Meta-analysis of the effects of undersown catch crops on nitrogen leaching loss and grain yields in the Nordic countries

The use of water-saving irrigation techniques has been encouraged in rice fields in response to irrigation water scarcity. Straw return is an important means of straw reuse. However, the environmental impact of this technology, e.g., nitrogen leaching loss, must be further explored. A two-year (2017–2018) experiment was conducted to investigate the vertical migration and leaching of nitrogen in paddy fields under water-saving and straw return conditions. Treatments included traditional flood irrigation (FI) and two water-saving irrigation regimes: rain-catching and controlled irrigation (RC-CI) and drought planting with straw mulching (DP-SM). RC-CI and DP-SM both significantly decreased the irrigation input compared with FI. RC-CI increased the rice yield by 8.23%~12.26%, while DP-SM decreased it by 8.98%~15.24% compared with FI. NH4+-N was the main form of the nitrogen leaching loss in percolation water, occupying 49.06%~50.97% of TN leaching losses. The NH4+-N and TN concentration showed a decreasing trend from top to bottom in soil water of 0~54 cm depth, while the concentration of NO3−-N presented the opposite behavior. The TN and NH4+-N concentrations in percolation water of RC-CI during most of the rice growth stage were the highest among treatments in both years, and DP-SM showed a trend of decreasing TN and NH4+-N concentrations. The NO3−-N concentrations in percolation water showed a regular pattern of DP-SM > RC-CI > FI during most of the rice growth stage. RC-CI and DP-SM remarkably reduced the amount of N leaching losses compared to FI as a result of the significant decrease of percolation water volumes. The tillering and jointing-booting stages were the two critical periods of N leaching (accounted for 74.85%~86.26% of N leaching losses). Great promotion potential of RC-CI and DP-SM exists in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China, and DP-SM needs to be further optimized.

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Effects of intensive biomass harvesting on forest soils in the Nordic countries and the UK: A meta-analysis

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118877 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 482 ◽

pp. 118877

Author(s):

Nicholas Clarke ◽

Lars Pødenphant Kiær ◽

O. Janne Kjønaas ◽

Teresa G. Bárcena ◽

Lars Vesterdal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Soils ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Nordic Countries ◽

Biomass Harvesting ◽

The Uk

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Biochar mitigates dissolved organic carbon loss but does not affect dissolved organic nitrogen leaching loss caused by nitrogen deposition in Moso bamboo plantations

Global Ecology and Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00494 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. e00494

Author(s):

Zhaofeng Lei ◽

Quan Li ◽

Xinzhang Song ◽

Weifeng Wang ◽

Zhiting Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽

Nitrogen Deposition ◽

Dissolved Organic Nitrogen ◽

Organic Nitrogen ◽

Nitrogen Leaching ◽

Moso Bamboo ◽

Carbon Loss ◽

Leaching Loss

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Green manure as a nutrient source for succeeding crops

Plant Soil and Environment ◽

10.17221/22/2012-pse ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 58 (No. 6) ◽

pp. 275-281 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

L. Talgre ◽

E. Lauringson ◽

H. Roostalu ◽

A. Astover ◽

A. Makke

Keyword(s):

Green Manure ◽

Life Sciences ◽

Red Clover ◽

Nordic Countries ◽

Fixed Nitrogen ◽

Nutrient Source ◽

Grain Yields ◽

The Third ◽

Green Manure Crops

The trials were carried out in the Estonian University of Life Sciences (58°23'N, 26°44'E), and studied to what extent green manure crops bind nutrients and the effect and stability of biologically fixed nitrogen (N). Our research covered more species than most of the earlier studies in the Nordic countries. Compared with biomass from unfertilized barley, legume undersowing, straws plus roots added up to 4 times more N, 2.8 times more phosphorus (P) and 2.5 times more potassium (K) returning to the soil. Red clover, hybrid lucerne and white melilot as pure sows produced the highest biomass, amounts of N, P, and K being up to 206, 24 and 144 kg/ha, respectively. The effect of additional N in soil was measured by weighing successive grain yields. In the first test year, 1 kg of N from green manure had the effect of producing 8.6 kg grain and this relation did not change even for higher N amounts. Green manure had a significant effect even in the third year after the green manure was ploughed into soil.  

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