K ha^?1). The increase in the NK concentration of the nutritive solution produced a rise in commercial production. The salinity of irrigation water did not affect marketable yield but had an effect on the fruit size, which was compensated for by an increase in the amount of fruit produced. Dry-matter production, N, and K uptake by plant (g m^?2) were evaluated in the first and second trials. Salinity and NK nutrition levels significantly affected (P < 0.05) dry matter and N and K uptake by melon plant. Nitrogen and K uptake present interesting correlations with production and with each other, as established by mean regression analysis.     

Response of rice to sulphur application under upland conditions

Abstract

A greenhouse experiment was carried out to determine the S response and the plant S content of rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars OS‐6 and IR‐20 grown in sandy Apomu soil series under upland conditions.

Sulphur application increased growth and dry matter yield. At low S rates OS‐6 gave higher grain yield than IR‐20. With high S rates, OS‐6 responded more in straw production. The leaf S content was highest during early growth and decreased with plant age. At flower emergence, the blade of the Y‐leaf appeared to be a suitable index for measuring the S status of the plant. The critical S level was estimated at 0.15%. The critical S levels in the grain and straw at harvest were estimated respectively at 0.12%, and 0.10%. The N/S ratios for the grain and straw at harvest appeared not to be a useful index for determining the critical S status of the plant.     

有机肥与无机肥配施对菜地土壤N2O排放及其来源的影响

该研究采用同位素自然丰度法,通过室内培养试验研究北京地区菜地有机肥和无机肥配施对土壤释放N2O及同位素位嗜值SP（site preference）的影响,以期获得不同肥料及其配比下土壤N2O的来源及变化规律。结果表明：施用无机肥释放的N2O显著高于有机肥,其累积排放量是有机肥的6.63倍,且无机肥施用比例越高,排放量越大;各肥料组合在施用后7天内均以反硝化作用生成N2O为主,贡献最高达到78.89%,SP为6.97‰,之后硝化作用逐渐增强并成为主要途径,最高占比达76.48%,SP为25.24‰;培养期内施用无机肥可以促进反硝化作用,平均占比52.98%,SP为15.52‰,而有机肥会使硝化作用增强,平均占比71.35%,SP为23.55‰。因此,在北京潮褐土地区菜地土壤施用有机肥对N2O有良好的减排效果,可为蔬菜生产中肥料的合理应用提供科学依据。     

基于叶片数增长动态的营养液供给对番茄生长、产量和品质的影响

【目的】 针对基质栽培番茄的营养液管理问题,研究了基于叶片数增长动态调控营养液供给对番茄生长、产量和品质的影响。 【方法】 温室基质栽培条件下,以番茄为试验材料,根据植株每增长 1、2 和 3 片叶时营养液浓度的提高幅度分别设置 TR0.1 (0.1 mS/cm)、TR0.2 (0.2 mS/cm)和 TR0.3 (0.3 mS/cm) 3 个处理,即叶片数增长动态处理;另设常规营养液管理模式作为对照（CK),即番茄定植至开花前、开花至第一穗果坐果、第一穗果坐果至采收结束 3 个生育期内供给营养液浓度分别为 1.5、2.1 和 2.7 mS/cm。通过测定营养液总盐含量和番茄株高、茎粗、叶片数、产量、养分利用率和品质等指标对不同营养液管理方法进行评价。 【结果】 叶片数增长动态处理 (TR0.1、TR0.2和TR0.3) 营养液浓度提高频率是 CK 的 2.0～5.6 倍,且可利用的营养液总盐含量、大量元素和微量元素的总含量均表现为 CK > TR0.1 > TR0.2 > TR0.3。叶片数增长动态处理 (TR0.1、TR0.2和TR0.3) 和 CK 的茎粗和叶片数受营养液浓度提高幅度影响较小。TR0.1 处理的产量和营养液养分利用率比 CK 分别提高了 30.4% 和 37.7% ( P < 0.05)。与 CK 相比,TR0.1、TR0.2 和 TR0.3 处理的果实中硝酸盐含量和可滴定酸含量分别降低了 19.4%～68.6%和16.7%～23.2% ( P < 0.05),总可溶性固形物和糖酸比分别增加了 0.8%～12.9% ( P < 0.05,TR0.3 除外) 和 31.3%～34.7% ( P < 0.05),说明叶片数增长动态处理的果实品质优于 CK。基于叶片数增长动态调控营养液供给的方法中,与 TR0.3 处理相比,TR0.1 处理的株高增加 7.5 cm ( P < 0.05),产量和营养液养分利用率分别提高了 30.7% 和 29.4% ( P < 0.05);TR0.1 处理果实硝酸盐含量、总可溶性固形物、可滴定酸含量和糖酸比均最高,除糖酸比外,各处理呈显著性差异。 【结论】 基于叶片数增长动态调控营养液浓度供给的方法优于常规基质栽培营养液管理方法,可以实现基质栽培番茄的高产优质,提高营养液养分利用率,其中每增长 1 片叶营养液浓度增加 0.1 mS/cm 的供给方法 (TR0.1),因营养液浓度变化速率快,浓度变化幅度小,对促进番茄生长、养分吸收及增加产量、改善品质的效果最好,为供试条件下最优的营养液调控方法。