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What happens to in situ net soil nitrogen mineralization when nitrogen fertility changes?
Author(s) -
Zou Congming,
Grove John H.,
Pearce Robert C.,
Coyne Mark S.,
Ren Ke
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of plant nutrition and soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1522-2624
pISSN - 1436-8730
DOI - 10.1002/jpln.201800551
Subject(s) - mineralization (soil science) , fertilizer , chemistry , zoology , nitrogen cycle , nitrogen , soil fertility , agronomy , tillage , soil water , environmental science , soil science , biology , organic chemistry
Does net soil nitrogen (N) mineralization change if N‐fertility management is suddenly altered? This study, conducted in a long‐term no‐tillage maize ( Zea mays L.) fertility experiment (established 1970), evaluated how changing previous fertilizer N (PN) management influenced in situ net soil N mineralization (NSNM). Net soil N mineralization was measured by incubating undisturbed soil cores with anion and cation exchange resins. In each of three PN fertilizer application plots (0, 84, and 336 kg N ha −1 ), another three fertilizer application rates (0, 84, and 336 kg N ha −1 ) were imposed and considered the current fertilizer N (CN) management. Generally, PN‐336 (336 kg N ha −1 ) had significantly greater NSNM than PN‐0 (0 kg N ha −1 ) or PN‐84 (84 kg N ha −1 ), which reflected differences in soil organic‐C (SOC) and soil total‐N (STN). The three CN rates had no significant effect on NSNM when they were applied to PN‐0 or PN‐84, but CN‐336 (336 kg N ha −1 ) had significantly higher NSNM than CN‐0 (0 kg N ha −1 ) or CN‐84 (84 kg N ha −1 ) in the PN‐336 plots. The CN or “added N interaction” used the indigenous soil organic matter (SOM) pool and the added sufficient fertilizer N. Environmental factors, including precipitation and mean air temperature, explained the most variability in average daily soil N mineralization rate during each incubation period. Soil water content at each sampling day could also explain NSNM loss via potential denitrification. We conclude that “added N interaction” in the field condition was the combined effect of SOM and sufficient fertilizer N input.