Strong non‐growing season N uptake by deciduous trees in a temperate forest: A 15 N isotopic experiment

Freshwater nitrogen (N) pollution is a significant sustainability concern in agriculture. In the U.S. Midwest, large precipitation events during winter and spring are a major driver of N losses. Uncertainty about the fate of applied N early in the growing season can prompt farmers to make additional N applications, increasing the risk of environmental N losses. New tools are needed to provide real-time estimates of soil inorganic N status for corn (Zea mays L.) production, especially considering projected increases in precipitation and N losses due to climate change. In this study, we describe the initial stages of developing an online tool for tracking soil N, which included, (i) implementing a network of field trials to monitor changes in soil N concentration during the winter and early growing season, (ii) calibrating and validating a process-based model for soil and crop N cycling, and (iii) developing a user-friendly and publicly available online decision support tool that could potentially assist N fertilizer management. The online tool can estimate real-time soil N availability by simulating corn growth, crop N uptake, soil organic matter mineralization, and N losses from assimilated soil data (from USDA gSSURGO soil database), hourly weather data (from National Weather Service Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis), and user-entered crop management information that is readily available for farmers. The assimilated data have a resolution of 2.5 km. Given limitations in prediction accuracy, however, we acknowledge that further work is needed to improve model performance, which is also critical for enabling adoption by potential users, such as agricultural producers, fertilizer industry, and researchers. We discuss the strengths and limitations of attempting to provide rapid and cost-effective estimates of soil N availability to support in-season N management decisions, specifically related to the need for supplemental N application. If barriers to adoption are overcome to facilitate broader use by farmers, such tools could balance the need for ensuring sufficient soil N supply while decreasing the risk of N losses, and helping increase N use efficiency, reduce pollution, and increase profits.

Download Full-text

Yield, Nitrogen Dynamics, and Fertilizer Use Efficiency in Machine-harvested Cucumber

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.44.6.1712 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 44 (6) ◽

pp. 1712-1718 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Laura L. Van Eerd ◽

Kelsey A. O'Reilly

Keyword(s):

N Uptake ◽

Growing Season ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Yield Response ◽

N Recovery ◽

Fertilizer N ◽

N Budget ◽

Available N ◽

N Removal ◽

Use Efficiency

The increase in fertilizer costs as well as environmental concerns has stimulated growers to re-evaluate their fertilizer applications to optimize nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) while maintaining crop yields and minimizing N losses. With these objectives, field trials were conducted at seven sites with five N rates (0 to 220 kg N/ha) of ammonium-nitrate applied preplant broadcast and incorporated as well as a split application treatment of 65 + 45 kg N/ha. In three contrasting years (i.e., cool/wet versus warm/dry versus average), N treatment had no observable effect on grade size distribution or brine quality. Based on the zero N control treatment, the limited yield response to fertilizer N was the result of sufficient plant-available N over the growing season. In the N budget, there was no difference between N treatments in crop N removal, but there was a positive linear relationship between N applied and the quantity of N in crop residue as well as in the soil after harvest. As expected, apparent fertilizer N recovery and N uptake efficiency were lower at 220 versus 110 kg N/ha applied preplant or split. The preplant and split applications of 110 kg N/ha were not different in yield, overall N budget, or NUE. Considering the short growing season, planting into warm soils, and the generally productive, nonresponsive soils in the region, growers should consider reducing or eliminating fertilizer N applications in machine-harvested cucumber.

Download Full-text

Seasonal Nitrogen Partitioning and Nitrogen Uptake of Carrots as Affected by Nitrogen Application in a Mineral and an Organic Soil

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.41.5.1332 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 41 (5) ◽

pp. 1332-1338 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Sean M. Westerveld ◽

Alan W. McKeown ◽

Mary Ruth McDonald

Keyword(s):

N Uptake ◽

Mineral Soil ◽

Growing Season ◽

Organic Soil ◽

Nitrogen Partitioning ◽

N Budget ◽

N Application ◽

Total N ◽

Application Rates ◽

N Removal

An understanding of nitrogen (N) uptake and the partitioning of N during the season by the carrot crop (Daucus carota subsp. sativus [Hoffm.] Arkang.) is required to develop more efficient N fertilization practices. Experiments were conducted on both organic and mineral soils to track the accumulation of dry matter (DM) and N over the growing season and to develop an N budget of the crop. Treatments included two carrot cultivars (`Idaho' and `Fontana') and 5 N rates ranging from 0% to 200% of the provincial recommendations in Ontario. Foliage and root samples were collected biweekly from selected treatments during the growing season and assessed for total N concentration. Harvest samples were used to calculate N uptake, N in debris, and net N removal values. Accumulation of DM and N in the roots was low until 50 to 60 days after seeding (DAS) and then increased linearly until harvest for all 3 years regardless of the soil type, cultivar, and N rate. Foliage dry weight and N accumulation were more significant by 50 to 60 DAS, increased linearly between 50 and 100 DAS, and reached a maximum or declined slightly beyond 100 DAS in most cases. The N application rates required to maximize yield on mineral soil resulted in a net loss of N from the system, except when sufficient N was available from the soil to produce optimal yield. On organic soil, a net removal of N occurred at all N application rates in all years. Carrots could be used as an N catch crop to reduce N losses in a vegetable rotation in conditions of high soil residual N, thereby improving the N use efficiency (NUE) of the crop rotation.

Download Full-text

Stand Composition, Tree-Related Microhabitats and Birds—A Network of Relationships in a Managed Forest

Forests ◽

10.3390/f13010103 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 103

Author(s):

Łukasz Piechnik ◽

Jan Holeksa ◽

Mateusz Ledwoń ◽

Przemysław Kurek ◽

Grażyna Szarek-Łukaszewska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Temperate Forest ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Bird Species ◽

Basal Area ◽

Deciduous Trees ◽

Managed Forest ◽

Tree Stand ◽

Cavity Nesters

Forest ecosystems contain many tree-related microhabitats (TreMs), which are used by various groups of organisms. Birds use TreMs for shelter, foraging and breeding. The abundance and variability of TreMs is related to tree stand composition and age. Over the last few centuries there has been a drastic decline in the structural and biological diversity of temperate forests over large areas of the Northern Hemisphere. These changes have reduced the diversity and quantity of TreMs. In this study we showed the relationships between stand composition, the abundance of TreMs, and the species richness of birds in a managed forest. We focused on TreMs that are important to birds: woodpecker breeding cavities, rot holes, dead branches, broken treetops, and perennial polypores. Our study was performed in a managed lowland temperate forest. In 94 plots (10 ha each) we made bird surveys and inventoried the stand composition and TreMs. Our results show that the tree stand composition of a managed forest affects the abundance of TreMs. The share of deciduous trees in the stand favors the occurrence of such TreMs as dead branches, rot holes and perennial polypores. The overall richness of bird species and the species richness of primary cavity nesters depended on the total basal area of oak, hornbeam and birch, whereas the species richness of secondary cavity nesters increased with the total basal area of birch and oak.

Download Full-text

Distinct Climate Effects on Dahurian Larch Growth at an Asian Temperate-Boreal Forest Ecotone and Nearby Boreal Sites

Forests ◽

10.3390/f13010027 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 27

Author(s):

Enzai Du ◽

Yang Tang

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Boreal Forest ◽

Temperate Forest ◽

Growing Season ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Dahurian Larch ◽

Growth Responses ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Growing Season Precipitation ◽

Forest Ecotone

Climate change is exerting profound impacts on the structure and function of global boreal forest. Compared with their northern counterparts, trees growing at the southern boreal forest and the temperate-boreal forest ecotone likely show distinct responses to climate change. Based on annual basal areal increment (BAI) of Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii Rupr.) plantations with similar ages, tree densities and soil nutrient conditions, we investigated the tree growth responses to inter-annual climate variations at an Asian temperate-boreal forest ecotone and nearby boreal sites in northeast China. Annual BAI changed nonlinearly with cambial age in the form of a lognormal curve. The maximum annual BAI showed no significant difference between the two bioregions, while annual BAI peaked at an elder age at the boreal-temperate forest ecotone. After eliminating the age associated trend, conditional regression analyses indicate that residual BAI at the boreal sites increased significantly with higher growing-season mean nighttime minimum temperature and non-growing-season precipitation, but decreased significantly with higher growing-season mean daytime maximum temperature during the past three decades (1985–2015). In contrast, residual BAI at the boreal-temperate forest ecotone only showed a positive and weak response to inter-annual variations of growing-season precipitation. These findings suggest distinct effects of inter-annual climate variation on the growth of boreal trees at the temperate-boreal forest ecotone in comparison to the southern boreal regions, and highlight future efforts to elucidate the key factors that regulate the growth ofthe southernmost boreal trees.

Download Full-text

Antagonistic effects of growing season and autumn temperatures on the timing of leaf coloration in winter deciduous trees

Global Change Biology ◽

10.1111/gcb.14095 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (8) ◽

pp. 3537-3545 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Guohua Liu ◽

Xiaoqiu Chen ◽

Qinghua Zhang ◽

Weiguang Lang ◽

Nicolas Delpierre

Keyword(s):

Growing Season ◽

Deciduous Trees ◽

Antagonistic Effects ◽

Leaf Coloration

Download Full-text

REGRESSIONS FOR ESTIMATING STRAW YIELDS AND N AND P CONTENTS OF SPRING WHEAT AND N MINERALIZATION IN A BROWN LOAM SOIL

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss88-031 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 68 (2) ◽

pp. 337-344 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

C. A. CAMPBELL ◽

R. P. ZENTNER ◽

F. SELLES

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Moisture Content ◽

Spring Wheat ◽

N Mineralization ◽

Soil Moisture Content ◽

N Uptake ◽

Growing Season ◽

Net N Mineralization ◽

Loam Soil ◽

Growing Season Precipitation

Data from an 18-yr crop rotation study carried out on a Brown loam soil at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, were used to estimate equations that relate spring wheat straw yields, and N and P content of grain and straw to moisture use (MU). Moisture use was defined as soil moisture content in 0- to 120-cm depth at seeding, less soil moisture content at harvest, plus growing season precipitation. Grain yields were also related to straw yields and to N content of the straw. Potential net N mineralization (Nmin) in summerfallow (periods during the growing season with negative Nmin omitted) was related (r = 0.74**) to precipitation received during the spring to fall period. An attempt to relate apparent net Nmin (determined by N balance) in cropped systems to growing season precipitation or to MU was not successful. Highly significant linear regressions were obtained for straw yields, grain N and P contents vs. MU, and for grain yield vs. straw yield (r = 0.66** – 0.83**), but the other relationships were less reliable (r = 0.41** – 0.55**) though still significant. We discussed how these relationships might be used to estimate fertilizer N requirements, for examining N immobilization-mineralization, and for estimating residue sufficiency for erosion control on summerfallowed land. Key words: Straw:grain ratio, N uptake, P uptake, crop residues, N mineralization

Download Full-text

Impacts of 49–51 years of fertilization and crop rotation on growing season nitrous oxide emissions, nitrogen uptake and corn yields

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss2013-101 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 94 (3) ◽

pp. 421-433 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

C. F. Drury ◽

W. D. Reynolds ◽

C. S. Tan ◽

N. B. McLaughlin ◽

X. M. Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Crop Rotation ◽

Nitrogen Uptake ◽

N Uptake ◽

Growing Season ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Crop Growth ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

Term Management

Drury, C. F., Reynolds, W. D., Tan, C. S., McLaughlin, N. B., Yang, X. M., Calder, W., Oloya, T. O. and Yang, J. Y. 2014. Impacts of 49–51 years of years of fertilization and crop rotation on growing season nitrous oxide emissions, nitrogen uptake and corn yields. Can. J. Soil Sci. 94: 421–433. A field study was established in 1959 to evaluate the effects of fertilization and crop rotation on crop yields, soil and environmental quality on a Brookston clay loam. There were two fertilizer treatments (fertilized and not-fertilized) and six cropping treatments including continuous corn (CC), continuous Kentucky bluegrass sod and a 4-yr rotation of corn–oat–alfalfa–alfalfa with each phase present each year. We measured N2O emissions, inorganic N and plant N uptake over three growing seasons (2007–2009) in the corn phase. Nitrous oxide emissions varied over the 3 yr as a result of the seasonal variation in precipitation quantity, intensity and timing and differences in crop growth and N uptake. Fertilized CC lost, on average, 7.36 kg N ha−1 by N2O emissions, whereas the not-fertilized CC lost only 0.51 kg N ha−1. Fertilized rotation corn (RC) lost 6.46 kg N ha−1, which was 12% lower than fertilized CC. The not-fertilized RC, on the other hand, emitted about half as much N2O (2.95 kg N ha−1) as the fertilized RC. Fertilized RC had corn grain yields that averaged 10.0 t ha−1 over the 3 yr followed by fertilized CC at 5.48 t ha−1. Not-fertilized RC corn had yields that were 61% lower (3.93 t ha−1) than fertilized RC, whereas the not-fertilized CC had yields that were 75% lower (1.39 t ha−1) than fertilized CC. Nitrous oxide emissions were found to be dramatically affected by long-term management practices and crop rotation had lower emissions in the corn phase of the rotation even though the N input from fertilizer addition and legume N fixation was greater. These N2O emission and yield results were due to both factors that are traditionally used to describe these processes as well as long-term soil quality factors, which were created by the long-term management (i.e., soil organic carbon, soil physical parameters such as bulk density, and porosity, soil fauna and micro-flora) and that influenced crop growth, N uptake and soil water contents.

Download Full-text

CONTRIBUTION OF N2 FIXATION TO FIELD BEAN AND PEA N UPTAKE OVER THE GROWING SEASON UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss89-069 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 69 (3) ◽

pp. 695-699 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

R. M. N. KUCEY

Keyword(s):

Phaseolus Vulgaris ◽

Pisum Sativum ◽

N Uptake ◽

Growing Season ◽

Field Conditions ◽

Field Bean ◽

Phaseolus Vulgaris L ◽

Bean Plants ◽

Southern Alberta

Dinitrogen fixation with field bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. 'GN1140') and pea (Pisum sativum L. 'Trapper') over the growing season under field conditions was determined using 15N isotope dilution methods. Levels of N2 fixation were low during the early part of the growing season for both bean and pea, and increased later in the growing season. At physiological maturity, GN1140 fixed over 91 kg N ha−1, contributing between 60 and 90% of the N in the bean plants. Pea fixed 117 kg N ha−1, which constituted a maximum of 57% of the pea plant N. More N was contained in the bean and pea pods than was fixed over the growing season. Key words: Bean (field), pea, Phaseolus vulgaris, Pisum sativum, 15N dilution

Download Full-text

Tree growth and nutrient cycling in dense plantings of hybrid poplar and black alder

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x87-086 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 17 (6) ◽

pp. 516-523 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

B. Côté ◽

C. Camiré

Keyword(s):

N Uptake ◽

Hybrid Poplar ◽

Nutrient Content ◽

Growing Season ◽

First Year ◽

Biomass Growth ◽

Soil N ◽

Black Alder ◽

The Third ◽

Poplar Growth

The cycling of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg was quantified during the third growing season in plantings (33 × 33 cm) of black alder (Alnusglutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) and hybrid poplar cv. Roxbury (Populusnigra L. × Populustrichocarpa Torr and Gray). First-year nutrient uptake, tree growth, and nutrient status of poplar were also assessed. During the 1st year, height and above-ground biomass growth of poplar were positively correlated with the proportion of alder in a plot. Poplar was twice as tall as alder in a mixed treatment and produced three times the aboveground biomass of alder in mixed plantings. On an individual tree basis, 1st year soil N uptake of alder averaged 46% of poplar N uptake. First-year winter dieback of poplar in this study prevented alder from being completely shaded by the poplars. Biomass growth and N status of poplar in the 2nd year were improved in mixed culture. After 3 years, accumulation of N and P in trees increased with the proportion of alder in a plot (maxima of 219 and 21 kg ha−1, respectively), but the greatest accumulations of N derived from the soil and K, Ca, and Mg were in mixed plantings (140, 88, 69, and 22.4 kg ha−1). Except for P, soil nutrient uptake during the third growing season was highest in plots with one alder for two poplars (maxima of 108, 9.1, 50, 60, and 19 kg ha−1 for N, P, K, Ca, and Mg). Throughfall nutrient content was not affected by species mixture. Except for Ca, nutrient content of total leaf litter increased with the proportion of alder (maxima of 80, 3.1, 13, 35, and 6.9 kg ha−1 for N, P, K, Ca, and Mg). After 3 years, no accretion of total N was detected in the soil, but exchangeable K increased 93% in the top 5 cm. Because stimulatory effect of interplanted alder on poplar growth decreased with time, reduced competition for soil N and light from the smaller alder during the first growing season were considered the most important factors in increasing individual poplar growth in our plantation.

Download Full-text