Nitrogen mineralization, nitrate leaching and crop growth after ploughing-in leguminous and non-leguminous grain crop residues

SummaryA field experiment was conducted in Canterbury, New Zealand to investigate the effect of six leguminous and non-leguminous grain crops on soil N fertility over a 12 month period (March 1989 to March 1990). All crops had an overall negative N balance during their growing season. A greater amount of soil N was removed by barley, rape and lupins (104–119 kg N/ha) than by field beans, field peas or lentils (50–74 kg N/ha).Net N mineralization was measured in all treatments between residue incorporation and the start of winter. With the exception of the lupins, accumulation of mineral N in the soil profile before the start of winter drainage was greater following leguminous (mean 124 kg N/ha) than non-leguminous crops (mean 80 kg N/ha).Cumulative apparent leaching losses over the autumn/winter were largely a reflection of the mineral N content of the profile before the start of drainage. Excluding lupins, leaching losses declined in the order fallow > legumes > non-legumes (110 > 72 > 37 kg N/ha respectively). The anomalous results for the lupins were attributed to the incorporation of a large amount of woody residues after harvest which may well have resulted in extensive net N mineralization occurring later in the autumn.Over a 12 month period, all treatments showed a decline in N fertility (110–160 kg N/ha), although compared with barley, the total loss of soil N was 10–40 kg N/ha less following leguminous crops.Growth of the following spring wheat test crop was affected by the preceding crop. Grain yield, grain N yield and total N yield were significantly related to the mineral N content of the soil at the end of leaching, and to a measure of net N mineralization during the growing season of the test crop.

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Seasonal variation in response of winter cereals to nitrogen fertilizer and apparent recovery of fertilizer nitrogen on chalk soils in southern England

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859697004206 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 128 (3) ◽

pp. 251-262 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

J. P. GRYLLS ◽

J. WEBB ◽

C. J. DYER

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Variation ◽

Growing Season ◽

Net N Mineralization ◽

Soil N ◽

Soil Mineral N ◽

Fertilizer N ◽

Soil Mineral ◽

Mineral N ◽

Winter Cereals

From 1985 to 1987, 20 experiments were carried out on shallow chalk soils, in which soil N reserves were expected to be small, to assess seasonal variations in the response of winter cereals to applied fertilizer N, and to relate these responses to measurements of soil mineral N (SMN), temperature and soil moisture deficits (SMD).Soil mineral N measured in autumn varied from 21 kg/ha (1986) to 73 kg/ha (1985), while SMN in spring ranged from 19 kg/ha (1987) to 91 kg/ha (1985), these values were typical of soils in long-term arable rotations. Estimates of apparent net N mineralization (AM) during the growing season were small at c. 26 kg/ha and suggested large seasonal variation. The small AM is considered to be due to the shallow topsoil drying out during the growing season. Whole crop N offtake without fertilizer N was only c. 40kg/ha. Crop N offtake, grain yield without fertilizer N and AFR (apparent recovery of fertilizer N) could not be reliably predicted by regression on SMN in autumn, SMN in spring or AM. Little or none of the variation in crop yield could be accounted for by regression on accumulated temperature over winter, maximum SMD in April to July or mean temperature in April to July.Despite optimum grain yields being only moderate at 6·59 t/ha for winter wheat and 6·78 t/ha for winter barley, response to applied fertilizer N was large, between 3·77 and 5·38 t/ha. In consequence the requirement for fertilizer N (c. 240–250 kg/ha) was also large, but differed little between seasons. This large requirement is concluded to be a result of limited fertilizer recovery and mineralization of soil N during the growing season.

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Soil resources and the growth and nutrition of tree seedlings near harvest gap – forest edges in interior cedar–hemlock forests of British Columbia

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x05-237 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 62-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Michael B Walters ◽

Cleo C Lajzerowicz ◽

K David Coates

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Seedling Growth ◽

N Mineralization ◽

Forest Edge ◽

Organic N ◽

Tree Seedlings ◽

Net N Mineralization ◽

Soil N ◽

Forest Edges ◽

Mineral N

Observations of tree seedlings with chlorotic foliage and stunted growth near harvest gap – forest edges in interior cedar–hemlock forests inspired a study addressing the following questions: (1) Do seedling foliar chemistry, foliar nitrogen (N) versus growth relationships, and fertilizer responses suggest N-limited seedling growth? (2) Are patterns in soil characteristics consistent with N limitation, and can interrelationships among these characteristics infer causality? Our results suggest that seedling growth near gap–forest edges was colimited by N and light availability. Soil mineral N and dissolved organic N (DON) concentrations, in situ net N mineralization, and water generally increased from forest to gap, whereas N mineralization from a laboratory incubation and total N and carbon did not vary with gap–forest position. Interrelations among variables and path analysis suggest that soil water and total soil N positively affect DON concentration and N mineralization, and proximity to mature gap–forest edge trees negatively impacts mineral N concentration and water. Collectively, our results suggest that soil N levels which limit seedling growth near gap edges can be partially explained by the direct negative impacts of gap–forest edge trees on mineral N concentrations and their indirect impacts on N cycling via soil water, and not via effects on substrate chemistry.

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The effect of long-term CO2 enrichment on carbon and nitrogen content of roots and soil of natural pastureland

Folia Oecologica ◽

10.2478/foecol-2021-0018 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 180-190

Author(s):

Manal Al-Traboulsi ◽

Brian Wilsey ◽

Catherine Potvin

Keyword(s):

N Mineralization ◽

Co2 Enrichment ◽

Net N Mineralization ◽

Soil N ◽

N Content ◽

Total N ◽

Soil C ◽

Soil N Mineralization ◽

C And N ◽

The Impact

Abstract Increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 may change C and N dynamics in pasture ecosystems. The present study was conducted to examine the impact of four years of CO2 enrichment on soil and root composition and soil N transformation in natural pastureland. Plots of open-top growth chambers were continuously injected with ambient CO2 (350 µL L–1) and elevated CO2 (625 µL L–1). Soil cores exposed to ambient and elevated CO2 treatment were incubated and collected each year. Net N-mineralization rates in soil (NH4 +-N plus NO3ˉ–-N), in addition to total C and N content (%) of soil and root tissues were measured. Results revealed that elevated CO2 caused a significant reduction in soil NO3 (P < 0.05), however, no significant CO2 effect was found on total soil C and N content (%). Roots of plants grown under elevated CO2 treatment had higher C/N ratios. Changes in root C/N ratios were driven by changes in root N concentrations as total root N content (%) was significantly reduced by 30% (P < 0.05). Overall, findings suggest that the effects of CO2 enrichment was more noticeable on N content (%) than C content (%) of soil and roots; elevated CO2 significantly affected soil N-mineralization and total N content (%) in roots, however, no substantial change was found in C inputs in CO2-enriched soil.

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Estimation of soil nitrogen supply in potato fields using a plant bioassay approach

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/s04-054 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 85 (3) ◽

pp. 377-386 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

B J Zebarth ◽

Y. Leclerc ◽

G. Moreau ◽

J B Sanderson ◽

W J Arsenault ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growing Season ◽

Soil N ◽

Soil Mineral N ◽

Fertilizer N ◽

Soil Mineral ◽

Mineral N ◽

N Accumulation ◽

N Content ◽

N Supply ◽

Plant Bioassay

Soil N supply is an important contributor of N to crop production; however, there is a lack of practical methods for routine estimation of soil N supply under field conditions. This study evaluated sampling just prior to topkill of whole potato plants that received no fertilizer N as a field bioassay of soil N supply. Three experiments were performed. In exp. 1, field trials were conducted to test if P and K fertilization, with no N fertilization, influenced plant biomass and N accumulation at topkill. In exp. 2, plant N accumulation at topkill in unfertilized plots was compared with mineral N accumulation in vegetation-free plots. In exp. 3, estimates of soil N supply were obtained from 56 sites from 1999 to 2003 using a survey approach where plant N accumulation at topkill, and soil mineral N content to 30-cm depth at planting and at tuber harvest were measured. Application of P and K fertilizer had no significant effect on plant N accumulation in two trials, and resulted in a small increase in plant N accumulation in a third trial. Zero fertilizer plots, which can be more readily established in commercial potato fields, can therefore be used instead of zero fertilizer N plots to estimate soil N supply. In exp. 2, estimates of soil N supply were generally comparable between plant N accumulation at topkill and maximum soil NO3-N accumulation in vegetation-free plots; therefore, the plant bioassay approach is a valid means of estimation of plant available soil N supply. Plant N accumulation at topkill in exp. 3 averaged 86 kg N ha-1, and ranged from 26 to 162 kg N ha-1. Plant N accumulation was higher for sites with a preceding forage crop compared with a preceding cereal or potato crop. Plant N accumulation was generally higher in years with warmer growing season temperatures. Soil NO3-N content at harvest in exp. 3 was less than 20 kg N ha-1, indicating that residual soil mineral N content was low at the time of plant N accumulation measurement. Soil NO3-N content at planting was generally small relative to plant N accumulation, indicating that soil N supply in this region is controlled primarily by growing season soil N mineralization. Use of a plant bioassay approach provides a practical means to quantify climate, soil and management effects on plant available soil N supply in potato production. Key words: Solanum tuberosum, nitrate, ammonium, N mineralization, plant N accumulation

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Cycling of fertilizer and cotton crop residue nitrogen

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr9930597 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 31 (5) ◽

pp. 597 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

IJ Rochester ◽

GA Constable ◽

DA Macleod

Keyword(s):

Crop Residue ◽

N Uptake ◽

Growing Season ◽

Soil N ◽

Soil Mineral N ◽

Fertilizer N ◽

Soil Mineral ◽

Mineral N ◽

N Content ◽

Cotton Crop

Mineral N (nitrate and ammonium) contents were monitored in N-fertilized soils supporting cotton crops to provide information on the nitrification, mineralization and immobilization processes operating in the soil. The relative contributions of fertilizer N, previous cotton crop residue N and indigenous soil N to the mineral N pools and to the current crop's N uptake were calculated. After N fertilizer (urea) application, the soil's mineral N content rose rapidly and subsequently declined at a slower rate. The recovery of 15N-labelled urea as mineral N declined exponentially with time. Biological immobilization (and possibly denitrification to some extent) were believed to be the major processes reducing post-application soil mineral N content; the decline could not be accounted for by crop N uptake alone. Progressively less N was mineralized upon incubation of soil sampled through the growing season. Little soil N (either from urea or crop residue) was mineralized at crop maturity. Cycling of N was evident between the soil mineral and organic N pools throughout the cotton growing season. Considerable quantities of fertilizer N were immobilized by the soil microbiomass; immobilized N was remineralized and subsequently taken up by the cotton crop. A large proportion of the crop N was taken up in the latter part of the season when the soil mineral N content was low. We suggest that much of the N taken up by cotton was derived from microbial sources, rather than crop residues. The application of cotton crop residue (stubble) slightly reduced the mineral N content in the soil by encouraging biological immobilization. 15N was mineralized very slowly from the labelled crop residue and did not contribute significantly to the supply of N to the current crop. Recovery of labelled fertilizer N and labelled crop residue N by the cotton crop was 28 and 1%, respectively. In comparison, the apparent recovery of fertilizer N was 48%. Indigenous soil N contributed 68% of the N taken up by the cotton crop.

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Nitrogen availability and forest productivity along a climosequence on Whiteface Mountain, New York

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x03-105 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 33 (10) ◽

pp. 1880-1891 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Amishi B Joshi ◽

David R Vann ◽

Arthur H Johnson ◽

Eric K Miller

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

N Mineralization ◽

Growing Season ◽

Forest Productivity ◽

N Availability ◽

Net N Mineralization ◽

Degree Days ◽

Mineral N ◽

Organic Matter Quality ◽

Whiteface Mountain

We studied broadleaf and needle-leaf forests along an elevation gradient (6001200 m) at Whiteface Mountain, New York, to determine relationships among temperature, mineral N availability, and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and controls on the latter two variables. We measured net N mineralization during the growing season, annual litterfall quantity and quality, aboveground woody biomass accumulation, and soil organic matter quality. Inorganic N deposition from cloudwater markedly increases mineral N availability above 1000 m in this region. Consequently, mineral N availability across the climosequence remains relatively constant because N mineralization decreases with increasing elevation. Across this climosequence, air temperature (as growing season degree-days) exerted the most control on ANPP. Nitrogen mineralization was most strongly related to soil growing season degree-days and less so to lignin to N ratios in litter. ANPP was correlated with N mineralization but not with mineral N availability. Combining our data with those from similar studies in other boreal and cool temperate forests shows that N mineralization and ANPP are correlated at local, regional, and interbiome scales. Regarding the persistent question concerning cause and effect in the N mineralization forest productivity relationship, our data provide evidence that at least in this case, forest productivity is a control on N mineralization.

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Actinidia arguta Leaf as a Donor of Potentially Healthful Bioactive Compounds: Implications of Cultivar, Time of Sampling and Soil N Level

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26133871 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (13) ◽

pp. 3871

Author(s):

Jan Stefaniak ◽

Barbara Łata

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Plant Development ◽

Growing Season ◽

Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Total Phenolic ◽

Development Phase ◽

Soil N ◽

Actinidia Arguta ◽

N Level ◽

N Fertility

The aim of this study was to assess the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant status of kiwiberry (Actinidia arguta) leaf under different N regimes tested three times in field conditions during the 2015 growing season in two cultivars (‘Weiki’ and ‘Geneva’). Leaf total antioxidant capacity using ABTS, DPPH and FRAP tests was evaluated in the years 2015 to 2017, which experienced different weather conditions. Both cultivars exhibited a significant fall in leaf L-ascorbic acid (L-AA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) as well as global content of these compounds during the growing season, while total phenolic contents slightly (‘Weiki’) or significantly (‘Geneva’) increased. There was a large fluctuation in antioxidative enzyme activity during the season. The correlation between individual antioxidants and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) depended on the plant development phase. The study revealed two peaks of an increase in TEAC at the start and end of the growing season. Leaf L-AA, global phenolics, APX, CAT and TEAC depended on the N level, but thiol compounds were not affected. Over the three years, TEAC decreased as soil N fertility increased, and the strength of the N effect was year dependent. The relationship between leaf N content and ABTS and FRAP tests was highly negative. The antioxidant properties of kiwiberry leaves were found to be closely related to the plant development phase and affected by soil N fertility.

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Factors controlling N mineralization, nitrification, and nitrogen losses in an Oxisol amended with sewage sludge

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr00026 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 519 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

J. Sierra ◽

S. Fontaine ◽

L. Desfontaines

Keyword(s):

Sewage Sludge ◽

Field Experiment ◽

Water Content ◽

N Mineralization ◽

Initial Period ◽

Factorial Experiment ◽

Net N Mineralization ◽

N Losses ◽

Mineral N ◽

The Difference

Laboratory incubations and a field experiment were carried out to determine the factors controlling N mineralization and nitrification, and to estimate the N losses (leaching and volatilization) in a sewage-sludge-amended Oxisol. Aerobically digested sludge was applied at a rate equivalent to 625 kg N/ha. The incubations were conducted as a factorial experiment of temperature (20˚C, 30˚C, and 40˚C) soil water (–30 kPa and –1500 kPa) sludge type [fresh (FS) water content 6230 g/kg; dry (DS) water content 50 g/kg]. The amount of nitrifiers was determined at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. The incubation lasted 24 weeks. The field study was conducted using bare microplots (4 m) and consisted of a factorial experiment of sludge type (FS and DS) sludge placement (subsurface, I+; surface, I–). Ammonia volatilization and the profile (0–0.90 m) of mineral N concentration were measured during 6 and 29 weeks after sludge application, respectively. After 24 weeks of incubation at 40˚C and –30 kPa, net N mineralization represented 52% (FS) and 71% (DS) of the applied N. The difference between sludges was due to an initial period of N immobilization in FS. Nitrification was more sensitive than N mineralization to changes in water potential and it was fully inhibited at –1500 kPa. The introduction of a large amount of nitrifiers with FS did not modify the rate of nitrification, which was principally limited by soil acidity (pH 4.9). Although N mineralization was greatest at 30˚C, nitrification increased continuously with temperature. Nitrogen mineralization from DS was well described by the double-exponential equation. For FS, the equation was modified to take into account an immobilization-remineralization period. Sludge placement significantly affected the soil NO-3/NH+4 ratio in the field: 16 for I+ and 1.5 for I–, after 11 weeks. In the I– treatment, nitrification of the released NH+4 was limited by soil moisture because of the dry soil mulch formed a few hours after rain. At the end of the field experiment, the estimated losses of N by leaching were 432 kg N/ha for I+ and 356 kg N/ha for I–. Volatilization was not detectable in the I+ microplots and it represented only 0.5% of the applied N in the I– microplots. The results showed that placement of sludge may be a valuable tool to decrease NO-3 leaching by placing the sludge under unfavourable conditions for nitrification.

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Mid-Term Effects of Forest Thinning on N Mineralization in a Semi-Arid Aleppo Pine Forest

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12111470 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 1470

Author(s):

Inmaculada Bautista ◽

Luis Lado-Monserrat ◽

Cristina Lull ◽

Antonio Lidón

Keyword(s):

N Mineralization ◽

Nutrient Dynamics ◽

Pinus Halepensis ◽

Block Design ◽

Plant Cover ◽

Basal Area ◽

Net N Mineralization ◽

Mineral N ◽

Silvicultural Treatments ◽

Randomized Block Design

In order to assess the sustainability of silvicultural treatments in semiarid forests, it is necessary to know how they affect the nutrient dynamics in the forest. The objective of this paper is to study the effects of silvicultural treatments on the net N mineralization and the available mineral N content in the soil after 13 years following forest clearings. The treatments were carried out following a randomized block design, with four treatments and two blocks. The distance between the two blocks was less than 3 km; they were located in Chelva (CH) and Tuéjar (TU) in Valencia, Spain. Within each block, four experimental clearing treatments were carried out in 1998: T0 control; and T60, T75 and T100 where 60%, 75% and 100 of basal area was eliminated, respectively. Nitrogen dynamics were measured using the resin tube technique, with disturbed samples due to the high stoniness of the plots. Thirteen years after the experimental clearings, T100, T75 and T60 treatments showed a twofold increase in the net mineralization and nitrification rates with respect to T0 in both blocks (TU and CH). Within the plots, the highest mineralization was found in sites with no plant cover followed by those covered by undergrowth. These results can be explained in terms of the different litterfall qualities, which in turn are the result of the proportion of material originating from Pinus halepensis Mill. vs. more decomposable undergrowth residues.

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Empirical relationships between temperature and nitrogen availability across North American forests

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x92-094 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 707-712 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Xiwei Yin

Keyword(s):

N Mineralization ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Mineral Soil ◽

Published Data ◽

N Availability ◽

Net N Mineralization ◽

Soil N ◽

Litter Fall ◽

Available N ◽

N Pool

Published data were analyzed to examine whether nitrogen (N) availability varies along macroclimatic gradients in North America. Extractable N produced during 8-week aerobic laboratory incubation was used as an index of potential net N mineralization. Mean extractable N during the growing season in the forest floor plus top mineral soil was used as an index of the available N pool. Using multiple regression, potential net N mineralization was shown to increase with available N and with litter-fall N (R2 = 0.722). Available N increased with increasing total soil N and with decreasing mean January and July air temperatures (R2 = 0.770). These relationships appeared to hold also for deciduous and coniferous forests separately across regions. Results suggest that net N mineralization output under uniform temperature and moisture conditions can be generally expressed by variations of N input (litter fall) and the available soil N pool, and that the available soil N pool is predictable along a temperature gradient at a regional scale.

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