Predicting N transformations from organic inputs in soil in relation to incubation time and biochemical composition

Seventeen different added organic materials (AOM) in a sandy soil were incubated under controlled laboratory conditions (28 °C, 75% WHC), and examined for C and N mineralisation. The transformation of added organics (TAO) model has been presented in previous work for predicting C mineralisation. The two variables (very labile and stable fractions of AOM) used in TAO have been related to the biochemical characteristics of the AOM. The transformed added organic N fraction (TAONF) was estimated from the remaining C_AOM and N_AOM linked by the C-to-N ratios. TAONF was split (P_im parameter) into immobilised N (imN) and inorganic N (inorgN). When necessary, an additional N mineralisation of imN was predicted by first order kinetics (constant k_remin). The TAO version with the two parameters P_im and k_remin allowed us to predict very different dynamics of N mineralisation and N immobilisation from the AOM. In a few cases, another first order kinetic law (constant k_v) was used to predict N volatilisation from inorgN.Biochemical characteristics of AOM were used for predicting N transformations. First, at each incubation date, inorgN was approximated to inorgNa=α(N-to-C_AOM)+β by linear regression. The α, β and −β/α (C-to-N_AOM threshold for mineralisation/immobilisation) were related to time. The TAO expression (1−P_im)TAONF was then replaced by the proposed approximation inorgNa as a function of incubation time and C-to-N_AOM. Secondly, significant relationships were computed between k_remin and organic fibre content of AOM. Finally, a TAO approximation was proposed for predicting the simultaneous transformations of C and N, only using biochemical data (plus the k_v parameter in a few cases of N volatilisation). For all AOMs, the validity of the approximation and its borderline cases were examined by comparing the two TAO versions.     

Suitability of enzyme activities for the monitoring of soil quality improvement in organic agricultural systems

There is growing interest in the applications of soil enzymes as early indicators of soil quality change under contrasting agricultural management practices. However, despite there being an abundant literature on this subject, most comparative assessments have been based on a limited number of experimental farms and, therefore, conclusions are not as robust as desired. In this study, we compare 18 pairs of organic and neighbouring conventional olive orchards in southern Spain. These sites were selected to allow the definition of the relative contributions of site-landscape features, soil type, and time since organic accreditation and tillage intensity, on the soil quality. Soils were analysed for physico-chemical properties, the activities of dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, arylsulphatase, acid and alkaline phosphatase, and potential nitrification. The geometric mean of the assayed enzymes (GMea) was validated with an independently performed Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and used as a combined soil quality index. The effects of tillage intensity and time since organic accreditation on the improvement of soil quality were also evaluated within the subset of organic farms. Overall for the 18 sites, contrasted management practices did not differ in their impact on basic soil physico-chemical properties, except for loss of on ignition and available inorganic N which were higher and lower in organic farms, respectively. Organic management resulted in significantly higher soil enzyme activities. However, differences were not significant in some of the paired comparisons when considered individually. This highlights the need for extensive comparative assessment, as in this study, to draw clear conclusions concerning the changes to soil quality under sustainable management practices. The GMea was significantly correlated with the first axis of the PCA and shown to be appropriate for condensing the set of soil enzyme values to a sole numerical value. Soil quality changes in organic versus conventional farms, as measured by the GMea, ranged from −23% to 97%, and was highly dependent on time since organic accreditation (r = 0.88; P < 0.01). On the other hand, tillage intensity clearly tended to delay any progress in soil quality in the organic farms.     

地膜覆盖下土壤有机质的分解与积累

还田有机物在地膜覆盖下的分解略高于露地栽培,腐殖化系数为0.17～0.41,土壤有机质的年亩矿化量为92～164kg.有机无机肥配施,对土壤有机质的贡献高于不施肥、单施化肥和单施有机肥,尤其是未经分解的有机物,适量配施化肥,明显优于等氮量的腐熟有机肥.为此,要重新组合农业措施.以调整土壤有机质分解与积累之间的关系.     

Use of loss‐on‐ignition to assess soil organic carbon in forest soils

Abstract

Forest floor and mineral soils were collected from 169 conifer and hardwood forested plots across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Regression equations were developed between LOI and organic C for 20% of the samples (n=337), and LOI was then used to predict organic C on all of the samples. Results indicated that LOI is a good estimator of organic C in these soils, but that separate equations were needed for different soil strata. Percent organic C in forest floors was greater in conifer stands compared to hardwood (means of 35.1 and 30.1%, respectively)     

Cattle manure effects on structural stability and water retention capacity of a granitic sandy soil in Zimbabwe

The evaluation of soil aggregate stability and water retention is important in the assessment of soil management options. A 3-year study was conducted in 1999 to determine the effects of two cattle manure application methods on soil aggregate stability and water retention capacity of a sandy soil (Haplic Lixisol). Manure application increased soil organic C by 10–38% in the 0–10 cm layer. Compared with the control, manure management treatments increased the aggregate stability of soil as measured by the mean weight diameter (MWD) and aggregates between 2 and 10 mm (AGG2) indices from 0.243 to 0.733–0.926 mm, and from 27.3 to 128.3–148.3 g kg⁻¹, respectively. The readily available water (RAW) capacity of the soil was significantly increased by manure addition, whereas the increase in AWC was not significant. The increase in water retention capacity in the soil was more affected at low suctions and this was related to the effects of manure on macroporosity. It was concluded that cattle manure was beneficial to the structural stability and water retention of this soil.     

菜田土壤有效氮的动态研究

在田间条件下研究了种植莴苣和西葫芦对菜田土壤硝态氮、有机态氮和微生物量氮剖面动态的影响 ,结果表明 ,不同作物对土壤表层硝态氮、有机态氮和微生物量氮影响较大 ,表层有效氮在作物生长期间基本上处于耗竭状态 ;2 0～ 4 0cm土层土壤有效氮除硝态氮以外 ,受作物影响较小 ;而 4 0～ 60cm土层土壤各种形态氮基本不受作物影响     

Tillage, mineralization and leaching: phosphate

Phosphate is usually the limiting nutrient for the formation of algal blooms in freshwater bodies, so tillage practices must minimize phosphate losses by leaching and surface run-off from cultivated land. Mineral soils usually contain 30–70% of their phosphate in organic forms, and both organic and inorganic phosphate are found in the soil solution. Some organic phosphates, notably the inositol phosphates, are as strongly sorbed by soil as inorganic phosphates, and this decreases their susceptibility to mineralization. The strength with which both categories are sorbed lessens the risk of their being leached as solutes but makes it more likely that they will be carried from the soil on colloidal or particulate matter, and the greatest losses of phosphate from the soil usually occur by surface run-off and erosion. Recent studies at Rothamsted have, however, shown substantial concentrations of phosphate in drainage from plots that have long received more phosphate as fertilizer than is removed in crops. These losses probably occurred because preferential water flow carried the phosphate rapidly from the surface soil to the field drains. For lessening losses of phosphate by leaching and run-off, the prime requirement of tillage is that it should encourage flows of water through the soil that help it to retain phosphate. Primary and secondary tillage should ensure that the surface roughness and porosity of the top-soil encourage the flow of water into the soil matrix where it will move relatively slowly and allow phosphate to be sorbed, thereby avoiding problems from run-off and preferential flow. Inversion tillage can be useful for lessening the loss of phosphate by run-off and erosion. Secondary tillage could be used to decrease the size of the aggregates and increase the surface area for sorption. Although tillage will increase the mineralization of organic phosphate, pulses of mineralization are unlikely to be so rapid or to lead to such large losses as with nitrate. The strength with which phosphate is sorbed also lessens the problem. As with nitrate, the key to managing phosphate is basically good husbandry.     

几种主要营养成分在大白菜不同叶片及部位中的分布规律

用近红外光谱法对５个大白菜品种从外向内分别测定每片叶片的叶柄及软叶的还原糖,Ｖc,ＮＤＦ,ＣＰ,ＤＷ５种有机成分,结果表明,不同叶片中,除软叶的Ｖc外,其余叶柄、软叶各有机成分都是由外向内逐渐增加,虽个别叶柄与软叶的含量有高有低,但上升的趋势是一致的;同一叶片中,软叶的还原糖和Ｖc都高于叶柄的含量,各品种软叶与叶柄的其它营养成分则有高有低,表现不一致;北京桔红心（９７－８）的还原糖,叶的ＶC,ＮＤＦ,ＣＰ含量是所有品种中最高的。     

Nitrogen mineralization in a pecan (Carya illinoensis K. Koch)–cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) alley cropping system in the southern United States

Information on temporal and spatial patterns of N mineralization is critical in designing tree-crop mixed systems that could maximize N uptake while minimizing N loss. We quantified N mineralization rates in a pecan (Carya illinoensis K. Koch)–cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) alley cropping system in northwestern Florida with (non-barrier) and without tree-crop belowground interactions (barrier separating the root systems of pecan and cotton). Monthly rates of mineralization were estimated using buried bag incubations over a 15-month period. In addition, seasonal mineralization rates and cotton lint yield on soils supplied with two sources of N—inorganic fertilizer and organic poultry litter—were assessed. Results indicated that temporal variations in net NH₄ and NO₃ accumulation and mineralization rates were driven primarily by environmental factors and to a lesser degree by initial soil NH₄ and NO₃ levels. Mineralization varied by belowground interaction treatment during the initial growing season, when the non-barrier treatment exhibited a higher mineralization rate than the barrier treatment, likely due to reduced nutrient uptake by cotton in the non-barrier or a higher degree of immobilization in the barrier treatment. Mineralization during the second growing season was similar for both treatments. Source of N had no effects on N transformation in the soil. Lint yield reductions were observed in the non-barrier treatment during both years compared to the barrier treatment, likely due to interspecific competition for water. Yield differences between treatments in the second growing season were likely compounded by a diminishing pre-study fallow effect. Source of N was found to have a significant effect on cotton yield, with inorganic fertilizer resulting in 39% higher lint compared to poultry litter in the barrier treatment.     

基于单螺杆膨胀机的发动机排气余热回收系统

针对发动机排气余热的特点,设计了有机朗肯循环(ORC)排气余热回收系统,采用单螺杆膨胀机作为动力输出装置,采用R245fa作为工质,提出了发动机排气余热利用率的概念和计算方法。结合发动机的试验数据,分析了ORC工质蒸发压力和发动机转速对ORC系统性能的影响,确定了适用于ORC系统的工质蒸发压力的最佳值。研究结果表明,当工质蒸发压力为3.0 MPa时,ORC系统能够在发动机全转速范围内正常工作,并且ORC系统的净输出功率最高可达12.1 kW,热力学第一定律效率最高可达11.27%,热力学第二定律效率最高可达25.8%,发动机排气余热利用率最高可达8.9%,发动机排气余热回收效果明显。