Studies on the mechanisms of fixation and release of ammonium in paddy soils after flooding. I. Effect of iron oxides on ammonium fixation

Experiments were conducted with two typical paddy soils from China and a vermiculite to study the influence of iron oxides on the fixation and release of ammonium. Removing iron oxides, especially amorphous iron oxides, from the soils favoured the release of non-exchangeable NH₄-N and stimulated the fixation of NH₄-N in the presence of added (NH₄)₂SO₄. Addition of artificial goethite and hematite to the original soils or to the soils free of iron oxides reduced the fixation of NH₄⁺-ions. This effect was also observed with vermiculite. We conclude that the coating of clay minerals with iron oxides has an impact on the diffusion of NH₄⁺-ions into and out of the interlayers of the clay minerals. The reduction and dissolution of iron oxides induced by low redox potential (E_h) after flooding of paddy soils is assumed to be an important mechanism controlling NH₄⁺-fixation in paddy fields.