Microbial decomposition of leached or extracted dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen from pasture soils

Microbial decomposition of extracted and leached dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) was demonstrated from three pasture soils in laboratory incubation studies. DOC concentration in water extracts ranged between 29 and 148 mg C L^?1 and DON concentration ranged between 2 and 63 mg N L^?1. Between 17 and 61 % of the DOC in the water extracts were respired as CO₂ by microbes by day 36. DON concentrations in the extracts declined more rapidly than DOC. Within the first 21 days of incubation, the concentration of DON was near zero without any significant change in the concentration of NO₃ ^? or NH₄ ⁺, indicating that microbes had utilized the organic pool of N preferentially. Decomposition of leached DOC (ranged between 7 and 66 mg C L^?1) and DON (ranged between 6 and 11 mg N L^?1) collected from large lysimeters (with perennial pasture; 50 cm diameter?×?80 cm deep) followed a similar pattern to that observed with soil extracts. Approximately 28 to 61 % of the DOC in leachates were respired as CO₂ by day 49. The concentration of DON in the leachates declined to below 1 mg N L^?1 within 7–14 days of the incubation, consistent with the observations made with extractable DON. Our results clearly show that DOC and DON components of the dissolved organic matter in pasture soils, whether extracted or leached, are highly decomposable and bioavailable and will influence local ecosystem functions and nutrient balances in grazed pasture systems and receiving water bodies.     

果园土壤有机碳及呼吸速率对豆科和禾本科草类的差异反应

在行间长期(连续6年)种植豆科植物毛苕子和禾本科植物黑麦草的苹果园,调查土壤不同深度的有机碳组分和表层土壤呼吸速率日变化。结果表明:间作2种植物后,行间土壤0—20,20—40cm土层总有机碳(TOC)、轻质有机碳(LFOC)、可溶性有机碳(DOC)、颗粒有机碳(POC)、易氧化有机碳(ROC)和微生物生物量碳(MBC)含量均显著提高;在40—60cm土层,仅DOC含量明显提高;0—20cm土层的TOC和全部有机碳组分及20—40cm土层的TOC、DOC、POC和ROC的含量在种植毛苕子后均明显高于种植黑麦草。TOC与LFOC、TOC与POC、DOC与LFOC、DOC与MBC、DOC与ROC、MBC与ROC、ROC与POC、LFOC与ROC之间均呈显著正相关,土壤呼吸速率与LFOC、DOC、MBC和ROC之间也呈显著正相关。种植2种草类均显著提高土壤呼吸速率,并使呼吸速率日变化峰型更突出,其中毛苕子的作用效果比黑麦草更显著。     

Land use effects on microbial biomass C, β-glucosidase and β-glucosaminidase activities,and availability,storage, and age of organic C in soil

Microbial biomass, β-glucosidase and β-glucosaminidase activities, and availability, storage, and age of soil organic C were investigated after 26 years of conversion from sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) to forest (Eucaliptus robusta or Leucaena leucocephala), pasture (mixture of tropical grasses), and to vegetable cropping (agriculture) in a vertisol in Puerto Rico. Soil organic C (SOC) at 0–100 cm was similar under Leucaena (22.8 kg C/m²), Eucalyptus (18.6 kg C/m²), and pasture (17.2 kg C/m²), which were higher than under agriculture (13.0 kg C/m²). Soil organic N (SON) at 0–100 cm was similar under the land uses evaluated which ranged from 1.70 (under agriculture) to 2.28 kg N/m² (under Leucaena forest). Microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN) of the 0–15-cm soil layer could be ranked as: pasture > Leucaena = Eucalyptus > agriculture. The percentages of SOC and SON present as MBC and MBN, respectively, were nearly 1% in pasture and less than 0.50% in forest under Leucaena or Eucalyptus and agricultural soil. The activity of β-glucosidase of the 0–15-cm soil layer could be ranked as: Leucaena = Eucalyptus > pasture > agriculture; while β-glucosaminidase activity was ranked as: Eucalyptus > Leucaena = pasture > agriculture. The soil δ ¹³C changed from 1996 to 2006 in forest under Eucalyptus (18.7‰ to 21.2‰), but not under Leucaena (20.7‰ to 20.8‰). The soil under Leucaena preserved a greater proportion of old C compared to the forest under Eucalyptus; the former had an increased soil mineralizable C from the current vegetation inputs. The soil under agriculture had the lowest enzyme activities associated with C cycling, lowest percentage of SOC as MBC, highest percentage of SOC present as mineralizable C, and highest percentage of MBC present as mineralizable C compared to the other land uses.     

Nitrogen leaching and phosphorus accumulation in a perennial pasture after composted goat manure was topdressed and incorporated in the Three Gorges region

Purpose  

Improper utilization of composted manure might increase risk of nutrients leaching and phosphorus (P) accumulation, hence causing eutrophication and threatening the ecological safety of river. In the current study, composted manure from a goat feedlot was applied to a perennial pasture in the Three Gorges region to evaluate its effects on pasture yield, NO₃–N leaching, and phosphorus accumulation in soil.     

Effective retention of litter-derived dissolved organic carbon in organic layers

This study aimed to gain insight into the generation and fate of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in organic layers. In a Free Air CO₂ Enrichment Experiment at the alpine treeline, we estimated the contribution of ¹³C-depleted recent plant C to DOC of mor-type organic layers. In an additional laboratory soil column study with 40 leaching cycles, we traced the fate of ¹³C-labelled litter-DOC (22 and 45 mg l⁻¹) in intact Oa horizons at 2 and 15 °C. Results of the field study showed that DOC in the Oa horizon at 5 cm depth contained only 20 ± 3% of less than six-year-old C, indicating minor contributions of throughfall, root exudates, and fresh litter to leached DOC. In the soil column experiment, there was a sustained DOC leaching from native soil organic matter. Less than 10% of totally added litter-DOC was leached despite a rapid breakthrough of a bromide tracer (50 ± 7% within two days). Biodegradation contributed only partly to the DOC removal with 18-30% of added litter-DOC being mineralized in the Oa horizons at 2 and 15 °C, respectively. This was substantially less than the potential 70%-biodegradability of the litter-DOC itself, which indicates a stabilization of litter-DOC in the Oa horizon. In summary, our results give evidence on an apparent ‘exchange’ of DOC in thick organic layers with litter-DOC being retained and ‘replaced’ by ‘older’ DOC leached from the large pool of indigenous soil organic matter.     

Precipitation but not soil texture alters effectiveness of dicyandiamide to decrease nitrate leaching from dairy cow urine

This experiment compared the effectiveness of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) in decreasing NO₃‐N leaching from dairy cow urine (1000 kg N/ha equivalent). DCD was applied to perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) on three soil types (silt loam, sandy loam and clay) and under two precipitation regimes using intact soil monolith zero tension lysimeters (50 cm diameter by 65 cm deep). Over the two experiment years, annual precipitation (rainfall plus supplemented irrigation) covered the range 1103 to 2351 mm. Soil type affected the forms of N that leached after urine application. Most urea was lost from the clay soil in the first drainage collections after application. Ammonium‐N leached from the sandy soil. Apart from one soil type (sandy loam) giving a nil response to DCD in 1 yr, there was no strong evidence that soil type changed DCD effectiveness (the amount of NO₃‐N retained, expressed as a percentage of the NO₃‐N leached from untreated urine). Where DCD decreased leaching, effectiveness ranged between 6 and 57% with a mean value of 34 ± 5%. Drainage depth explained 50% of the variation in DCD effectiveness (P < 0.05) and indicated a 7% decrease per 100 mm extra drainage. Extra pasture growth and N uptake were strongly related to the amount of N saved by DCD application. We conclude that there may be scope to use rainfall/drainage as an estimate of likely DCD effectiveness at a site, but further work is required to test this across a wider range of circumstances.     

Dissolved organic matter leaching in some contrasting New Zealand pasture soils

Leaching of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from pastoral soils is increasingly seen as an important but poorly understood process. This paper examined the relationship between soil chemical properties, microbial activity and the losses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) through leaching from six pasture soils. These soils differed in carbon (C) (4.6–14.9%) and nitrogen (N) (0.4–1.4%) contents and in the amount of organic C and N that had accumulated or been lost in the preceding 20+ years (i.e. −5131 to +1624 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and −263 to +220 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, respectively). The paper also examined whether between‐soil‐type differences in DOC and DON leaching was a major explanatory factor in the observed range of soil organic matter (SOM) changes in these soils. Between 280 and 1690 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and 28–117 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ leached as DOC and DON, respectively, from the six soils in a lysimeter study, with losses being greater from two poorly drained gley soils. Losses of C and N of this magnitude, while at the upper end relative to published data, could not fully explain the losses at Rawerawe, Bruntwood and Lepperton sites reported by Schipper et al. (2007) . The study highlights the leaching of DOM as a significant pathway of loss of C and N in pasture soils that is often ignored or given little attention in predictive models and nutrient budgeting. Leaching losses of DOC and DON alone, or in combination with slightly increased respiration losses of SOM given a 0.2°C increase in the mean annual soil temperature, do not fully explain long‐term changes in the SOM observed at these sites. When soils examined in the present study were separated on the basis of drainage class, the losses of DOC by leaching were correlated with both total and hot‐water extractable C (HWC), the latter being a measure of the labile SOM fraction. Basal microbial CO₂ respiration rates, which varied between 1 and 3.5 µg CO₂‐C g⁻¹ soil hour⁻¹ in surface soils (0–75‐mm depth), was also linked to HWC and the quantities of C lost as DOC. Adoption of the HWC method as an approach that could be used as a proxy for the direct measurement of the soil organic C lost by leaching as DOC or respired needs to be examined further with a greater number of soils. In comparison, a poor relationship was found between the hot‐water extractable N (HWN) and loss of DON by leaching, despite HWN previously being shown to be a measure of the mineralizable pool of N in soils, possibly reflecting the greater competition for N than C in these soils.     

复配改良剂表施对高降雨量地区茶园底层强酸性土壤酸度的调控

Strongly acidic soils (pH < 5.0) are detrimental to tea (Camellia sinensis) production and quality. Little information exists on the ability of surface amendments to ameliorate subsoil acidity in the tea garden soils. A 120-d glasshouse column leaching experiment was conducted using commonly available soil ameliorants. Alkaline slag (AS) and organic residues, pig manure (PM) and rapeseed cake (RC) differing in ash alkalinity and C/N ratio were incorporated alone and in combination into the surface (0--15 cm) of soil columns (10 cm internal diameter × 50 cm long) packed with soil from the acidic soil layer (15--30 cm) of an Ultisol (initial pH = 4.4). During the 120-d experiment, the soil columns were watered (about 127 mm over 9 applications) according to the long-term mean annual rainfall (1 143 mm) and the leachates were collected and analyzed. At the end of the experiment, soil columns were partitioned into various depths and the chemical properties of soil were measured. The PM with a higher C/N ratio increased subsoil pH, whereas the RC with a lower C/N ratio decreased subsoil pH. However, combined amendments had a greater ability to reduce subsoil acidity than either of the amendments alone. The increases in pH of the subsoil were mainly ascribed to decreased base cation concentrations and the decomposition of organic anions present in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and immobilization of nitrate that had been leached down from the amended layer. A significant (P < 0.05) correlation between alkalinity production (reduced exchangeable acidity -- N-cycle alkalinity) and alkalinity balance (net alkalinity production -- N-cycle alkalinity) was observed at the end of the experiment. Additionally, combined amendments significantly increased (P < 0.05) subsoil cation concentrations and decreased subsoil Al saturation (P < 0.05). Combined applications of AS with organic amendments to surface soils are effective in reducing subsoil acidity in high-rainfall areas. Further investigations under field conditions and over longer timeframes are needed to fully understand their practical effectiveness in ameliorating acidity of deeper soil layers under naturally occurring leaching regimes.     

Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in precipitation,throughfall, soil solution,and stream water of the tropical highlands in northern Thailand

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is important for the cycling and transport of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in soil. In temperate forest soils, dissolved organic N (DON) partly escapes mineralization and is mobile, promoting loss of N via leaching. Little information is available comparing DOC and DON dynamics under tropical conditions. Here, mineralization is more rapid, and the demand of the vegetation for nutrients is larger, thus, leaching of DON could be small. We studied concentrations of DOC and DON during the rainy seasons 1998–2001 in precipitation, canopy throughfall, pore water in the mineral soil at 5, 15, 30, and 80 cm depth, and stream water under different land‐use systems representative of the highlands of northern Thailand. In addition, we determined the distribution of organic C (OC) and N (ON) between two operationally defined fractions of DOM. Samples were collected in small water catchments including a cultivated cabbage field, a pine plantation, a secondary forest, and a primary forest. The mean concentrations of DOC and DON in bulk precipitation were 1.7 ± 0.2 and 0.2 ± 0.1 mg L^–1, respectively, dominated by the hydrophilic fraction. The throughfall of the three forest sites became enriched up to three times in DOC in the hydrophobic fraction, but not in DON. Maximum concentrations of DOC and DON (7.9–13.9 mg C L^–1 and 0.9–1.2 mg N L^–1, respectively) were found in samples from lysimeters at 5 cm soil depth. Hydrophobic OC and hydrophilic ON compounds were released from the O layer and the upper mineral soil. Concentrations of OC and ON in mineral‐soil solutions under the cabbage cultivation were elevated when compared with those under the forests. Similar to most temperate soils, the concentrations in the soil solution decreased with soil depth. The reduction of OC with depth was mainly due to the decrease of hydrophobic compounds. The changes in OC indicated the release of hydrophobic compounds poor in N in the forest canopy and the organic layers. These substances were removed from solution during passage through the mineral soil. In contrast, organic N related more to labile microbial‐derived hydrophilic compounds. At least at the cabbage‐cultivation site, mineralization seemed to contribute largely to the decrease of DOC and DON with depth, possibly because of increased microbial activity stimulated by the inorganic‐N fertilization. Similar concentrations and compositions of OC and ON in subsoils and streams draining the forested catchments suggest soil control on stream DOM. The contribution of DON to total dissolved N in those streams ranged between 50% and 73%, underscoring the importance of DOM for the leaching of nutrients from forested areas. In summary, OC and ON showed differences in their dynamics in forest as well as in agricultural ecosystems. This was mainly due to the differing distribution of OC and ON between the more immobile hydrophobic and the more easily degradable hydrophilic fraction.     

Phosphorus sequestration in soil aggregates after long-term tillage and cropping

Cultivated soils in the Everglades are being converted to their historic use as pastures or seasonally flooded prairies as parts of restoration efforts, but long-term cultivation may have altered soil P distribution and availability which may pose eutrophication hazards upon change in land use. The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution of P in soil chemical and physical fractions for contrasting long-term land management practices. The distribution of P in labile, Fe–Al bound, Ca bound, humic–fulvic acid, and residual pools in five aggregate-size fractions were measured for fields under sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) cropping for 50 years and perennial pasture for 100 years. Both land uses were characterized by a high degree of macroaggregation, as aggregates >0.25 mm contained 76 and 83% of the total soil under cultivation and pasture, respectively. Soils under sugarcane sequestered a total of 77 kg ha⁻¹ more P than pasture at 0–15 cm. The distribution of P in chemical fractions significantly varied between land uses as cultivation increased P sequestration in Ca-bound fractions more for sugarcane (244 kg P ha⁻¹) than pasture (65 kg P ha⁻¹). Pasture sequestered more P in organic pools, as storage in humic–fulvic acid and residual fractions were 26 and 25%, respectively, higher than sugarcane. Labile P was 100% higher for pasture than sugarcane, but Fe–Al bound P storage did not differ between land uses. Aggregation increased P sequestration in humic–fulvic acid and residual fractions, and P storage in organic pools increased with increasing aggregate size. In contrast, cultivation decreased aggregation and increased P accumulation in inorganic fractions. Long-term cultivation altered the distribution of soil P from organic to inorganic pools. The P stored in inorganic pools is stable under current land use, but may be unstable and pose eutrophication hazards upon onset of future land use change to the seasonally flooded prairie ecosystem.     

长期施肥对砂姜黑土可溶性碳淋溶的影响

研究施肥对砂姜黑土可溶性碳淋溶的影响,对有机肥的可持续利用有重要意义.该研究依托33 a的长期试验,分析常规施肥(MF)、化肥+低量小麦秸秆(MFL)、化肥+高量小麦秸秆(MFH)、化肥+猪粪(MFP)和化肥+牛粪(MFC)等施肥方式对土壤剖面(0～60 cm)理化性质、微生物性状、可溶性有机碳(Dissolved O...     

The ability of the DGT soil phosphorus test to predict pasture response in Australian pasture soils – a preliminary assessment

Diffusive gradients in thin‐films (DGT) technology provides an alternative assessment of available phosphorus (P) for a range of crops, suggesting a preliminary examination of the performance of the new DGT‐P test, compared to existing bicarbonate extractable Olsen and Colwell P tests, for pastures is justified. This study utilized historic data from the Australian National Reactive Phosphate Rock (NRPR) study (1992–1994) that included 25 experimental sites representing a wide range of soil types and climates used for pasture production. Stored (~19 yr) soil samples were analysed for DGT‐P, Olsen P and a single point P buffering index (PBI) and re‐analysed for Colwell P. Results showed the traditional bicarbonate extractable Colwell (r² = 0.45, P < 0.001) and Olsen P (r² = 0.27, P < 0.001) methods predicted relative pasture P response more accurately, compared to the novel DGT‐P test (r² = 0.09, P = 0.03) when all 3 yr of data were examined. We hypothesize that the harsher bicarbonate extraction used for the Olsen and Colwell methods more accurately reflects the ability of perennial pasture roots to access less labile forms of P, in contrast to the DGT‐P test, which does not change the soil pH or dilute the soil and appears unable to fully account for a plants ability to solubilize P. Further studies are needed to compare the capacity of DGT‐P to measure P availability in perennial pasture systems and to better understand the soil chemical differences between pasture and cropping systems.     

Long-term straw mulch effects on crop yields and soil organic carbon fractions at different depths under a no-till system on the Chengdu Plain,China

Proposal

A 12-year field experiment was conducted to assess straw mulch effects on soil organic carbon fractions, the carbon pool management index (CPMI) at different depths, and crop yield under a no-till rice-wheat rotation system on the Chengdu Plain, southwestern China.

Materials and methods

There were two treatments in the experiment: no-till without straw mulch (CK) and no-till with straw mulch (SM). The soil was sampled at 0–5, 5–10, 10–20, and 20–30-cm depths. Soil total organic carbon (TOC), the labile organic carbon fractions, including particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and permanganate-oxidizable carbon (KMnO₄-C), and the CPMI were analyzed. The crop grains were measured between September 2013 and May 2018.

Results and discussion

Between 2013 and 2018, rice and wheat grain yields under SM were comparable to CK, except there were higher rice yields in 2016 and higher wheat yields in 2017 under SM. The soil organic carbon decreased as soil depth increased in both treatments. Soil TOC, POC, and KMnO₄-C concentrations at 0–5 and 5–10 cm, CPMI at 0–5 and 5–10 cm, and DOC at 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20-cm soil depths were significantly greater under SM than under CK, whereas the MBC at 0–5 and 5–10 cm under SM was lower than CK. The POC/TOC, KMnO₄-C/TOC, and DOC/TOC ratios were greater under SM in the 0–5 and 5–10 cm, 0–5 cm, and 5–10 and 10–20-cm layers than CK, respectively, whereas the MBC/TOC ratio decreased under SM at 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20-cm depths.

Conclusions

The results showed that straw mulching should be adopted when a no-till rice-wheat cropping system is used in southwestern China because it leads to effective improvements in SOC sequestration while still maintaining normal crop yields.

     

Sowing a winter catch crop can reduce nitrate leaching losses from winter‐applied urine under simulated forage grazing: a lysimeter study

Grazing of winter forage crops is a common management option used in the dairy industry of New Zealand, particularly in the South Island, where they are used to feed nonlactating, pregnant dairy cows prior to calving. However, there is concern that the large crop yields per hectare grazed, combined with a high stocking density of cows, lead to large amounts of urinary nitrogen (N) deposited on bare, wet soil that, in turn, could lead to large nitrate leaching losses. We report the results of a simulated winter forage grazing event using field lysimeters planted with a kale (Brassica oleracea L.) crop. The effect of sowing a ‘catch crop’ of oat (Avena sativa L.) following the simulated winter forage grazing on nitrate leaching losses from urine applied at different times throughout the winter was measured. A catch crop sown between 1 and 63 days after the urine deposition in early winter reduced N leaching losses from urine patches by ~34% on average (range: 19–49%) over the winter–spring period compared with no catch crop. Generally, the sooner the catch crop was sown following the crop harvest, the greater the uptake of N by the catch crop and the greater the reduction in nitrate leaching losses. The results indicate that sowing of a catch crop following winter crop grazing could be an effective management strategy to reduce nitrate leaching as well as increase the N‐use efficiency of dairy winter forage grazing systems.     

Biochar has little effect on soil dissolved organic carbon pool 5 years after biochar application under field condition

Biochar application can improve soil properties, such as increasing soil organic carbon content, soil pH and water content. These properties are important to soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC); however, the effects of biochar on DOC concentration and composition have received little research attention, especially several years after biochar application under field conditions. This study was conducted in a long‐term experimental field where the biochar was only applied once in 2009. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of different biochar application rates (0, 30, 60 and 90 t ha^?1) on the dynamics of soil water content, DOC concentration and DOC compositions (reducing sugar, soluble phenol and aromatics) over nine samplings during a 12‐month period in 2014. Our results showed that soil water content and DOC concentration varied from 7.1% to 14.5% and 59 to 230 mg C kg^?1 soil during the 12 months, respectively. However, the biochar application rates did not significantly (p > 0.05) affect soil water content, DOC concentration and DOC composition at the same sampling period. The DOC concentration across the biochar treatments was positively correlated to soil water content. Moreover, the DOC composition (reducing sugar, soluble phenol or aromatics) and their concentrations were positively correlated to the total DOC concentration. In addition, biochar did not affect soil bulk density, pH, saturated hydraulic conductivity and crop yields. The results indicated that some benefits of biochar to soil may not persist 5 years after the application of biochar under a field condition.     

C and N stocks are not impacted by land use change from Brazilian Savanna (Cerrado) to agriculture despite changes in soil fertility and microbial abundances

Central Brazil is the region with the most dynamic agriculture expansion worldwide, where tropical forests and Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) are converted to pastures and crop fields. Following deforestation, agricultural practices, such as fertilization, tillage and crop rotations, alter soil parameters and affect microbial abundances and the C and N cycles. The objective of this study was to compare changes in soil fertility, stocks of soil C and N, microbial biomass, and abundance of bacteria, fungi and archaea in Cerrado soils following land use change to crops (soybean/corn/cotton) and pasture (the perennial forage grass Brachiaria brizantha A. Rich.). Agriculture increased soil fertility and conserved soil C and N since their absolute concentration values were highest in agriculture soils and the C and N stocks adjusted by soil density were similar to the native vegetation soils. At the same time, agriculture changed the microbial abundances (decrease of microbial biomass C and N, increase of archaea, and reduction of bacteria and fungi at the crop sites), and N dynamics (increase of soil ammonium and nitrate concentrations). Even if these changes can be beneficial for food and agricultural commodities production, all these soil alterations should be further investigated due to their possible unknown effects on biosphere–hydrosphere–atmosphere exchange processes such as greenhouse gases emissions and nitrate leaching.     

Nitrate leaching loss under annual and perennial pastures with and without lime on a duplex (texture contrast) soil in humid southeastern Australia

Mineral N accumulates in autumn under pastures in southeastern Australia and is at risk of leaching as nitrate during winter. Nitrate leaching loss and soil mineral N concentrations were measured under pastures grazed by sheep on a duplex (texture contrast) soil in southern New South Wales from 1994 to 1996. Legume (Trifolium subterraneum)‐based pastures contained either annual grass (Lolium rigidum) or perennial grasses (Phalaris aquatica and Dactylis glomerata), and had a control (soil pH 4.1 in 0.01 m CaCl₂) or lime treatment (pH 5.5). One of the four replicates was monitored for surface runoff and subsurface flow (the top of the B horizon), and solution NO₃^– concentrations. The soil contained more mineral N in autumn (64–133 kg N ha^?1 to 120 cm) than in spring (51–96 kg N ha^?1), with NO₃^– comprising 70–77%. No NO₃^– leached in 1994 (475 mm rainfall). In 1995 (697 mm rainfall) and 1996 (666 mm rainfall), the solution at 20 cm depth and subsurface flow contained 20–50 mg N l^?1 as NO₃^– initially but < 1 mg N l^?1 by spring. Nitrate‐N concentrations at 120 cm ranged between 2 and 22 mg N l^?1 during winter. Losses of NO₃^– were small in surface runoff (0–2 kg N ha^?1 year^?1). In 1995, 9–19 kg N ha^?1 was lost in subsurface flow. Deep drainage losses were 3–12 kg N ha^?1 in 1995 and 4–10 kg N ha^?1 in 1996, with the most loss occurring under limed annual pasture. Averaged over 3 years, N losses were 9 and 15 kg N ha^?1 year^?1 under control and limed annual pastures, respectively, and 6 and 8 kg N ha^?1 year^?1 under control and limed perennial pastures. Nitrate losses in the wet year of 1995 were 22, 33, 13 and 19 kg N ha^?1 under the four respective pastures. The increased loss of N caused by liming was of a similar amount to the decreased N loss by maintaining perennial pasture as distinct from an annual pasture.     

The effect of four different pasture species compositions on nitrate leaching losses under high N loading

Nitrate () leaching can cause elevated concentrations of ‐N in water, which can have adverse impacts on water quality and human health. In grazed pasture systems, most of the ‐N leaching occurs beneath animal urine‐N deposits. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of four different pasture species compositions [perennial ryegrass/white clover (P. ryegrass WC), tall fescue/white clover (T. fescue WC), Italian ryegrass/white clover (It. ryegrass WC) and perennial ryegrass/Italian ryegrass/white clover/red clover/chicory/plantain (Diverse)] on ‐N leaching losses from animal urine patches, and to examine the relative importance of root system architecture and seasonal activity to reduce ‐N leaching losses. The results show that ‐N leaching losses were 24–54% lower beneath It. ryegrass WC than other pasture species. Total dry matter (DM) yield in the season following establishment was 11–58% greater in the It. ryegrass WC pasture, while average winter daily N uptake rate of It. ryegrass WC over the two seasons was on average 58% greater than P. ryegrass WC and T. fescue WC. In the second season, the P. ryegrass WC and T. fescue WC pastures had up to 140 and 82% more roots between 0 and 40 cm depth, respectively, than the other pasture species compositions. These results suggest that in grazed pasture systems, high plant winter activity (plant growth/root metabolic activity) is more important than specific root architecture (e.g. deep roots) to reduce ‐N leaching losses.     

Optimizing fen peatland water-table depth for romaine lettuce growth to reduce peat wastage under future climate warming

Forty percentage of UK peatlands have been drained for agricultural use, which has caused serious peat wastage and associated greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄)). In this study, we evaluated potential trade-offs between water-table management practices for minimizing peat wastage and greenhouse gas emissions, while seeking to sustain romaine lettuce production: one of the most economically relevant crop in the East Anglian Fenlands. In a controlled environment experiment, we measured lettuce yield, CO_2, CH₄ fluxes and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) released from an agricultural fen soil at two temperatures (ambient and +2°C) and three water-table levels (−30 cm, −40 cm and −50 cm below the surface). We showed that increasing the water table from the currently used field level of −50 cm to −40 cm and −30 cm reduced CO₂ emissions, did not affect CH₄ fluxes, but significantly reduced yield and increased DOC leaching. Warming of 2°C increased both lettuce yield (fresh leaf biomass) and peat decomposition through the loss of carbon as CO₂ and DOC. However, there was no difference in the dry leaf biomass between the intermediate (−40 cm) and the low (−50 cm) water table, suggesting that romaine lettuce grown at this higher water level should have similar energetic value as the crop cultivated at −50 cm, representing a possible compromise to decrease peat oxidation and maintain agricultural production.     

Long-term straw management and N fertilizer rate effects on quantity and quality of organic C and N and some chemical properties in two contrasting soils in Western Canada

Crop residue and fertilizer management practices alter some soil properties, but the magnitude of change depends on soil type and climatic conditions. Field experiments with mainly barley (and canola, wheat, triticale, or pea in a few years) under conventional tillage were conducted from 1983 to 2009 at Breton (Gray Luvisol (Typic Haplocryalf) loam) and Ellerslie (Black Chernozem (Albic Argicryoll) clay loam), Alberta, Canada, to determine the effects of straw management (straw removed (S _Rem) and straw retained (S _Ret)) and N fertilizer rate (0, 25, 50, and 75 kg N ha⁻¹) on total organic C (TOC) and N (TON), light fraction organic C (LFOC), and N (LFON) in the 0–7.5 and 7.5–15 cm, pH in the 0–7.5, 7.5–15, and 15–20 cm and extractable P, ammonium-N, and nitrate-N in the 0–15, 15–30, 30–60, and 60–90 cm soil layers. The S _Ret and N fertilizer treatments usually had higher mass of TOC, TON, LFOC, and LFON in soil at Breton, but only of LFOC and LFON in soil at Ellerslie compared with the corresponding S _Rem and zero-N control treatments. The responses of soil organic C and N to management practices were more pronounced for N fertilization than straw management. There were significant correlations among most soil organic C or N fractions, especially at Breton. Linear regressions between crop residue C or N input, or rate of fertilizer N applied and soil organic C or N were significant in most cases at Breton, but only for LFOC and LFON at Ellerslie. At Breton, compared with zero-N rate, the C sequestration efficiency of additional crop residue C input was 5.8%, 20.1%, and 20.4% in S _Ret and 17.2%, 28.0%, and 30.1% in S _Rem treatments at the 25, 50, and 75 kg N ha⁻¹ rates, respectively. The effects of crop residue management and N fertilization on chemical properties were generally similar for both contrasting soil types. There was no effect of crop residue management on soil pH, extractable P and residual nitrate-N. Extractable P and pH in the top 0–15 cm soil decreased significantly with N application in both soil types. Residual nitrate-N (though quite low in Breton soil) increased with application of N and also indicated some downward movement in the soil profile up to 90 cm depth in Ellerslie soil. There was generally no effect of any treatment on ammonium-N in soil. In conclusion, straw retention and N application improved organic C and N in soil, and generally differences were more pronounced for light fraction than total organic C and N, and between the most extreme treatments (S _Rem0 vs. S _Ret75). Application of N fertilizer reduced extractable P and pH in the surface soil, and showed accumulation and downward leaching of nitrate-N in the soil profile.