Short-term net N mineralization from plant residues and gross and net N mineralization From soil organic-matter after rewetting of a seasonally dry soil

Soil Research ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 961 ◽  
Author(s):  
GP Sparling ◽  
DV Murphy ◽  
RB Thompson ◽  
IRP Fillery
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Rainfall Event ◽  
Isotopic Dilution ◽  
Plant Residues ◽  
Net N Mineralization ◽  
Soil Cores ◽  
Gross N Mineralization ◽  
Net Mineralization

The mineralization of N from shoot residues of two legume species and a common weed component of Western Australian pastures was measured after a simulated 'summer rainfall' in a laboratory experiment using undisturbed soil cores of a loamy sand. Water was added to the surface of the cores equivalent to a single rainfall event of 10 mm water (treatment 1); or followed 48 h later by a further application of 10 mol water (treatment 2). Net mineralization and microbial biomass N were measured over 144 h following the initial rewetting of the soil cores. Three types of 15N-labelled plant residue, namely (i) lupin leaf (Lupinus angustifolium), (ii) clover (Trifolium subterraneum) shoot, burr and petiole, and (iii) capeweed (Arctotheca calendula) shoots and leaves were placed on the soil surface as large fragments and examined to assess their mineralization and incorporation into microbial biomass. The soils dried rapidly after rewetting and net mineralization of N was very low. The proportion of N as nitrate was increased in the rewetted soils with the major changes occurring in the top 5 cm of soil. However, there was very little mineralization of the surface-applied plant residues, with more than 90% of the mineral N being derived from the native organic matter. Microbial biomass showed fluctuations in both the rewetted treatments, but no consistent increase or decrease and no significant immobilization of 15N. Gross N mineralization was measured using an isotopic dilution technique involving the injection of 15N-labelled solutions into the soil. Estimates of gross N mineralization after a single rainfall event of 10 mm water were, on average, four times greater than measures of net N mineralization. Gross N mineralization rates declined as the soil dried, with three times more mineralization occurring in the 0-5 cm depth (4.73-8.93 �g g-1 day-1), compared with the 5-10 cm depth (0.86-2.38 �g g-1 day-1). A major disadvantage with the isotopic dilution method was that injection of the solutions into soil greatly increased the soil moisture content. Gross mineralization in the injected cores is likely to have been overestimated because of N movement below the sampling zone and increased microbial activity relative to non-injected cores.

scholarly journals Impact of the addition of different plant residues on carbon–nitrogen content and nitrogen mineralization–immobilization turnover in a soil incubated under laboratory conditions

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 3051-3074 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. K. Abbasi ◽  
M. M. Tahir ◽  
N. Sabir ◽  
M. Khurshid
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
Biochemical Composition ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Growth Promotion ◽  
Lignin Content ◽  
Leguminous Plant ◽  
Plant Residues ◽  
Net N Mineralization ◽  
N Transformations ◽  
Total N

Abstract. Application of plant residues as soil amendment may represent a valuable recycling strategy that affects on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling, soil properties improvement and plant growth promotion. The amount and rate of nutrient release from plant residues depend on their quality characteristics and biochemical composition. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted for 120 days under controlled conditions (25 °C and 58% water filled pore space (WFPS)) to quantify initial biochemical composition and N mineralization of leguminous and non-leguminous plant residues i.e. the roots, shoots and leaves of Glycine max, Trifolium repens, Zea mays, Poplus euramericana, Rubinia pseudoacacia and Elagnus umbellate incorporated into the soil at the rate of 200 mg residue N kg−1 soil. The diverse plant residues showed wide variation in total N, carbon, lignin, polyphenols and C/N ratio with higher polyphenol content in the leaves and higher lignin content in the roots. The shoot of G. max and the shoot and root of T. repens displayed continuous mineralization by releasing a maximum of 109.8, 74.8 and 72.5 mg N kg−1 and representing a 55, 37 and 36% of added N being released from these resources. The roots of G. max and Z. mays and the shoot of Z. mays showed continuous negative values throughout the incubation showing net immobilization. After an initial immobilization, leaves of P. euramericana, R. pseudoacacia and E. umbellate exhibited net mineralization by releasing a maximum of 31.8, 63.1 and 65.1 mg N kg−1, respectively and representing a 16, 32 and 33% of added N being released. Nitrogen mineralization from all the treatments was positively correlated with the initial residue N contents (r = 0.89; p ≤ 0.01), and negatively correlated with lignin content (r = −0.84; p ≤ 0.01), C/N ratio (r = −0.69; p ≤ 0.05), lignin/N ratio (r = −0.68; p ≤ 0.05), polyphenol/N ratio (r = −0.73; p ≤ 0.05) and ligin + polyphenol/N ratio (r = −0.70; p ≤ 0.05) indicating a significant role of residue chemical composition and quality in regulating N transformations and cycling in soil. The present study indicates that incorporation of plant residues strongly modify the mineralization-immobilization turnover (MIT) of soil that can be taken into account to develop synchronization between net N mineralization and crop demand in order to maximize N delivery and minimize N losses.

Influence of sampling date and substrate on nitrogen mineralization: comparison of laboratory-incubation and buried-bag methods for two Massachusetts forest soils

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 1895-1900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard D. Boone
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Net N Mineralization ◽  
Laboratory Incubation ◽  
Mineralization Potential ◽  
Organic Horizons ◽  
N Mineralization Potential

Nitrogen (N) mineralization potential and net N mineralization insitu were measured monthly over 7 months for the forest floor horizons (Oi, Oe, Oa) and mineral soil (0–15 cm) of a pine stand and the mineral soil (0–15 cm) of a maple stand in Massachusetts, United States. In all cases, N mineralization potential per unit organic matter (anaerobic laboratory incubation) varied significantly by sampling month but was unrelated to the seasonal pattern for net N mineralization (buried-bag method). The organic horizons in the pine stand exhibited the most variable N mineralization potential, with the Oe horizon having more than a fourfold seasonal range. For the pine stand the Oe horizon also had the highest N mineralization potential (per unit organic matter) and the highest net N mineralization insitu (per unit area). In general, temporal and depth-wise variability should be considered when sites are assessed with respect to the pool of mineralizable N.

Nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in upland and peatland forest soils in two Canadian Shield catchments

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1793-1804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J Devito ◽  
Cherie J Westbrook ◽  
Sherry L Schiff
Keyword(s):  
Forest Soils ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Organic N ◽  
Net N Mineralization ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
N Transformations ◽  
Total N ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Net Mineralization

Net mineralization and nitrification in surface forest soils were measured in upland forest stands and valley peatlands using in situ soil incubations at two headwater catchments of Harp Lake, Ontario from July 1995 to October 1996. No difference in either net N mineralization or nitrification was observed between the two adjacent catchments despite differences in catchment N export. Annual rates of net N mineralization in surface 10 cm were higher in forest soils of the deciduous (11.5 ± 3.1 g/m2; mean ± SE) and conifer-mixed (conifer-hardwoods) (13.9 ± 2.3 g/m2) stands than in peatland soils (1.6 ± 0.6 g/m2). Mean annual nitrification rates were higher in deciduous soils (6.6 ± 0.7 g N/m2) than in mixed stands (1.9 ± 0.6 g N/m2) and peatland soils (0.1 ± 0.2 g N/m2). Annual net N mineralization and nitrification were correlated with variations in soil C and N content and moisture associated with different forest stands. Frequent winter incubations indicate that net mineralization and nitrification under snow cover in upland surface soils can contribute as much as 49 and 23% of the annual net production, respectively. The importance of forest vegetation patterns, winter N transformations, and dissolved organic N pools to total N and NO3- cycling and leaching in these catchments is discussed.

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