Effects of nitrogen fertilizer on the acidification of two typical acid soils in South China

Purpose

A laboratory incubation under constant temperature and humidity was conducted to estimate the impacts of nitrogen (N) fertilizers on the acidification of two acid soils (Plinthudult and Paleudalfs) in south China.

Materials and methods

The experiment had three treatments, i.e., control (CK), addition of urea (U), and addition of ammonium sulfate (AS). We measured soil pH, nitrate (NO₃ ^?), ammonium (NH₄ ⁺), exchangeable hydrogen ion (H⁺), and aluminum ion (Al³⁺) concentrations at various intervals during the 90 days of incubation. Soil buffering capacity (pHBC) was also measured at the end of the experiment.

Results and discussion

The application of N fertilizers resulted in soil acidification. The U treatment caused greater acidification of the Plinthudult soil than the AS treatment, while there were no differences between U and AS treatments on the acidification of the Paleudalfs. At the end of the trial, the pHBC of Plinthudult in AS treatment was greater than that in CK and U treatments, which may be due to the buffering system of NH₄ ⁺ and NH₄OH. However, the pHBC of Paleudalfs was unchanged between treatments. The dynamics of exchangeable H⁺ and Al³⁺ corresponded to that of soil pH. Correlation analysis showed that both soil exchangeable H⁺ and soil exchangeable Al³⁺ were significantly related to soil pH.

Conclusions

Application of urea and ammonium sulfate caused acidification in both soils and increased soil exchangeable Al³⁺ and H⁺ concentrations in the Paleudalfs. The application of urea increased exchangeable Al³⁺, and ammonium sulfate increased pHBC in the Plinthudult.