Long term trends in total nitrogen of a vertisol subjected to zero-tillage, nitrogen application and stubble retention

Soil Research ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 223 ◽  
Author(s):  
RC Dalal
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
N Recovery ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Total N ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Stubble Retention ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Apparent N Recovery

The effects of conservation practices, zero-tillage and stubble retention, on long-term trends in total N (0-0.1 m depth) of a Vertisol used mainly for wheat cropping were studied in a semi-arid subtropical environment (28�12'S. and 152�06' E.) in Queensland. Trends in total N content of a Vertisoi (65% clay, pH 7.2) were discerned during a 22-year period of management practices including: zero-tillage (ZT) and conventional tillage (CT); stubble retention (SR) and stubble burning (SB); and fertilizer N application of nil (Nl), 23 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (N2) and 69 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (N3). Soil total N (0-0.1 m) declined under all treatments at an overall rate of 25f 2 kg N ha-1 yr-1 although after 22 years soil under ZT, SR and N3 treatments still contained higher soil total N than under CT, SB and N1 treatments. Apparent fertilizer N recovery in the soil-plant system was poor (34 64%) under CTSB, CTSR and ZTSB and ZTSR treatments, because N removed by the wheat crop was equivalent to less than 20% of fertilizer N in the first 12 years of management practices, due mainly to disease. Deep leaching losses of NO3-N was the likely factor for poor recovery of N. The ZTSR treatment showed better apparent N recovery than the CTSB treatment, most likely due to greater immobilization of fertilizer N, more N uptake in grain due to additional available soil water and hence less leaching losses of NO3-N. Under the current cultural practices, soil total N (0-0.1 m) may decline further to reach a steady state (about 1000 kg N ha-1). However, the apparent N recovery in the soil-plant system can be increased by disease control (for example, resistant cultivars and winter-summer crop rotations) and optimum utilisation of soil water (opportunity cropping) to minimize NO3-N leaching losses and to maximise production of crop biomass.

Effect of cropping practices on soil organic carbon: evidence from long-term field experiments in Victoria, Australia

Soil Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Robertson ◽  
Roger Armstrong ◽  
Debra Partington ◽  
Roger Perris ◽  
Ivanah Oliver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Residue Management ◽  
Continuous Cropping ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Stubble Retention ◽  
Soc Stocks

Despite considerable research, predicting how soil organic carbon (SOC) in grain production systems will respond to conservation management practices, such as reduced tillage, residue retention and alternative rotations, remains difficult because of the slowness of change and apparent site specificity of the effects. We compared SOC stocks (equivalent soil mass to ~0–0.3 m depth) under various tillage, residue management and rotation treatments in three long-term (12-, 28- and 94-year-old) field experiments in two contrasting environments (Mallee and Wimmera regions). Our hypotheses were that SOC stocks are increased by: (1) minimum tillage rather than traditional tillage; (2) continuous cropping, rather than crop–fallow rotations; and (3) phases of crop or pasture legumes in rotations, relative to continuous cropping with cereals. We found that zero tillage and stubble retention increased SOC in some circumstances (by up to 1.5 Mg C ha–1, or 8%) but not in others. Inclusion of bare fallow in rotations reduced SOC (by 1.4–2.4 Mg C ha–1, or 8–12%) compared with continuous cropping. Including a pulse crop (field pea, where the grain was harvested) in rotations also increased SOC in some instances (by ~6–8 Mg C ha–1, or 29–35%) but not in others. Similarly, leguminous pasture (medic or lucerne) phases in rotations either increased SOC (by 3.5 Mg C ha–1, or 21%) or had no significant effect compared with continuous wheat. Inclusion of a vetch green manure or unfertilised oat pasture in the rotation did not significantly increase SOC compared with continuous wheat. The responses in SOC to these management treatments were likely to be due, in part, to differences in nitrogen and water availability (and their effects on carbon inputs and decomposition) and, in part, to other, unidentified, interactions. We conclude that the management practices examined in the present study may not reliably increase SOC on their own, but that significant increases in SOC are possible under some circumstances through the long-term use of multiple practices, such as stubble retention + zero tillage + legume N input + elimination of fallow. The circumstances under which increases in SOC can be achieved require further investigation.

scholarly journals A comparative study of nitrate leaching from intensively managed monoculture grass and grass–clover pastures

1998 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. S. HOODA ◽  
M. MOYNAGH ◽  
I. F. SVOBODA ◽  
H. A. ANDERSON
Keyword(s):  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Field Size ◽  
Silty Clay ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Treatment Results ◽  
Total N ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
South West ◽  
Intensively Managed

Nitrate leaching losses from intensively managed monoculture grass and grass–clover pastures were measured during 1994–96 at a long-term experimental farm in south-west Scotland. Field-size lysimeter plots were established in 1993 on the existing pastures on a silty clay loam non-calcareous gley. No fertilizer-N was applied to the grass–clover, while the monoculture grass was fertilized with c. 240 kg N ha−1 year−1, but both swards received 2–3 cattle slurry applications annually (120–390 kg total N ha−1 year−1). The pastures supported 2–3 cuts for silage conservation, and were grazed by dairy cattle and stocked with sheep during the winter months.Initially, leachate nitrate concentrations from the fertilized grass were considerably larger than those from the clover-based pasture, but became similar with time. The annual nitrate leaching losses from the grass–clover (24–38 kg NO3-N ha−1) were less than that from the monoculture grass (30–45 kg NO3-N ha−1), but the differences were not large considering the additional fertilizer-N applied to the latter treatment. Results also suggested that greater leaching losses occur during a warmer, drier year, compared to a cooler, wetter year, regardless of the source of N-input.

Long-term effects of tillage, stubble, and nitrogen management on properties of a red-brown earth

1995 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 923 ◽  
Author(s):  
NA Fettell ◽  
HS Gill
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Organic C ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Total N ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Stubble Retention ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Direct Drilling ◽  
N Management

Differences in soil organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and pH resulting from 14 and 15 years of different tillage, stubble, and fertiliser N management practices were measured for a red-brown earth at Condobolin in western New South Wales. The 5 main treatments comprised stubble burning or retention in factorial combination with cultivation and direct drilling, and stubble incorporation combined with cultivation. Two rates of N fertiliser (0 and 40 or 50 kg/ha) were applied annually, and wheat was grown each year. There were no significant differences between tillage and stubble treatments for soil organic C, total N, or pH. Fertiliser N application caused small but significant increases in organic C and total N but decreased the pH of the surface 2.5 cm of soil by 0.4-0.5 units compared with the nil fertiliser rate. The study indicates that direct drilling and stubble retention with continuous wheat have had little long-term effect on soil organic C and total N in this low rainfall environment.

scholarly journals Fertilizer 15N balance in a coffee cropping system: a case study in Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 1459-1469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiele Anete Bergamo Fenilli ◽  
Klaus Reichardt ◽  
José Laércio Favarin ◽  
Osny Oliveira Santos Bacchi ◽  
Adriana Lúcia Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ammonium Sulfate ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
N Recovery ◽  
15N Balance ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Perennial Crop ◽  
Deep Drainage ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Total N

Knowledge about the fate of fertilizer nitrogen in agricultural systems is essential for the improvement of management practices in order to maximize nitrogen (N) recovery by the crop and reduce N losses from the system to a minimum. This study involves fertilizer management practices using the 15N isotope label applied in a single rate to determine the fertilizer-N balance in a particular soil-coffee-atmosphere system and to deepen the understanding of N plant dynamics. Five replicates consisting of plots of about 120 plants each were randomly defined within a 0.2 ha coffee plantation planted in 2001, in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. Nine plants of each plot were separated in sub-plots for the 15N balance studies and treated with N rates of 280 and 350 kg ha-1 during 2003/2004 and 2004/2005, respectively, both of them as ammonium sulfate enriched to a 15N abundance of 2.072 atom %. Plant shoots were considered as separate parts: the orthotropic central branch, productive branches, leaves of productive branches, vegetative branches, leaves of vegetative branches and fruit. Litter, consisting of dead leaves accumulated below the plant canopy, was measured by the difference between leaves at harvest and at the beginning of the following flowering. Roots and soil were sampled down to a depth of 1.0 at intervals of 0.2 m. Samples from the isotopic sub-plots were used to evaluate total N and 15N, and plants outside sub-plots were used to evaluate dry matter. Volatilization losses of NH3 were estimated using special collectors. Leaching of fertilizer-N was estimated from deep drainage water fluxes and 15N concentrations of the soil solution at 1 m soil depth. At the end of the 2-year evaluation, the recovery of 15N applied as ammonium sulfate was 19.1 % in aerial plant parts, 9.4 % in the roots, 23.8 % in the litter, 26.3 % in the fruit and 12.6 % remaining in the 0_1.0 m soil profile. Annual leaching and volatilization losses were very small (2.0 % and 0.9 %, respectively). After two years, only 6.2 % N were missing in the balance (100 %) which can be attributed to other non-estimated compartments and experimental errors. Results show that an enrichment of only 2 % atom 15N allows the study of the partition of fertilizer-N in a perennial crop such as coffee during a period of two years.

Water and bromide movement in a Vertosol under four fallow management systems

Soil Research ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Turpin ◽  
J. P. Thompson ◽  
B. J. Bridge ◽  
D. Orange
Keyword(s):  
Water Movement ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Fallow Management ◽  
Stubble Retention ◽  
Tracer Solution ◽  
Stubble Burning

Recent work on the Hermitage long-term fallow management found increased rates of anion movement under zero tillage systems compared with conventional tillage. Four separate experiments have been used to determine relative rates of water movement through different fallow management treatments on the Hermitage long-term fallow management trial and the causes of any differences. Photography of the aggregation patterns at the depth of tillage (approx. 15 cm) showed that conventional tillage combined with stubble burning has led to the formation of large massive peds up to 20 cm across below the tillage layer, whereas zero-tillage with stubble retention has maintained much smaller aggregates in this zone. Measurements of hydraulic conductivity at 15 cm under both dry and moist conditions indicated that, when the soil is dry and cracked, all tillage treatments have similar conductivities, but when the soil swells and cracks close, zero tillage–stubble retention maintains a greater volume of large pores and thereby greater conductivity. This effect was further demonstrated when a bromide tracer solution was applied to a relatively wet soil by ring infiltrometer, where only 15% of the solution moved below 15 cm in conventional tillage–stubble burning compared with 26% and 38% in zero tillage{stubble retention. In the final experiment, which followed the movement of surface applied bromide over a 6-month fallow, there were no significant differences in rates of leaching between management treatments.

Performance of nitrate compared with urea fertilizer in a semiarid climate of the northern Great Plains

2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-355
Author(s):  
Richard E. Engel ◽  
Carlos M. Romero ◽  
Patrick Carr ◽  
Jessica A. Torrion
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
N Recovery ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Total N ◽  
Semiarid Regions

Fertilizer NO3-N may represent a benefit over NH4-N containing sources in semiarid regions where rainfall is often not sufficient to leach fertilizer-N out of crop rooting zones, denitrification concerns are not great, and when NH3 volatilization concerns exist. The objective of our study was to contrast plant-N derived from fertilizer-15N (15Ndff), fertilizer-15N recovery (F15NR), total N uptake, grain yield, and protein of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) from spring-applied NaNO3 relative to urea and urea augmented with urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl)thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT). We established six fertilizer-N field trials widespread within the state of Montana between 2012 and 2017. The trials incorporated different experimental designs and 15N-labeled fertilizer-N sources, including NaNO3, NH4NO3, urea, and urea + NBPT. Overall, F15NR and 15Ndff in mature crop biomass were significantly greater for NaNO3 than urea or urea + NBPT (P < 0.05). Crop 15Ndff averaged 53.8%, 43.9%, and 44.7% across locations for NaNO3, urea, and urea + NBPT, respectively. Likewise, crop F15NR averaged 52.2%, 35.8%, and 38.6% for NaNO3, urea, and urea + NBPT, respectively. Soil 15N recovered in the surface layer (0–15 cm) was lower for NaNO3 compared with urea and urea + NBPT. Wheat grain yield and protein were generally not sensitive to improvements in 15Ndff, F15NR, or total N uptake. Our study hypothesis that NaNO3 would result in similar or better performance than urea or urea + NBPT was confirmed. Use of NO3-N fertilizer might be an alternative strategy to mitigate fertilizer-N induced soil acidity in semiarid regions of the northern Great Plains.

CROP UTILIZATION OF PLACED AND BROADCAST 15N-UREA FERTILIZER UNDER ZERO AND CONVENTIONAL TILLAGE

1984 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. CARTER ◽  
D. A. RENNIE
Keyword(s):  
N Uptake ◽  
Moisture Stress ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
N Application ◽  
Total N

Growth chamber and field studies were conducted to assess the relative utilization of placed and broadcast 15N-urea by spring wheat. The field studies were conducted on zero and conventional (shallow) tillage systems, of 4-yr duration, located on Chernozemic soils at two locations in Saskatchewan. Placement below the seeding depth in comparison to broadcast application, generally reduced fertilizer N immobilization and increased fertilizer N uptake, recovery, and efficiency. Under moisture stress, placed applications were effective in enhancing dry matter yield and total N uptake. It is concluded that fertilizer N placement for these two contrasting tillage systems should be identical, thus some soil disturbance under zero tillage may be necessary to achieve optimum crop use of applied fertilizer N. The dominant N transformation processes and possible tillage induced differences, in regard to methods of N application, are discussed. Key words: Placed and broadcast N application, N efficiency, N utilization, 15N-urea, zero tillage, soil moisture

Effect of irrigation method on the recovery of 15N fertilizer in a slowly permeable clay soil cropped with maize

Soil Research ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
AR Mosier ◽  
WS Meyer ◽  
FM Melhuish
Keyword(s):  
Plant Stress ◽  
N Recovery ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Flood Irrigation ◽  
Mineral N ◽  
N Content ◽  
Total N ◽  
Maize Plants ◽  
And Control ◽  
Irrigated Soils

A study using 15N~labelled fertilizer was initiated in a lysimeter facility to quantify the amount of N assimilated by maize plants and that which remained in the soil at the end of a cropping season. Maize was planted in 0.43 m2 by 1.35 m deep intact Marah clay loam soil cores removed from an improved pasture in mid-October 1983. Two irrigation treatments, flood-impounding water on the soil for up to 72 h, and control-applying enough water to prevent plant stress without ponding, were employed. The crop was harvested in early April 1984 and the amount of fertilizer- and soil-derived N in the plant and remaining in the soil was determined. Grain yields were reduced about 33% by flood irrigation. Although about 30 kg N ha-1 more fertilizer N was lost from the flood-irrigated system, the difference in N recovery between the flood- and control-irrigated soils was not sufficient to account for the reduced grain yield. Flood-irrigated plants were less efficient in transporting fertilizer N to the seed than were control irrigation plants. The data suggest that the reduced seed yield and total N content of maize plants grown under flood irrigation was metabolically controlled rather than being derived from a difference in soil mineral N content compared with control-irrigated soils.

Effects of tillage and direct drilling on soil properties during the growing season in a long-term barley mono-culture system

1977 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 431-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Pidgeon ◽  
B. D. Soane
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Spring Barley ◽  
Equilibrium Density ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Clay Loam ◽  
Cone Resistance

SUMMARYSoil responses to deep (30–35 cm) and normal (15–20 cm) mouldboard ploughing, chisel ploughing and zero-tillage have been compared for 7 years in a field experiment growing continuous spring barley near Edinburgh. The soil was of variable texture, from moderately well-drained sandy loam overlying loam to imperfectly to poorly drained sandy clay loam overlying clay loam, classified as stagnogleyic brown earth to cambio stagnogley soil. Soils of this type derived from Carboniferous till are widely used for cereal production in south-east Scotland. Measurements of soil physical properties were made at crop emergence, midseason and at harvest to characterize seasonal and long-term responses to tillage and traffic. After the first 3 years bulk density responses varied little within or between seasons, showing a compacted horizon from 0–15 cm under zero-tillage and a looser horizon from 21–33 cm under deep ploughing compared with normal ploughing. Immediately below the depth of normal ploughing there was no difference in bulk density between this treatment and zero-tillage while in some years the chisel-ploughing treatment was denser. Moisture content responses on a weight basis, together with air-filled porosity responses, showed large differences between treatments particularly at the time of crop emergency, indicating substantial alterations in the soil profile hydrology. Expressed on a volume basis the increased moisture content near the surface under zero-tillage became more pronounced and the other effects disappeared. Cone resistance responses were proportionately larger than those for bulk density and showed one major difference in that below the depth of ploughing cone resistance was greater for zero-tillage than normal ploughing in the sixth and seventh seasons, but not previously. For bulk density, but probably not for cone resistance, there were no increases after the third season of zero-tillage, the soil reaching an equilibrium density for the current management practices and machinery usage.

scholarly journals Long-term effects of continuous cropping and different nutrient management practices on the distribution of organic nitrogen in soil under rice-wheat system

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 63-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kaur ◽  
Singh JP
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Amino Sugar ◽  
Inorganic Fertilizer ◽  
Inorganic Fertilizers ◽  
Total N ◽  
Organic Manures ◽  
Hydrolysable N

A long-term experiment was used to evaluate the effects of different nutrient management practices on the distribution of soil organic N fractions and their contribution to N nutrition of a rice-wheat system. Continuous rice-wheat cultivation for 13 years without any fertilization was unable to maintain total soil nitrogen level to its original level and resulted in a decrease at 8.3 mg N/kg/year. Likewise, amino acid N, amino sugar N, ammonia N, hydrolysable unknown N, total hydrolysable N and non-hydrolysable N decreased by 37.2, 29.6, 33.7, 10.4, 26.6 and 20.4%, respectively over their initial status. However, application of inorganic fertilizers alone or in combination with organic manures led to a marked increase in total N and its fractions. The increase in total N with the application of farmyard manure, press mud and green manure along with inorganic fertilizer over treatment with inorganic fertilizer alone was 23.1, 34.4 and 7.0%, respectively. These results imply that integrated use of inorganic fertilizers with organic manures represent a sound practice for sustaining N reserves in soil. On average, amino acid-N, amino sugar-N, ammonia-N and hydrolysable unknown-N constituted about 27.9, 10.7, 28.7 and 32.7% of the total hydrolysable-N, respectively.

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