Decomposition rate of cereal straw as affected by soil placement

Soil Research ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 152 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Curtin ◽  
G. S. Francis ◽  
F. M. McCallum
Keyword(s):  
Crop Residues ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Straw Decomposition ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Litter Bag ◽  
Residue Contact ◽  
Co2 Output ◽  
Soil Residue

Decomposition rates for crop residues have generally been estimated based on data obtained using buried litter bags. Because of limited soil–residue contact, the litter bag technique may not adequately simulate decomposition when residues are mixed through the soil. In field microplots, decomposition of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) straw (autumn-incorporated at a rate of 7 t/ha) mixed through the 0–0.20 m soil layer was compared with straw decomposition in fibreglass bags (4-mm mesh) buried at a depth of 0.20 m. A surface-placed straw treatment and a no-straw control were included for comparison. Emissions of CO2 were monitored from the incorporated straw treatments and undecomposed straw was recovered after 158 days (mean soil temperature during the trial period was 8°C at 0.10 m). Emissions of CO2 from the soil‐mixed straw treatment were generally greater than from the buried bag treatment in the 2 months following incorporation. Output of CO2-C over the first 73 days averaged 83 g/m2 for the soil-mixed straw treatment compared with 61 g/m2 for the litter bag treatment and 34 g/m2 for the no-straw control. Over the entire trial, CO2-C attributable to straw (CO2-C output from straw-treated plots minus CO2-C emitted from the control) was 66% greater for soil‐mixed straw than for litter bag straw, indicating that within soil placement can have a strong and persistent effect on straw decomposition. Straw type had a small but significant (P < 0.05) effect on CO2 output (barley > wheat). Straw mass loss during the trial averaged 66% for soil-mixed straw, 32% for litter bag straw, and 13% for straw placed on the soil surface. The low recovery of soil‐mixed straw is partly due to difficulty of extracting small (<2 mm) residue fragments from the soil; however, such fragments could legitimately be considered part of the soil organic matter. The results confirm that straw that is well distributed through the soil may decompose more rapidly than would be anticipated from litter bag measurements.

scholarly journals Species Diversity Induces Idiosyncratic Effects on Litter Decomposition in a Degraded Meadow Steppe

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iqra Naeem ◽  
Talal Asif ◽  
Xuefeng Wu ◽  
Nazim Hassan ◽  
Liu Yiming ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Incubation Time ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Leymus Chinensis ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Litter Bag ◽  
Decomposition Dynamics ◽  
Litter Mixing

Litter decomposition is a fundamental path for nutrient cycling in a natural ecosystem. However, it remains unclear how species diversity, including richness and evenness, affects the decomposition dynamics in the context of grassland degradation. Using a litter bag technique, we investigated the litter-mixing effects of two coexisting dominant species (Leymus chinensis Lc and Phragmites australis Pa), as monocultures and mixtures with evenness (Lc:Pa) from M1 (30:70%), M2 (50:50%), and M3 (70:30%), on decomposition processes over time (60 and 365 days). The litter bags were placed on the soil surface along a degradation gradient [near pristine (NP), lightly degraded (LD), and highly degraded (HD)]. We found that 1) mass loss in mixture compositions was significantly and positively correlated with initial nitrogen (N) and cellulose contents; 2) litter mixing (richness and evenness) influenced decomposition dynamics individually and in interaction with the incubation days and the degradation gradients; 3) in a general linear model (GLM), nonadditive antagonistic effects were more prominent than additive or neutral effects in final litter and nutrients except for carbon (C); and 4) in nutrients (C, N, lignin) and C/N ratio, additive effects shifted to nonadditive with incubation time. We speculated that the occurrence of nonadditive positive or negative effects varied with litter and nutrients mass remaining in each degraded gradient under the mechanism of initial litter quality of monoculture species, soil properties of experimental sites, and incubation time. Our study has important implications for grassland improvement and protection by considering species biodiversity richness, as well as species evenness.

scholarly journals Sugarcane straw decomposition and carbon balance as a function of initial biomass and vinasse addition to soil surface

Bragantia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Sayuri Yamaguchi ◽  
Nilza Patrícia Ramos ◽  
Cristina Silva Carvalho ◽  
Adriana Marlene Moreno Pires ◽  
Cristiano Alberto de Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Carbon Concentration ◽  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Water Retention Capacity ◽  
Straw Decomposition ◽  
Retention Capacity ◽  
Sugarcane Straw

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate sugarcane straw decomposition and the potential of increasing soil carbon as a function of the initial biomass and vinasse addition to soil surface. The experimente consisted of incubation (240 days, in the dark, humidity equivalent to 70% of soil water retention capacity and average temperature of 28 °C) of Oxisol soil samples (0-20 cm soil layer) with straw added to soil surface at rates of 2; 4; 8; 16 and 24 t∙ha−1 and with or without vinasse addition (200 m3∙ha-1). The following variables were determined: released C-CO2, remaining straw dry matter, carbon straw and soil carbon concentration. The added biomass did not influence straw decomposition rate, but vinasse treatments provided rates between 70 and 94% compared to 68 to 75% for the ones without vinasse. The straw (16 and 24 t∙ha−1) decomposition rate increased between 14 and 35% due to vinasse addition, but the same behavior was not observed for released C-CO2. This result was explained by the twofold increase of soil carbon concentration, estimated by mass balance and confirmed analytically by the carbon concentration of soil samples. It was concluded that sugarcane straw decomposition, under no limiting conditions of humidity and temperature, did not depend on biomass initially added and that vinasse addition accelerated straw decomposition and potentialized carbon input into the soil.

scholarly journals DECOMPOSITION OF LEAF LITTER IN THE BRAZILIAN CERRADO, CERRADÃO AND FOREST ENVIRONMENTS IN THE AMAZON, BRAZIL

FLORESTA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 803
Author(s):  
Maria Clécia Gomes Sales ◽  
Milton César Costa Campos ◽  
Elilson Gomes de Brito Filho ◽  
Luís Antônio Coutrim Dos Santos ◽  
José Maurício Da Cunha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Half Life ◽  
Life Time ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Nutrient Input ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Mass Percentage ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Litter Bag ◽  
Loss Analysis

The soils of the Amazon region, despite being under one of the densest forests in the world, are mostly characterized by low nutrient availability, with litter being the main nutrient input route. The present work aimed to evaluate the litter decomposition in forest, Cerrado and Cerradão environments in the Amazon. The litter decomposition rate was estimated by mass loss analysis using litter bags. The collections were performed at intervals of 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270 and 300 days, with four replications. Once collected, the material contained in each litter bag was placed to dry to obtain the dry mass. And so, the remaining mass percentage, the decomposition rates (k) and the half-life time (t1/2) are estimated. During the studied period, the Cerrado environment presented the lowest constant k (0.0017 g g-1 day-1) and consequently longer half-life (407 days). The monthly deposition in Cerrado input ranged from Mgha-1mother1 (June to September). Among the evaluated environments, the forest presented the highest decomposition speed and Cerrado presented the lowest one. It was evidenced that the decomposition process for all studied environments occurred with greater intensity in the rainy season.

scholarly journals Decomposition Rates and Residue-Colonizing Microbial Communities ofBacillus thuringiensisInsecticidal Protein Cry3Bb-Expressing (Bt) and Non-Bt Corn Hybrids in the Field

2010 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 839-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Xue ◽  
Raquel C. Serohijos ◽  
Medha Devare ◽  
Janice E. Thies
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Rflp Analysis ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Protein S ◽  
Bt Corn ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Cry Protein ◽  
Corn Hybrids ◽  
Effect Of Treatment

ABSTRACTDespite the rapid adoption of crops expressing the insecticidal Cry protein(s) fromBacillus thuringiensis(Bt), public concern continues to mount over the potential environmental impacts. Reduced residue decomposition rates and increased tissue lignin concentrations reported for some Bt corn hybrids have been highlighted recently as they may influence soil carbon dynamics. We assessed the effects of MON863 Bt corn, producing the Cry3Bb protein against the corn rootworm complex, on these aspects and associated decomposer communities by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. Litterbags containing cobs, roots, or stalks plus leaves from Bt and unmodified corn with (non-Bt+I) or without (non-Bt) insecticide applied were placed on the soil surface and at a 10-cm depth in field plots planted with these crop treatments. The litterbags were recovered and analyzed after 3.5, 15.5, and 25 months. No significant effect of treatment (Bt, non-Bt, and non-Bt+I) was observed on initial tissue lignin concentrations, litter decomposition rate, or bacterial decomposer communities. The effect of treatment on fungal decomposer communities was minor, with only 1 of 16 comparisons yielding separation by treatment. Environmental factors (litterbag recovery year, litterbag placement, and plot history) led to significant differences for most measured variables. Combined, these results indicate that the differences detected were driven primarily by environmental factors rather than by any differences between the corn hybrids or the use of tefluthrin. We conclude that the Cry3Bb corn tested in this study is unlikely to affect carbon residence time or turnover in soils receiving these crop residues.

scholarly journals Effects of water content and mesh size on tea bag decomposition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taiki Mori ◽  
Ryota Aoyagi ◽  
Hiroki Taga ◽  
Yoshimi Sakai
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Litter Bag ◽  
Rooibos Tea ◽  
Water Contents

AbstractThe tea bag method was developed to provide uniform litter bags that enable comparison of organic matter decomposition rates on a large scale. However, it remains uncertain whether tea bag decomposition in response to wetness is representative of that of natural litters. We performed incubation experiments to examine whether the effect of soil water on tea bag decomposition becomes inhibitory at higher water contents, as was demonstrated in natural leaf litters. In addition, we performed field studies in a mixed forest and cedar plantation in Japan to compare two litter bag mesh sizes: 0.25-mm mesh, the size previously used by a major manufacturer of tea bags (Lipton), and nonwoven bags with mesh sizes finer than 0.25 mm, which are currently produced by Lipton. Both green tea and rooibos tea exhibited higher decomposition rates at higher water contents, but decomposition was inhibited at the highest water content, consistent with conceptual models of natural litters. The nonwoven tea bags did not show lower decomposition rates, despite the finer mesh size. Rather, the nonwoven rooibos tea bags exhibited slightly higher decomposition rates than the 0.25-mm mesh bags in the cedar plantation, possibly due to a greater abundance of microorganisms that decompose litters in the nonwoven bags, due to the decrease in predation by mesofauna. Our findings provide essential information for future studies of tea bag decomposition.

scholarly journals Seasonality of litterfall and leaf decomposition in a cerrado site

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
MW. Valenti ◽  
MV. Cianciaruso ◽  
MA. Batalha
Keyword(s):  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Woody Plant ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Leaf Decomposition ◽  
The Other ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Leaf Litterfall

We investigated annual litterfall and leaf decomposition rate in a cerrado site. We collected woody plant litter monthly from April 2001 to March 2002 and from July 2003 to June 2004. We placed systematically 13 litter traps (0.5 x 0.5 m) in a line, 10 m one from the other. We sorted litter into 'leaves', 'stems', 'reproductive structures', and 'miscellanea' fractions, oven-dried them at 80 °C until constant mass and weighed the dry material. To assess leaf decomposition rate, we packed leaves recently shed by plants in litter bags. We placed seven sets of nine litter bags in a line, 10 m one from the other, on the soil surface and collected nine bags each time after 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months. Total and leaf litter productions showed a seasonal pattern. Leaf litterfall was the phenological attribute that showed the strongest response to seasonality and drought. Decomposition was slower in the cerrado that we studied compared to a more closed cerrado physiognomy, reflecting their structural and environmental differences. Thus, decomposition rates seem to increase from open to closed cerrado physiognomies, probably related to an increase of humidity and nutrients in the soil.

Litter decomposition studies using mesh bags: spillage inaccuracies and the effects of repeated artificial drying

1974 ◽  
Vol 52 (10) ◽  
pp. 2157-2163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Suffling ◽  
David W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Old Field ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Litter Bag ◽  
Modified Method ◽  
Mesh Bags ◽  
Source Of Error

A modified method of measuring litter decomposition using mesh bags is suggested in which the bags are reused during several time increments. The chief objections to this method are that litter may be lost through spillage and that repeated artificial drying may affect decomposition rates. Experimental results are presented to show that spillage represents a significant source of error with finely divided litter, even using conventional litter bag methods. A method for handling litter bags is suggested in which corrections may be made for spillage. In a second experiment it was found that decomposition rates were not significantly altered by repeated artificial drying of old-field litter so that repeated drying of litter in field experiments may be valid.

scholarly journals Straw decomposition of nitrogen-fertilized grasses intercropped with irrigated maize in an integrated crop-livestock system

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 2029-2037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiano Magalhães Pariz ◽  
Marcelo Andreotti ◽  
Salatiér Buzetti ◽  
Antonio Fernando Bergamaschine ◽  
Nelson de Araújo Ulian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperatures ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Panicum Maximum ◽  
Straw Decomposition ◽  
Total N ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Litter Bag ◽  
Livestock System

The greatest limitation to the sustainability of no-till systems in Cerrado environments is the low quantity and rapid decomposition of straw left on the soil surface between fall and spring, due to water deficit and high temperatures. In the 2008/2009 growing season, in an area under center pivot irrigation in Selvíria, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, this study evaluated the lignin/total N ratio of grass dry matter , and N, P and K deposition on the soil surface and decomposition of straw of Panicum maximum cv. Tanzânia, P. maximum cv. Mombaça, Brachiaria. brizantha cv. Marandu and B. ruziziensis, and the influence of N fertilization in winter/spring grown intercropped with maize, on a dystroferric Red Latosol (Oxisol). The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design in split-plots; the plots were represented by eight maize intercropping systems with grasses (sown together with maize or at the time of N side dressing). Subplots consisted of N rates (0, 200, 400 and 800 kg ha-1 year-1) sidedressed as urea (rates split in four applications at harvests in winter/spring), as well as evaluation of the straw decomposition time by the litter bag method (15, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 days after straw chopping). Nitrogen fertilization in winter/spring of P. maximum cv. Tanzânia, P. maximum cv. Mombaça, B. brizantha cv. Marandu and B. ruziziensis after intercropping with irrigated maize in an integrated crop-livestock system under no-tillage proved to be a technically feasible alternative to increase the input of straw and N, P and K left on the soil surface, required for the sustainability of the system, since the low lignin/N ratio of straw combined with high temperatures accelerated straw decomposition, reaching approximately 30 % of the initial amount, 90 days after straw chopping.

Wheat straw decomposition in subtropical Australia .II. Effect of straw placement on decomposition and recovery of added 15N urea

Soil Research ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 481 ◽  
Author(s):  
AL Cogle ◽  
WM Strong ◽  
PG Saffigna ◽  
JN Ladd ◽  
M Amato
Keyword(s):  
Wheat Straw ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Soil Organisms ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Straw Decomposition ◽  
Straw Management ◽  
Biological Denitrification ◽  
15N Urea ◽  
Subtropical Australia ◽  
Subtropical Environment

Decomposition of 14C-labelled wheat straw and its effect on fertilizer 15N transformations was studied in a subtropical environment over a 2 year period. The effect of straw management was also studied. Wheat straw incorporated in topsoil initially decomposed at a faster rate than wheat straw placed on the soil surface. This was due to the greater positional availability of straw carbon to soil organisms in incorporated straw. Later decomposition rates were similar. After 1.5 months, 44% of applied 15N-urea was recovered from incorporated straw treatments and 55% from surface-retained straw treatments. Losses were attributed to biological denitrification. The greater loss in incorporated straw treatments was suggested to be due to a greater availability of carbon to the denitrifying population compared with treatments where straw was retained on the surface. After 2 years, the recovery of 15N decreased to between 12 and 15% of that applied.

scholarly journals Coal Fly Ash and Polyacrylamide Influence Transport and Redistribution of Soil Nitrogen in a Sandy Sloping Land

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Kai Yang ◽  
Zejun Tang ◽  
Jianzhang Feng
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Sandy Soil ◽  
Coal Fly Ash ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Nutrient Retention ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Rainfall Event ◽  
N Losses ◽  
N Concentration ◽  
Application Rates

Sandy soils are prone to nutrient losses, and consequently do not have as much as agricultural productivity as other soils. In this study, coal fly ash (CFA) and anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) granules were used as a sandy soil amendment. The two additives were incorporated to the sandy soil layer (depth of 0.2 m, slope gradient of 10°) at three CFA dosages and two PAM dosages. Urea was applied uniformly onto the low-nitrogen (N) soil surface prior to the simulated rainfall experiment (rainfall intensity of 1.5 mm/min). The results showed that compared with no addition of CFA and PAM, the addition of CFA and/or PAM caused some increases in the cumulative NO3−-N and NH4+-N losses with surface runoff; when the rainfall event ended, 15% CFA alone treatment and 0.01–0.02% PAM alone treatment resulted in small but significant increases in the cumulative runoff-associated NO3−-N concentration (p < 0.05), meanwhile 10% CFA + 0.01% PAM treatment and 15% CFA alone treatment resulted in nonsignificant small increases in the cumulative runoff-associated NH4+-N concentration (p > 0.05). After the rainfall event, both CFA and PAM alone treatments increased the concentrations of NO3−-N and NH4+-N retained in the sandy soil layer compared with the unamended soil. As the CFA and PAM co-application rates increased, the additive effect of CFA and PAM on improving the nutrient retention of sandy soil increased.

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