scholarly journals Potential of Chamomile recutita Plant Material to Inhibit Urease Activity and Reduce NH3 Volatilization in Two Agricultural Soils

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1223
Author(s):  
Jie Li ◽  
Shuai Wang ◽  
Jiafa Luo ◽  
Stuart Lindsey ◽  
Lingli Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urease Activity ◽  
Natural Compounds ◽  
Red Soil ◽  
Urea Hydrolysis ◽  
Desert Soil ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
N Use Efficiency ◽  
Nh3 Volatilization ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
N Use

The large amount of ammonia released during agricultural application of urea fertilizer can result in a partial loss of applied nitrogen, having a detrimental effect on air quality. Although Chamomile recutita has nitrogen transformation inhibitory properties, providing potential agricultural and environmental benefits, the full extent of the effects of the major constituents of this plant on urease activity and NH3 volatilization in soils is currently unknown. Soil incubation experiments were established using 2-Cyclopenten-1-one and Eugenol, two major constituents of C. recutita, to evaluate their effects on inorganic soil nitrogen pools, urease activity, and NH3 volatilization in grey desert soil and red soil. An application rate of 0.25 g N kg−1 soil fertilizer was applied as urea with and without additives. An unfertilized treatment was also included as a control. In order to compare results, N(butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT), a common synthetic urease inhibitor, was also used. NBPT, 2-Cyclopenten-1-one and Eugenol were applied at a rate of 0.00125 g kg−1 soil (equivalent to 0.5% N). The results indicated that the rate of urea hydrolysis was higher in grey desert soil compared to red soil. Soil in the urea-only treatments recorded urea hydrolysis to be almost complete within seven days of application. The rate of hydrolysis was inhibited by the two natural compounds, and higher concentrations of urea were maintained for more than two weeks. Soil amended with the two materials exhibited strong soil urease inhibition in both soil treatments (75.1% in the alkaline grey desert soil and 72.8% in the acidic red soil). The strongest inhibitory effect occurred one to three days after incubation in the Eugenol treatment. Moreover, the inhibitory effects of Cyclopenten-1-one and Eugenol were superior to that of NBPT in the two soils. Cyclopenten-1-one and Eugenol also significantly reduced soil NH3 emissions by 14.2 to 45.3%, especially in the acidic red soil. Molecular docking studies confirmed inhibition mechanisms, highlighting that natural compounds interacted with the amino acid residues of the urease active center. This action resulted in the urease active pocket being blocked, thereby inhibiting enzyme activity. Overall, our findings suggest that 2-Cyclopenten-1-one and Eugenol are both capable of hindering urease activity and reducing the risk of N loss in the two tested soils. Results highlight their applicability as urease inhibitors and their effect in delaying the release of ammonia nitrogen, thereby increasing fertilizer N use efficiency. However, in order to fully assess N use efficiency and the N balance due to the presence of Chamomile extract in soil-crop systems, further field scale investigations are required.

scholarly journals Contrasted Effects of Biochar on Maize Growth and N Use Efficiency Depending on Soil Conditions

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiaohong Zhu ◽  
Xinhua Peng ◽  
Taiqing Huang
Keyword(s):  
Crop Growth ◽  
Red Soil ◽  
The Other ◽  
N Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Soil P ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
N Use ◽  
Biochar Amendment

Abstract Biochar amendment may improve crop growth through its nutrients and indirect fertility. However, this improvement varies in a wide range of biochars, crops, and soils. Our objectives were to determine the response of crop growth to biochar amendment and to assess the N use efficiency relative to the biochar and the soil types. In this pot experiment, we investigated five typical agricultural soils in China amended with two biochars. Four treatments were designed: the soil itself as a control, the soil amended with 1% biochar, the soil with fertilizer NPK, and the soil with added biochar and fertilizer. Biochar amendment increased the maize biomass and the N use efficiency in the red soil (p<0.05) but not in the other four soils (p>0.05). In the red soil, the biomass under biochar+NPK was 2.67-3.49 times higher than that of only NPK, and 1.48-1.62 times higher than that of only biochar amendment, 21-36 and 35-42% of which were contributed from biochar fertility and indirect fertility, respectively. This study indicates that biochar amendment is very plausible for the red soil but has a minor or even negative effect on the other four soils in China.

The impact of urease inhibitor on the bioavailability of nitrogen in urea and in comparison with other nitrogen sources in ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 214 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Dawar ◽  
M. Zaman ◽  
J. S. Rowarth ◽  
J. Blennerhassett ◽  
M. H. Turnbull
Keyword(s):  
Lolium Perenne ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Urea Hydrolysis ◽  
N Use Efficiency ◽  
Urease Inhibitor ◽  
Lolium Perenne L ◽  
Uptake Efficiency ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Impact ◽  
N Use

Improving nitrogen (N)-use efficiency of applied urea is critical to maximise its uptake and decrease environmental impact. Two glasshouse-based studies were conducted to investigate the potential of incorporating urea fertiliser with urease inhibitor (N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) or ‘Agrotain’) to enhance fertiliser N uptake efficiency. Topsoil (0–0.075 m, Typic Haplustepts silt loam) from a pasture site near Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand, was collected and ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) was grown from seed in standard plant trays maintained at soil moisture contents of 75–80% field capacity. Urea, Agrotain-treated urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, or sodium nitrate, were applied in granular form at rates equivalent to 25 or 50 kg N/ha with 4 replicates. Herbage was harvested 21 and 42 days after application of treatments to assess dry matter (DM) production, N uptake, leaf amino acid, ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3–) concentrations, and nitrate reductase activity (NRA). In a separate pot experiment, granular 15N urea (10 atom%) with or without Agrotain was applied to ryegrass at 25 kg N/ha. At 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, and 21 days after treatment application, 3 pots per treatment were destructively sampled to determine urea hydrolysis, herbage DM, and 15N uptake. In both experiments, Agrotain-treated urea improved bio-availability of added N and resulted in significantly higher herbage DM yield and N uptake than urea alone or other forms of N fertilisers. Agrotain-treated urea applied at 25 kg N/ha increased N response by 66% compared with urea alone (and by greater proportions compared with the other fertiliser forms). Agrotain-treated urea applied at 25 kg N/ha produced significantly higher uptake efficiency (13 g DM/g of applied N) than at 50 kg N/ha (5 g DM/g of applied N). Tissue amino acids, NH4+ and NO3– contents, and NRA were not significantly influenced by any type of fertiliser. Results from the 15N experiment support the suggestion that a delay in urea hydrolysis by Agrotain provided an opportunity for direct plant uptake of an increased proportion of the applied urea-N than in the case of urea alone. Treating urea with Agrotain thus has the potential to increase N-use efficiency and herbage production.

scholarly journals Optimization of Topdressing for Winter Wheat by Accurate Growth Monitoring and Improved Production Estimation

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2349
Author(s):  
Jingchun Ji ◽  
Jianli Liu ◽  
Jingjing Chen ◽  
Yujie Niu ◽  
Kefan Xuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Optimization Method ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
N Use Efficiency ◽  
Growth Monitoring ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Improved Model ◽  
N Use

Topdressing accounts for approximately 40% of the total nitrogen (N) application of winter wheat on the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain in China. However, N use efficiency of topdressing is low due to the inadaptable topdressing method used by local farmers. To improve the N use efficiency of winter wheat, an optimization method for topdressing (THP) is proposed that uses unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based remote sensing to accurately acquire the growth status and an improved model for growth potential estimation and optimization of N fertilizer amount for topdressing (NFT). The method was validated and compared with three other methods by a field experiment: the conventional local farmer’s method (TLF), a nitrogen fertilization optimization algorithm (NFOA) proposed by Raun and Lukina (TRL) and a simplification introduced by Li and Zhang (TLZ). It shows that when insufficient basal fertilizer was provided, the proposed method provided as much NFT as the TLF method, i.e., 25.05% or 11.88% more than the TRL and TLZ methods and increased the yields by 4.62% or 2.27%, respectively; and when sufficient basal fertilizer was provided, the THP method followed the TRL and TLZ methods to reduce NFT but maintained as much yield as the TLF method with a decrease of NFT by 4.20%. The results prove that THP could enhance crop production under insufficient N preceding conditions by prescribing more fertilizer and increase nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by lowering the fertilizer amount when enough basal fertilizer is provided.

INFLUENCE OF THE SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION ON RICE YIELD AND NITROGEN AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY WITH DIFFERENT N APPLICATION RATES

2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
LIMEI ZHAO ◽  
LIANGHUAN WU ◽  
YONGSHAN LI ◽  
XINGHUA LU ◽  
DEFENG ZHU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
N Use Efficiency ◽  
System Of Rice Intensification ◽  
N Application ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Rice Intensification ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
N Rates ◽  
N Use

SUMMARYField experiments were conducted in 2005 and 2006 to investigate the impacts of alternative rice cultivation systems on grain yield, water productivity, N uptake and N use efficiency (ANUE, agronomic N use efficiency; PFP, partial factor productivity of applied N). The trials compared the practices used with the system of rice intensification (SRI) and traditional flooding (TF). The effects of different N application rates (0, 80, 160 and 240 kg ha−1) and of N rates interacting with the cultivation system were also evaluated. Resulting grain yields with SRI ranged from 5.6 to 7.3 t ha−1, and from 4.1 to 6.4 t ha−1 under TF management. On average, grain yields under SRI were 21% higher in 2005 and 22% higher in 2006 than with TF. Compared with TF, SRI plots had higher harvest index across four fertilizer N rates in both years. However, there was no significance difference in above-ground biomass between two cultivation systems in either year. ANUE was increased significantly under SRI at 80 kg N ha−1 compared with TF, while at higher N application rates, ANUE with SRI was significantly lower than TF. Compared with TF, PFP under SRI was higher across all four N rates in both years, although the difference at 240 kg N ha−1 was not significant. As N rate increased, the ANUE and PFP under both SRI and TF significantly decreased. Reduction in irrigation water use with SRI was 40% in 2005 and 47% in 2006, and water use efficiency, both total and from irrigation, were significantly increased compared to TF. With both SRI and TF, the highest N application was associated with decreases in grain yield, N use efficiency and water use efficiency. This is an important finding given current debates whether N application rates in China are above the optimum, especially considering consequences for soil and water resources. Cultivation system, N rates and their interactions all produced significant differences in this study. Results confirmed that optimizing fertilizer N application rates under SRI is important to increase yield, N use efficiency and water use efficiency.

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