scholarly journals Nitrogen fertilization impact on soil carbon pools and their stratification and lability in subtropical wheat-mungbean-rice agroecosystems

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0256397
Author(s):  
Rafeza Begum ◽  
Mohammad Mofizur Rahman Jahangir ◽  
M. Jahiruddin ◽  
Md. Rafiqul Islam ◽  
Md. Taiabur Rahman ◽  
...  

Nitrogen (N) is the prime nutrient for crop production and carbon-based functions associated with soil quality. The objective of our study (2012 to 2019) was to evaluate the impact of variable rates of N fertilization on soil organic carbon (C) pools and their stocks, stratification, and lability in subtropical wheat (Triticum aestivum)—mungbean (Vigna radiata)—rice (Oryza sativa L) agroecosystems. The field experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCB) with N fertilization at 60, 80, 100, 120, and 140% of the recommended rates of wheat (100 kg/ha), mungbean (20 kg/ha), and rice (80 kg/ha), respectively. Composite soils were collected at 0–15 and 15–30 cm depths from each replicated plot and analyzed for microbial biomass (MBC), basal respiration (BR), total organic C (TOC), particulate organic C (POC), permanganate oxidizable C (POXC), carbon lability indices, and stratification. N fertilization (120 and 140%) significantly increased the POC at both depths; however, the effect was more pronounced in the surface layer. Moreover, N fertilization (at 120% and 140%) significantly increased the TOC and labile C pools when compared to the control (100%) and the lower rates (60 and 80%). N fertilization significantly increased MBC, C pool (CPI), lability (CLI), and management indices (CMI), indicating improved and efficient soil biological activities in such systems. The MBC and POC stocks were significantly higher with higher rates of N fertilization (120% and 140%) than the control. Likewise, higher rates of N fertilization significantly increased the stocks of labile C pools. Equally, the stratification values for POC, MBC, and POXC show evidence of improved soil quality because of optimum N fertilization (120–140%) to maintain and/or improve soil quality under rice-based systems in subtropical climates.

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Plante ◽  
C. E. Stewart ◽  
R. T. Conant ◽  
K. Paustian ◽  
J. Six

Agricultural management affects soil organic matter, which is important for sustainable crop production and as a greenhouse gas sink. Our objective was to determine how tillage, residue management and N fertilization affect organic C in unprotected, and physically, chemically and biochemically protected soil C pools. Samples from Breton, Alberta were fractionated and analysed for organic C content. As in previous reports, N fertilization had a positive effect, tillage had a minimal effect, and straw management had no effect on whole-soil organic C. Tillage and straw management did not alter organic C concentrations in the isolated C pools, while N fertilization increased C concentrations in all pools. Compared with a woodlot soil, the cultivated plots had lower total organic C, and the C was redistributed among isolated pools. The free light fraction and coarse particulate organic matter responded positively to C inputs, suggesting that much of the accumulated organic C occurred in an unprotected pool. The easily dispersed silt-sized fraction was the mineral-associated pool most responsive to changes in C inputs, whereas the microaggregate-derived silt-sized fraction best preserved C upon cultivation. These findings suggest that the silt-sized fraction is important for the long-term stabilization of organic matter through both physical occlusion in microaggregates and chemical protection by mineral association. Key words: Soil organic C, tillage, residue management, N fertilization, silt, clay


2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. C. Liang ◽  
B. G. McConkey ◽  
J. Schoenau ◽  
D. Curtin ◽  
C. A. Campbell ◽  
...  

Light fraction of soil organic C (LFOC) represents a major portion of labile soil organic C (SOC) and is a key attribute of soil quality. Soil respiration (Cmin) is an important index depicting the potential activity of the labile SOC. Six field experiments, varying in duration (8 to 25 yr), in location (Brown, Dark Brown and Black Chernozemic soil zones of Saskatchewan) and soil texture, were conducted to evaluate the impact of tillage and crop rotations on crop production and soil quality. We sampled the 0-7.5-cm depth of soil in these experiments to determine the treatment effects on LFOC, the proportion of LFOC in the SOC (LFOC/SOC) and Cmin. Increasing the frequency of summer fallow in cropping systems decreased the LFOC in all soil zones; it also decreased the proportion of LFOC in SOC and Cmin. Tillage had little impact on LFOC in the Brown and Dark Brown Chernozemic soil zones, although it significantly decreased LFOC in the Black Chernozemic soil zone. Thus, crop rotation had a greater impact on LFOC than tillage. Tillage did not influence Cmin in any soil zone. Because adoption of no-till management increased SOC in all soil zones, we concluded that LFOC was not a sensitive indicator of the impact of tillage on this soil quality attribute for these Chernozemic soils in Saskatchewan. We also found that LFOC/SOC is directly proportional to sand content. This relationship may assist us in partitioning SOC pools with differing turnover times when modeling SOC dynamics. Key words: Soil organic C, light fraction organic C, tillage, crop rotations, texture, mineralizable C


Agronomy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pradeep Wagle ◽  
Prasanna Gowda

Adoption of better management practices is crucial to lessen the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on tallgrass prairie systems that contribute heavily for livestock production in several states of the United States. This article reviews the impacts of different common management practices and disturbances (e.g., fertilization, grazing, burning) and tallgrass prairie restoration on plant growth and development, plant species composition, water and nutrient cycles, and microbial activities in tallgrass prairie. Although nitrogen (N) fertilization increases aboveground productivity of prairie systems, several factors greatly influence the range of stimulation across sites. For example, response to N fertilization was more evident on frequently or annually burnt sites (N limiting) than infrequently burnt and unburnt sites (light limiting). Frequent burning increased density of C4 grasses and decreased plant species richness and diversity, while plant diversity was maximized under infrequent burning and grazing. Grazing increased diversity and richness of native plant species by reducing aboveground biomass of dominant grasses and increasing light availability for other species. Restored prairies showed lower levels of species richness and soil quality compared to native remnants. Infrequent burning, regular grazing, and additional inputs can promote species richness and soil quality in restored prairies. However, this literature review indicated that all prairie systems might not show similar responses to treatments as the response might be influenced by another treatment, timing of treatments, and duration of treatments (i.e., short-term vs. long-term). Thus, it is necessary to examine the long-term responses of tallgrass prairie systems to main and interacting effects of combination of management practices under diverse plant community and climatic conditions for a holistic assessment.


Soil Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumari Priyanka ◽  
Anshumali

Loss of labile carbon (C) fractions yields information about the impact of land-use changes on sources of C inputs, pathways of C losses and mechanisms of soil C sequestration. This study dealt with the total organic C (TOC) and labile C pools in 40 surface soil samples (0–15 cm) collected from four land-use practices: uncultivated sites and rice–wheat, maize–wheat and sugarcane agro-ecosystems. Uncultivated soils had a higher total C pool than croplands. The soil inorganic C concentrations were in the range of 0.7–1.4 g kg–1 under different land-use practices. Strong correlations were found between TOC and all organic C pools, except water-extractable organic C and mineralisable C. The sensitivity index indicated that soil organic C pools were susceptible to changes in land-use practices. Discriminant function analysis showed that the nine soil variables could distinguish the maize–wheat and rice–wheat systems from uncultivated and sugarcane systems. Finally, we recommend crop rotation practices whereby planting sugarcane replenishes TOC content in soils.


Soil Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirmalendu Basak ◽  
Ashim Datta ◽  
Tarik Mitran ◽  
Satadeep Singha Roy ◽  
Bholanath Saha ◽  
...  

Rice-based cropping systems are the foundation of food security in countries of Southeast Asia, but productivity of such systems has declined with deterioration in soil quality. These systems are different from other arable systems because rice is grown under submergence, and this may require a different set of key soil attributes for maintenances of quality and productivity. A minimum dataset was screened for assessing quality of soils belonging to three Soil Orders (Inceptisols, Entisols and Alfisols) by using statistical and mathematical models and 27 physical, chemical and biological attributes. Surface soils were collected from farmers’ fields under long-term cultivation of rice–potato–sesame cropping systems. Most of the attributes varied significantly among the Soil Orders used. Four or five key attributes were screened for each Soil Order through principal component and discriminate analysis, and these explained nearly 80% and 90% of the total variation in each Soil Order dataset. The attributes were dehydrogenase activity (DHA), available K, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and pHCa for Inceptisols; organic C, pHCa, bulk density, nitrogen mineralisation (Nmin) and β-glucosidase for Entisols; and DHA, very labile C, Nmin and microbial biomass C for Alfisols. Representation of the screened attributes was validated against the equivalent rice yield of the studied system. Among the selected key soil attributes, DHA and CEC for Inceptisols, organic C for Entisols, and Nmin and very labile C for Alfisols were most strongly correlated with system yield (R2 = 0.45, 0.77 and 0.78). Results also showed that biological and chemical attributes were most sensitive for indicating the differences in soil quality and have a strong influence on system yield, whereas soil physical attributes largely varied but did not predict system yield.


BUANA SAINS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Nurul Istiqomah ◽  
Tanya Naomi Indarto ◽  
Virgus Amien Nugroho ◽  
Cahyo Prayogo

The obstacles that caused the declining of rice production is due to the reduction of soil fertility status. Various efforts were made to increase the production such as intensification and expansion in rice farming system. SRI cropping systems an alternative technique for improving soil productivity following maintaining water uses under an aerobic condition which exaggerated the raising of microorganisms activities in soil and improving the availability of nutrients particularly nitrogen status.This study was aimed to examine the impact of SRI system on mineral N status along with the population of soil bacteria which involving in nitrogen dynamic. The research was conducted in October 2015-March 2016 in Kepanjen-Malang using Randomized Block Design with 4 treatments and 4 replicates. Soil sampling was conducted at 0 and 100 Day After Planting (DAP) collecting at a depth of 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm. Measured soil parameter was including pH, organic-C, mineral N (NH4+ and NO3-). Soil bacteria are identified using plate count method (spread plate) for estimating their population. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used followed by Duncan test at 5% level along with correlation and regression analysis.The results showed that the SRI cultivation system can increase the mineral N at the level of 14.09 ppm compared to their initial value, amounting to 57.48 ppm of Nitrate and the bacterial population at the level of 6.25 x 108 cfu g-1. The best treatment was found under the combination of NPK (15-15-15) and biofertilizer yielded at 8.42 t ha-1. Multivariate analysis results indicate that P0 treatment significantly different with treatment P1, P2, and P3. However, the treatment of P1 were not significantly different P3.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 415-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
JÔNATAS RAULINO MARQUES DE SOUSA ◽  
HANS RAJ GHEYI ◽  
MARCOS ERIC BARBOSA BRITO ◽  
DIEGO AZEVEDO XAVIER ◽  
GUILHERME DE FREITAS FURTADO

ABSTRACT: In two simultaneous experiments, we evaluated the impact of brackish irrigation water and nitrogen (N) fertilization on the production of citrus (scion-rootstock combinations) and its associated gas exchanges. These experiments were conducted at the Campus of Federal University of Campina Grande, Brazil in a protected environment (shade screens on the sides) using drainage lysimeters. Experiment I used a randomized block design (3 replicates), in a 5 × 3 factorial arrangement, corresponding to five water salinity levels (0.6, 1.2, 1.8, 2.4, and 3.0 dS m-1) and three scion-rootstock combinations: RS1- Common Sunki mandarin (TSKC) × Poncirus trifoliata English (TRENG) - 256; RS2- Common Rangpur lime (LCRSTC); and RS3- TSKC × (Rangpur lime (LCR) × P. trifoliata (TR)) - 059; with Mimo do Céu orange as the scion variety. Experiment II used a randomized block design (3 replicates), in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement, corresponding to the three scion/rootstock combinations and two nitrogen (N) doses (100 and 200 mg kg-1 of soil). Plants were irrigated with water of 3.0 dS m-1. For both experiments, gas exchanges and mean mass of fruits were evaluated at harvest. Gas exchanges were inhibited in plants under saline stress. Plants grafted with Common Rangpur lime showed greater production potential than did the other genotypes studied, even under brackish water conditions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne E. Allaire ◽  
Benjamin Baril ◽  
Anne Vanasse ◽  
Sébastien F. Lange ◽  
John MacKay ◽  
...  

Allaire, S. E., Baril, B., Vanasse, A., Lange, S. F., MacKay, J. and Smith, D. L. 2015. Carbon dynamics in a biochar-amended loamy soil under switchgrass. Can. J. Soil Sci. 95: 1–13. The environmental impacts of switchgrass production for bioenergy could be reduced through the use of biofertilizers rather than mineral fertilizers and through soil amendment with biochar. The objectives of this study were: (1) to assess the impact of biochar and biofertilizer on switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) yield and parameters related to carbon dynamics, (2) to correlate carbon parameters with soil physico-chemical properties over the first two growing seasons, and (3) to develop a C budget. A complete randomized block design was installed in a sandy loam with split plot treatment design, the main plots receiving 0 or 10 t ha−1of biochar and the sub − plots receiving no fertilization, mineral N fertilization, or biofertilizers. Biofertilizers had no significant impact on plant and soil. Biochar increased yield relative to the control treatment by about 10% during the first year and root biomass by up to 50% after 2 yr (P>0.1). Mineral N fertilization also increased yield resulting in higher plant C sequestration after 2 yr. Biochar increased CO2soil concentration (CO2-soil) by up to 50% but its impact on CO2emission flux (CO2-flux) changed over time. The impact of mineral fertilization on CO2-fluxalso varied with time. Soil CO2dynamics was mostly influenced by temperature, N and water content. Biochar and fertilization treatments showed interactions on some plant and soil parameters. The highest C sequestration budget was obtained with a combination of biochar and mineral N fertilization. The equivalent of about one-third of the increase in soil C content associated with biochar treatments was respired away by soil microorganisms. Nearly one-fourth of C sequestered by plants remained in or at the soil surface (root and crop residues).


1990 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. VERITY ◽  
D. W. ANDERSON

This study examines the cumulative effect of erosion on soil properties that are important to productivity, and estimates the effect of erosion on grain yields. Experiments were located in central Saskatchewan on Dark Brown soils of the Weyburn Association. The relationship between yields and relative distance down eroded hillslopes was described best by a third-order polynominal equation. Grain yields were lowest on the upper slopes and increased steadily through mid-slopes to maximum values that were often double the upper slope yield on the lower or foot slope, then decreased again in the more level parts of the fields away from the slope. The impact of varying degrees of erosion on productivity was estimated by adding back incremental depths of topsoil to eroded knolls. Grain yields were increased by 45–58% by adding 50 mm of topsoil, with additional topsoil (100 or 150 mm) generally increasing yields slightly, but at a decreasing rate. Changes in soil quality with increasing erosion were measured on otherwise similar soils on eroded knolls, with the period of cultivation ranging from 0 (native) to 75 yr. Reductions in the amount of 137Cs in surface horizons with increasing period of cultivation indicated the cumulative effects of erosion, with general soil losses of 20 to 30 Mg ha−1 yr−1. Consistent reductions in silt plus very fine sand fractions with time suggested that wind erosion had been dominant. Organic C and P, total N and S decreased with increasing erosion. Potentially mineralizable N descreased at a faster rate than total N. The CaCO3 content of surface horizons increased, and inorganic P remained constant with increasing degree of erosion. Key words: Nutrients, soil productivity, soil quality, eroded, catena.


Soil Research ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teklu Erkossa ◽  
Fisseha Itanna ◽  
Karl Stahr

Soil quality indexing is a new approach in spatial and temporal evaluation of land management systems effects on soils’ capacity to function. A field experiment was conducted at Caffee Doonsa (2400 m a.s.l., 08°57′N, 39°06′E) for 6 years (1998–2003) to compare the effects of land preparation methods on soil quality (SQ) and to test the use of the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) in assessing SQ under the Ethiopian Central Highlands conditions. Four methods of land preparation [broad bed and furrows (BBF), green manure (GM), ridge and furrows (RF), and reduced tillage (RT)] were arranged in a randomised complete block design with 3 replications on permanent plots (22 m by 6 m). Physical, chemical, and biological SQ indicators were determined and scored, and a soil quality index (SQI) was developed using the SMAF procedures. Seven SQ indicators including microbial biomass carbon (MBC), bulk density, aggregate stability (AGG), soil organic carbon (Corg), pH, available water capacity (AWC), and available phosphorus were selected as a minimum dataset. The scored values of the indicators ranged from 0.21 for AGG and 0.97 for pH, both under BBF. Compared with RF (control), all the alternatives (GM, BBF, and RT) increased the scores of Corg and MBC. Moreover, BBF and GM increased the score values of AWC and AGG, respectively. Consequently, there was a non-significant increase in SQI due to the use of GM, BBF, and RT compared with the control. As a result, the land preparation methods may be preferred in a decreasing order GM ≥ BBF ≥ RT ≥ RF for the management goal of crop production. The study indicated that SMAF could be a robust tool to assess the performance of land management methods on soil quality in the study area, but some modifications may be required to fit to the prevailing cropping system and soil characteristics.


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