Efforts by Small-Scale Farmers to Maintain Soil Fertility and Their Impacts on Soil Properties, Luwero District, Uganda

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nyombi, K.; Esser, K.B.; Zake, J.Y.K.

2006-01-01

Low soil fertility remains a major reason for rural poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. In light of the need to set priorities and formulate development policies, this study investigates efforts by farmers in central Uganda to maintain soil fertility, factors affecting their capacity to act and impacts

Soil fertility shapes belowground food webs across a regional climate gradient.

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Laliberté, Etienne; Kardol, Paul; Didham, Raphael K; Teste, François P; Turner, Benjamin L; Wardle, David A

2017-10-01

Changes in soil fertility during pedogenesis affect the quantity and quality of resources entering the belowground subsystem. Climate governs pedogenesis, yet how climate modulates responses of soil food webs to soil ageing remains unexplored because of the paucity of appropriate model systems. We characterised soil food webs along each of four retrogressive soil chronosequences situated across a strong regional climate gradient to show that belowground communities are predominantly shaped by changes in fertility rather than climate. Basal consumers showed hump-shaped responses to soil ageing, which were propagated to higher-order consumers. There was a shift in dominance from bacterial to fungal energy channels with increasing soil age, while the root energy channel was most important in intermediate-aged soils. Our study highlights the overarching importance of soil fertility in regulating soil food webs, and indicates that belowground food webs will respond more strongly to shifts in soil resources than climate change. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Fertile ground? : soil fertility management and the African smallholder

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Misiko, M.

2007-01-01

Keywords: smallholder farmers, soil fertility, experimentation, "inconvenience", realist.The focus in this thesis is to form a view of how well soil fertility research performs within the ever shifting smallholder contexts. This study examined application of agro-ecological

Long-Term Fertilization Impacts on Soil Fertility and Resources Use

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Bom, Frederik Johannes T

the nutrient contents. Finally, plants that are better at taking up P from the soil under limiting conditions could play an important role in improving sustainability, but experiments with modern cereal varieties suggest that modern breeding has resulted in varieties with rather similar ability for P uptake...... nutrient inputs from synthetic fertilisers and animal manure, and variable soil fertility conditions, affect growth, productivity, and resilience of cereal crops, and examined the effects on soil phosphorus pools and soil microbial communities. The study included 20 year year of experimental field data......, new field experimentation and lab and green-house trials with soils from the Long-Term Nutrient Depletion Trial at the KU experimental farm in Taastrup, Denmark. The field was purposely depleted of nutrients for 30 years before the introduction of different permanent nutrient application treatments...

Fertilization increases paddy soil organic carbon density*

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Wang, Shao-xian; Liang, Xin-qiang; Luo, Qi-xiang; Fan, Fang; Chen, Ying-xu; Li, Zu-zhang; Sun, Huo-xi; Dai, Tian-fang; Wan, Jun-nan; Li, Xiao-jun

2012-01-01

Field experiments provide an opportunity to study the effects of fertilization on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. We sampled soils from a long-term (25 years) paddy experiment in subtropical China. The experiment included eight treatments: (1) check, (2) PK, (3) NP, (4) NK, (5) NPK, (6) 7F:3M (N, P, K inorganic fertilizers+30% organic N), (7) 5F:5M (N, P, K inorganic fertilizers+50% organic N), (8) 3F:7M (N, P, K inorganic fertilizers+70% organic N). Fertilization increased SOC content in the plow layers compared to the non-fertilized check treatment. The SOC density in the top 100 cm of soil ranged from 73.12 to 91.36 Mg/ha. The SOC densities of all fertilizer treatments were greater than that of the check. Those treatments that combined inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments had greater SOC densities than those receiving only inorganic fertilizers. The SOC density was closely correlated to the sum of the soil carbon converted from organic amendments and rice residues. Carbon sequestration in paddy soils could be achieved by balanced and combined fertilization. Fertilization combining both inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments is an effective sustainable practice to sequestrate SOC. PMID:22467369

Fertilization increases paddy soil organic carbon density.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shao-xian; Liang, Xin-qiang; Luo, Qi-xiang; Fan, Fang; Chen, Ying-xu; Li, Zu-zhang; Sun, Huo-xi; Dai, Tian-fang; Wan, Jun-nan; Li, Xiao-jun

2012-04-01

Field experiments provide an opportunity to study the effects of fertilization on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. We sampled soils from a long-term (25 years) paddy experiment in subtropical China. The experiment included eight treatments: (1) check, (2) PK, (3) NP, (4) NK, (5) NPK, (6) 7F:3M (N, P, K inorganic fertilizers+30% organic N), (7) 5F:5M (N, P, K inorganic fertilizers+50% organic N), (8) 3F:7M (N, P, K inorganic fertilizers+70% organic N). Fertilization increased SOC content in the plow layers compared to the non-fertilized check treatment. The SOC density in the top 100 cm of soil ranged from 73.12 to 91.36 Mg/ha. The SOC densities of all fertilizer treatments were greater than that of the check. Those treatments that combined inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments had greater SOC densities than those receiving only inorganic fertilizers. The SOC density was closely correlated to the sum of the soil carbon converted from organic amendments and rice residues. Carbon sequestration in paddy soils could be achieved by balanced and combined fertilization. Fertilization combining both inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments is an effective sustainable practice to sequestrate SOC.

Applications of Fertilizer Cations Affect Cadmium and Zinc Concentrations in Soil Solutions and Uptake by Plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lorenz, S. E.; Hamon, R. E.; McGrath, S. P.

1994-01-01

A pot experiment was conducted to study changes over time of Cd and Zn in soil solution and in plants. Radish was grown in a soil which had been contaminated with heavy metals prior to 1961. Constant amounts of a fertilizer solution (NH4N03, KN03) were added daily. Soil solution was obtained......-metal (Cd, Zn) ions in soil solutions and a decrease in soil pH, probably due to ion-exchange mechanisms and the dissolution of carbonates. Uptake of Cd and Zn into leaves was correlated with the mass flow of Cd (adjusted r2 = 0.798) and Zn (adjusted r2=0.859). Uptake of K, Ca and Mg by the plants...... at intervals by displacement with water. The cumulative additions of small amounts of fertilizers were made equal to the plants' requirements at the final harvest but were found to exceed them during most of the experiment. Excess fertilizers caused substantial increases of major (K, Ca, Mg) and heavy...

Agroforestry: A second soil fertility paradigm? A case of soil fertility management in Western Kenya

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mango, Nelson; Hebinck, Paul

2016-01-01

This paper explores the claim whether agro-forestry is a second soil fertility
paradigm. The answer to this question, however, is not unequivocal. Farmers in
Western Kenya generally do not apply fertiliser and rather rely on many soil fertility replenishment (SFR) strategies. Scientists

Differential Concentrations of some Nutrient Element in Forage of Corn (Zea mays L. as Affected by Organic Fertilizers and Soil Compaction

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N. Najafi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Soil compaction is one of the most important limiting factor for normal crop growth, because it reduces absorption by the plant. Application of organic fertilizers in agricultural soils can reduce the detrimental effects of soil compaction on plant growth and also supply some nutrients to plant. Thus, a factorial experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replications and 14 treatments to evaluate the effects of organic fertilizers in mitigating soil compaction. The first factor in this study was the source and amount of organic fertilizer at seven levels (control, farmyard manure, sewage sludge compost and municipal solid waste compost and each of organic fertilizers at two levels of 15 and 30 g/kg of soil. The second factor was soil compaction at two levels (bulk density of 1.2 and 1.7 g/cm3. To perform this experiment, 10 kg of dry soil was poured into special PVC pots and then seeds of single cross 704 corn were planted. At the end of the growth period, the corn shoot was harvested and concentrations of phosphorus (P, potassium (K, sodium (Na, iron (Fe, zinc (Zn, manganese (Mn, cadmium (Cd and lead (Pb were determined by dry ashing method. The results showed that concentrations of Cd and Pb in the shoot, related to the different treatments, were negligible. Concentrations of P, K, Fe, Mn and Zn in the corn shoot were increased significantly by application of farmyard manure, sewage sludge compost and municipal solid waste compost at both levels of soil compaction. However, Na concentration of shoot did not change significantly. Soil compaction significantly reduced P, Fe, Mn and Zn concentrations of corn shoot, but it affected concentrations of Na and K significantly. Application of organic fertilizers and increasing their levels reduced the negative effects of soil compaction on nutrients uptake by corn plant. This study showed that to improve forage corn nutrition, application of 15 or 30 g of farmyard

Increasing Soil Organic Matter Enhances Inherent Soil Productivity while Offsetting Fertilization Effect under a Rice Cropping System

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Ya-Nan Zhao

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Understanding the role of soil organic matter (SOM in soil quality and subsequent crop yield and input requirements is useful for agricultural sustainability. SOM is widely considered to affect a wide range of soil properties, however, great uncertainty still remains in identifying the relationships between SOM and crop yield due to the difficulty in separating the effect of SOM from other yield-limiting factors. Based on 543 on-farm experiments, where paired treatments with and without NPK fertilizer were conducted during 2005–2009, we quantified the inherent soil productivity, fertilization effect, and their contribution to rice yield and further evaluated their relationships with SOM contents under a rice cropping system in the Sichuan Basin of China. The inherent soil productivity assessed by rice grain yield under no fertilization (Y-CK was 5.8 t/ha, on average, and contributed 70% to the 8.3 t/ha of rice yield under NPK fertilization (Y-NPK while the other 30% was from the fertilization effect (FE. No significant correlation between SOM content and Y-NPK was observed, however, SOM content positively related to Y-CK and its contribution to Y-NPK but negatively to FE and its contribution to Y-NPK, indicating an increased soil contribution but a decreased fertilizer contribution to rice yield with increasing SOM. There were significantly positive relationships between SOM and soil available N, P, and K, indicating the potential contribution of SOM to inherent soil productivity by supplying nutrients from mineralization. As a result, approaches for SOM accumulation are practical to improve the inherent soil productivity and thereafter maintain a high crop productivity with less dependence on chemical fertilizers, while fertilization recommendations need to be adjusted with the temporal and spatial SOM variation.

Factors affecting 137Cs bio- availability under the application of different fertilizing systems

Science.gov (United States)

Fedorkova, M. V.; Belova, N. I.

2012-04-01

Although it has been 25 years since the Chernobyl accident, it was generally found that radiocaesium remained bio-availability in some regions. Plant uptake of 137Cs is depended from quantity of exchangeable radionuclide and strongly influenced by soil properties. The addition of fertilizers to soil induces chemical and biological changes that influence the distribution of free ions the different phases (soil and soil solution). In this study we try to estimate influence of different soil conditions affecting the 137Cs bio-availability under the application of manure and inorganic fertilizers. Our research carried out in 2001-2008 years on contaminated after Chernobyl accident sod-podzolic soil during of prolonged field experiment. The experimental site was located in south-west of Bryansk region, Russia. Contamination density by 137Cs in the sampling point was equal to 475±30 kBq/m2. The sequence of crops in rotation was: 1) potato; 2) oats 3) lupine 4) winter rye. Three fertilizing systems were compared: organic - 80 tons per hectare of cow manure; inorganic fertilizing system - different rates of NPK (low, temperate and high) and mixed - 40 tons per hectare of cow manure + NPK. Main soil properties and chemical form of 137Cs and K (potassium) were detected. Radiocaesium activity was determined in soil and plant samples by gamma spectrometry, using a high purity Ge detectors. Overall efficiency was known to an accuracy of about 10-12%. Obtained results shows, that various fertilizing systems influence soil properties, chemical forms of 137Cs and K in soil and radionuclide soil-to-plant transfer in different ways. The highest reduction of exchangeable 137Cs in soil was found in case with application of organic fertilizers and also - temperate NPK rates. Part of exchangeable 137Cs is equal 6.8% (from total activity) in case of manure, 7.8% in case of inorganic fertilizers with control value - 10.2%. Caesium mobility in soil is affected by such soil properties as

Isotope technology as applied to studies of soil fertility, nutrient availability and fertilizer use on flooded rice soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patnaik, S.; Mohanty, S.K.; Dash, R.N.

1979-01-01

Research is reviewed on soil fertility and nutrient availability in relation to fertilizer efficiency, especially o stimulated the mineralization of soil N. Losses of added N from oxidation, leaching, denitrification and volatilization could be minimized through placement of N fertilizer in the reduced zone or by the addition of rice straw for rapid immobilization of added N. Fe-P and, to some extent, Al-P provided P to the rice plants, particularly in P-deficient soils. Added phosphates were converted to these forms which, under waterlogged soil conditions, released more P into the soil solution through reductive solubilization of Fe-P and hydrolytic dissolution of Al-P. The rice plants generally absorbed fertilizer N during the vegetative growth period and N mineralized from soil organic matter during the reproductive growth period. 15 N studies indicated higher grain yield and utilization of applied N through fractional application of 70-80% during the vegetative growth period, and the remaining 20-30% top-dressed at the panicle initiation stage. Ammonia-containing and -forming (urea) fertilizers were superior to the nitrate form of N. In field tests, however, the crop recovery of applied N was relatively low. Phosphatic fertilizers were best applied at puddling. In general, water-soluble phosphates were superior to citrate-soluble or insoluble phosphates. The latter could be made as efficient as the water-soluble phosphate, at comparable low rates, by applying to the moist aerobic acid soil 2-3 weeks before flooding and transplanting rice. Tracer studies have been used to evaluate the nutrient-supplying capacity of the soil from the 'A' value concept. 'A' values varied with varying conditions of soil, rate, time and form of fertilizer application. Zn nutrition of the rice plant and fertilizer use with 65 Zn have been studied relatively little. Some lines of future work are suggested

Fertilization Shapes Bacterial Community Structure by Alteration of Soil pH

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Yuting Zhang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Application of chemical fertilizer or manure can affect soil microorganisms directly by supplying nutrients and indirectly by altering soil pH. However, it remains uncertain which effect mostly shapes microbial community structure. We determined soil bacterial diversity and community structure by 454 pyrosequencing the V1-V3 regions of 16S rRNA genes after 7-years (2007–2014 of applying chemical nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK fertilizers, composted manure or their combination to acidic (pH 5.8, near-neutral (pH 6.8 or alkaline (pH 8.4 Eutric Regosol soil in a maize-vegetable rotation in southwest China. In alkaline soil, nutrient sources did not affect bacterial Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU richness or Shannon diversity index, despite higher available N, P, K, and soil organic carbon in fertilized than in unfertilized soil. In contrast, bacterial OTU richness and Shannon diversity index were significantly lower in acidic and near-neutral soils under NPK than under manure or their combination, which corresponded with changes in soil pH. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance showed that bacterial community structure was significantly affected across these three soils, but the PCoA ordination patterns indicated the effect was less distinct among nutrient sources in alkaline than in acidic and near-neural soils. Distance-based redundancy analysis showed that bacterial community structures were significantly altered by soil pH in acidic and near-neutral soils, but not by any soil chemical properties in alkaline soil. The relative abundance (% of most bacterial phyla was higher in near-neutral than in acidic or alkaline soils. The most dominant phyla were Proteobacteria (24.6%, Actinobacteria (19.7%, Chloroflexi (15.3% and Acidobacteria (12.6%; the medium dominant phyla were Bacterioidetes (5.3%, Planctomycetes (4.8%, Gemmatimonadetes (4.5%, Firmicutes (3.4%, Cyanobacteria (2.1%, Nitrospirae (1.8%, and candidate division TM7 (1

Fertilization Shapes Bacterial Community Structure by Alteration of Soil pH.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuting; Shen, Hong; He, Xinhua; Thomas, Ben W; Lupwayi, Newton Z; Hao, Xiying; Thomas, Matthew C; Shi, Xiaojun

2017-01-01

Application of chemical fertilizer or manure can affect soil microorganisms directly by supplying nutrients and indirectly by altering soil pH. However, it remains uncertain which effect mostly shapes microbial community structure. We determined soil bacterial diversity and community structure by 454 pyrosequencing the V1-V3 regions of 16S rRNA genes after 7-years (2007-2014) of applying chemical nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) fertilizers, composted manure or their combination to acidic (pH 5.8), near-neutral (pH 6.8) or alkaline (pH 8.4) Eutric Regosol soil in a maize-vegetable rotation in southwest China. In alkaline soil, nutrient sources did not affect bacterial Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) richness or Shannon diversity index, despite higher available N, P, K, and soil organic carbon in fertilized than in unfertilized soil. In contrast, bacterial OTU richness and Shannon diversity index were significantly lower in acidic and near-neutral soils under NPK than under manure or their combination, which corresponded with changes in soil pH. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance showed that bacterial community structure was significantly affected across these three soils, but the PCoA ordination patterns indicated the effect was less distinct among nutrient sources in alkaline than in acidic and near-neural soils. Distance-based redundancy analysis showed that bacterial community structures were significantly altered by soil pH in acidic and near-neutral soils, but not by any soil chemical properties in alkaline soil. The relative abundance (%) of most bacterial phyla was higher in near-neutral than in acidic or alkaline soils. The most dominant phyla were Proteobacteria (24.6%), Actinobacteria (19.7%), Chloroflexi (15.3%) and Acidobacteria (12.6%); the medium dominant phyla were Bacterioidetes (5.3%), Planctomycetes (4.8%), Gemmatimonadetes (4.5%), Firmicutes (3.4%), Cyanobacteria (2.1%), Nitrospirae (1.8%), and candidate division TM7 (1

Impact of Forage Fertilization with Urea and Composted Cattle Manure on Soil Fertility in Sandy Soils of South-Central Vietnam

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Keenan C. McRoberts

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Increased production in smallholder beef systems requires improved forage management. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of composted cattle manure and mineral nitrogen (urea application on soil fertility and partial nutrient balances in plots established to Brachiaria cv. Mulato II in south-central coastal Vietnam from 2010 to 2013. A randomized complete block design was implemented on six farms (blocks, with five rates of composted cattle manure (0, 4, 8, 12, and 24 Mg DM/ha per yr and three urea rates (0, 60, and 120 kg N/ha per yr in a factorial design. Soil was analyzed before and after the experiment. Compost increased soil pH, organic matter, Ca, Mg, and Mn. The effect of compost and urea applications on postexperiment soil fertility depended on preexperiment soil fertility for K, P, S, Mg, Zn, Mn, Cu, and organic matter, suggesting that the ability to maintain soil fertility depends on the interaction between soil organic and inorganic amendments and existing soil fertility. Highest farm yields were also achieved on farms with higher preexperiment soil fertility levels. Negative partial nutrient balances for N, P, and K suggest that yields will not be sustainable over time even for the highest fertilization inputs used in this experiment.

Uptake and utilization of soil and fertilizer phosphorus by wheat in medium black soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahajan, J.P.

1980-01-01

A field experiment was conducted using labelled superphosphate to study the uptake and utilization of soil and fertilizer phosphorus by wheat under different soil fertility gradients and phosphorus levels. Grain, straw and total dry matter yield and total P uptake in wheat increased significantly with increasing soil fertility status and P levels (P 0 to P 90 kg P 2 O 5 /ha). Percent P derived from fertilizer increased significantly with increase in P levels but decreased with increasing fertility status of soil. Similar trend was observed in fertilizer P uptake in grain, straw and total dry matter, however, percent utilization of applied P decreased significantly with increasing P levels and fertility status of soil. Soil P uptake increased with increasing fertility status of soil. (author)

Soil Chemical Properties and Nutrient Uptake of Cocoa as Affected by Application of Different Organic Matters and Phosphate Fertilizers

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Sugiyanto Sugiyanto

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Effort repair of land quality better be done by simultan namely with application of organic matters and inorganic fertilization. The objective of this research is to study the effect of varied organic matters source and phosphate fertilizers on the chemicals soil characteristic and cocoa nutrient uptake. The experiment was laid experimentally in split-plot design and environmentally in randomized complete block design. The main plot was source of P consisted of, control, SP 36 and rock phosphate in dosage of 200 mg P2O5 per kg of air dry soil. Source of organic matter as sub-plot consisted of control (no organic matter, cow dung, cocoa pod husk compost and sugar cane filter cake, each in dosage of 2.5 and 5.0%. Result of this experiment showed application of cow dung, cocoa pod husk compost and sugar cane filter cake increased content of C, N, Ca exchangeable, Fe available, and pH in soil, and SP 36 increased availability of P in soil. Application of sugar cane filter cake increased N, K, Ca, Mg, and SO4 uptake but did not increase Cl uptake, application of cow dung in dosage 5% increased N, K, and Cl uptake and cocoa pod husk compost dosage 5% increased N and K uptake of cocoa. SP 36 increased Mg uptake of cocoa but rock phosphate did not increase it. They were not interaction between organic matters and phosphate fertilizers to nutrient uptake of cocoa. Nutrient soil content as affected by organic matters correlated with nutrient uptake of cocoa.Key words : soil chemical properties, nutrient uptake, cocoa, organic matter, phosphate fertlizers.

EFFECT OF INTEGRATED SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMENT INTERVENTIONS ON THE ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY OF SOIL COLLEMBOLA IN EMBU AND TAITA DISTRICTS, KENYA

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Jamleck Muturi

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The study aimed at identifying soil fertility management practices that promote the Collembola population, diversity and survival in the soil. Soil samples were randomly collected from on farm plots amended with: 1-Mavuno ((Ma-is a compound fertilizer containing 26% Potassium, 10% Nitrogen, 10% Calcium, 4% Sulphur, 4% Magnesium and trace elements like Zinc, Copper, Boron, Molybdenum and Manganese, 2-Manure (Mn, 3-Trichoderna (Tr inoculant (is a soil and compost-borne antagonistic fungus used as biological control agent against plant fungal diseases, 4-Farmers practice ((FP where Tripple Super Phosphate (T.S.P. and Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (C.A.N. fertilizers are applied in the soil in mixed form, 5-Tripple Super Phosphate (T.S.P., 6-Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (C.A.N.. These treatments were compared with 7-Control (Co (where soil fertility management interventions where not applied. Soil Collembola were extracted using dynamic behavioural modified Berlese funnel and identified to the genus level. Occurrence of Collembola was significantly affected by soil fertility amendments in both Taita and Embu study sites (P

Influence of long-term fertilization on soil physicochemical properties in a brown soil

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Li, Dongdong; Luo, Peiyu; Han, Xiaori; Yang, Jinfeng

2018-01-01

This study aims to explore the influence on soil physicochemical properties under a 38-y long-term fertilization in a brown soil. Soil samples (0-20 cm)were taken from the six treatments of the long-term fertilization trial in October 2016:no fertilizer (CK), N1(mineral nitrogen fertilizer), N1P (mineral nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer), N1PK (mineral nitrogen, phosphate and potassic fertilizer), pig manure (M2), M2N1P (pig manure, mineral nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer).The results showed thatthe long-term application of chemical fertilizers reduced soil pH value, while the application of organic fertilizers increased pH value. Fertilization significantly increased the content of AHN, TN and SOM. Compared with the CK treatment and chemical fertilizer treatments, organic fertilizer treatments significantly increased the content of AP and TP. The content of AK and TK were no significant difference in different treatment.

Balanced Fertilization Decreases Environmental Filtering on Soil Bacterial Community Assemblage in North China

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Youzhi Feng

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Although increasing evidences have emerged for responses of soil microorganisms to fertilizations, the knowledge regarding community assemblages that cause variations in composition is still lacking, as well as the possible feedback to soil fertility. Phylogenetic conservatism of species indicates their similar environmental preferences and/or function traits and phylogenetic signals further can infer community assemblages and influenced ecological processes. Here, we calculated the mean pairwise phylogenetic distance and nearest relative index, characterizing phylogenetic signal and the undergone ecological process to evaluate the community assembly of soil bacterial phylotypes in 20-year fertilized soils. The bacterial community assembly is structured by environmental filtering, regardless of fertilization regime. Soil phosphorous (P availability imposes selection on community assemblage and influences their community turnover among fertilizations. When P nutrient lacks, the effect of environmental filtering becomes stronger, hence bacterial functional traits become more coherent; this process results into increased intraspecific interactions characterized by co-occurrence network analysis. In contrast, when P nutrient becomes abundant, the environmental selection is mitigated; function traits are evened. This process reduces intraspecific interactions and increases carbon sequestration efficiency, which is finally of great favor to the increases in soil fertility. This study has made the first attempt, at the bacterial level, to understand how fertilization affects agroecosystems. When more phylogenetic information on how nutrient cycling-related microbes respond to fertilization becomes available, the systematic knowledge will eventually provide guidance to optimal fertilization strategies.

Humic Fertilizer and Vermicompost Applied to the Soil Can Positively Affect Population Growth Parameters of Trichogramma brassicae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) on Eggs of Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae).

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Mohamadi, P; Razmjou, J; Naseri, B; Hassanpour, M

2017-12-01

The tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), is a devastating pest of tomato worldwide. One of the control measures of T. absoluta is the use of biological control agents, such as Trichogramma wasps. Interactions between natural enemies and insect pests may be affected by application of fertilizers, because changes in plant quality through the fertilizer application may therefore affect herbivore characteristics and suitability of them to parasitism. Laboratory tests were carried out to evaluate the life table parameters of Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko on T. absoluta eggs reared on tomato plants treated either with vermicompost (40%), humic fertilizer (2 g/kg soil), or control (suitable mixture of field soil and sand). Population growth parameters of T. brassicae were affected by fertilizer treatments. Significant differences were found for immature life period and total fecundity of T. brassicae on the treatments. Differences of intrinsic rate of natural increase (r m ), finite rate of increase (λ), net reproductive rate (R 0 ), mean generation time (T), and doubling time (DT) of T. brassicae among treatments were also significant. The lowest values of r m , λ, and R 0 were recorded for T. brassicae developed on T. absoluta eggs on control treatment, whereas the highest values of these parameters were observed on 2 g/kg humic fertilizer. Furthermore, T. brassicae had the shortest T and DT values on 2 g/kg humic fertilizer and 40% vermicompost treatments. Our results showed that application of humic fertilizer and vermicompost could positively affect population growth parameters of T. brassicae on eggs of T. absoluta fed on tomato plants.

Structure of bacterial communities in soil following cover crop and organic fertilizer incorporation.

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Fernandez, Adria L; Sheaffer, Craig C; Wyse, Donald L; Staley, Christopher; Gould, Trevor J; Sadowsky, Michael J

2016-11-01

Incorporation of organic material into soils is an important element of organic farming practices that can affect the composition of the soil bacterial communities that carry out nutrient cycling and other functions crucial to crop health and growth. We conducted a field experiment to determine the effects of cover crops and fertilizers on bacterial community structure in agricultural soils under long-term organic management. Illumina sequencing of 16S rDNA revealed diverse communities comprising 45 bacterial phyla in corn rhizosphere and bulk field soil. Community structure was most affected by location and by the rhizosphere effect, followed by sampling time and amendment treatment. These effects were associated with soil physicochemical properties, including pH, moisture, organic matter, and nutrient levels. Treatment differences were apparent in bulk and rhizosphere soils at the time of peak corn growth in the season following cover crop and fertilizer application. Cover crop and fertilizer treatments tended to lower alpha diversity in early season samples. However, winter rye, oilseed radish, and buckwheat cover crop treatments increased alpha diversity in some later season samples compared to a no-amendment control. Fertilizer treatments and some cover crops decreased relative abundance of members of the ammonia-oxidizing family Nitrosomonadaceae. Pelleted poultry manure and Sustane® (a commercial fertilizer) decreased the relative abundance of Rhizobiales. Our data point to a need for future research exploring how (1) cover crops influence bacterial community structure and functions, (2) these effects differ with biomass composition and quantity, and (3) existing soil conditions and microbial community composition influence how soil microbial populations respond to agricultural management practices.

The increase of the fertility of soils using the liquid organic fertilizers and fertilizers based on sugar-beet wastes.

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Vyborova, Oxana

2010-05-01

The fertility of soil is a capacity for ensuring plants by water, nutrients, air and capacity for making optimal conditions for growth and development of plants. The result of it is a yield. The main characteristic of fertility of soil is maintenance of humus. The humus is important part of organic matter. The supporting of soil fertility is impossible by traditional methods. The amount of receiving mineral fertilizers in agriculture will not increase in future, because mineral fertilizers are very expensive. The mineral fertilizers don't influence on maintenance of total amount of humus in soil and improve the circulation of nutrients. Every hectare of fields have to receive no less than 8-10 tons of organic fertilizers, therefore we will have self-supporting balance of humus and the fertility of soils will be increasing. Consequently we are looking for new types of organic materials and we include them in modern agro technologies. One of them is an organomineral fertilizer (lignitic materials). The humic chemicals in the form of lignitic materials of natrium, potassium and ammonium are permitted for using them in agriculture at the beginning of 1984. The Department of agriculture in Russian Federation considered the problem of using humic chemicals and made a decision to use them on the fields of our country, because the lignitic materials can restore the fertility of our fields. The lignitic materials increase the amount of spore-forming bacteria, mold fungi and actinomycete. Therefore the organic decomposition occurs more strongly, the processes of humification increase the speed and the amount of humus rises in the soil. The new forming humus has a high biological activity and it improves chemical and physical soil properties. The addition of lignitic materials in soil activates different groups of microorganisms, which influence on mobilization of nutrients and transformation from potential to effective fertility. The inclusion of humic fertilizers improves

Long-term Effects of Organic Waste Fertilizers on Soil Structure, Tracer Transport, and Leaching of Colloids.

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Lekfeldt, Jonas Duus Stevens; Kjaergaard, Charlotte; Magid, Jakob

2017-07-01

Organic waste fertilizers have previously been observed to significantly affect soil organic carbon (SOC) content and soil structure. However, the effect of organic waste fertilizers on colloid dispersibility and leaching of colloids from topsoil has not yet been studied extensively. We investigated how the repeated application of different types of agricultural (liquid cattle slurry and solid cattle manure) and urban waste fertilizers (sewage sludge and composted organic household waste) affected soil physical properties, colloid dispersion from aggregates, tracer transport, and colloid leaching from intact soil cores. Total porosity was positively correlated with SOC content. Yearly applications of sewage sludge increased absolute microporosity (pores 30 μm) compared with the unfertilized control, whereas organic household waste compost fertilization increased both total porosity and the absolute porosity in all pore size classes (though not significant for 100-600 μm). Treatments receiving large amounts of organic fertilizers exhibited significantly lower levels of dispersible colloids compared with an unfertilized control and a treatment that had received moderate applications of cattle slurry. The content of water-dispersible colloids could not be explained by a single factor, but differences in SOC content, electrical conductivity, and sodium adsorption ratio were important factors. Moreover, we found that the fertilizer treatments did not significantly affect the solute transport properties of the topsoil. Finally, we found that the leaching of soil colloids was significantly decreased in treatments that had received large amounts of organic waste fertilizers, and we ascribe this primarily to treatment-induced differences in effluent electrical conductivity during leaching. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Can Fertilization of Soil Select Less Mutualistic Mycorrhizae?

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Nancy Collins

1993-11-01

It has been noted previously that nutrient-stressed plants generally release more soluble carbohydrate in root exudates and consequently support more mycorrhizae than plants supplied with ample nutrients. Fertilization may select strains of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi that are inferior mutualists if the same characteristics that make a VAM fungus successful in roots with a lowered carbohydrate content also reduce the benefits that the fungus provides a host plant. This two-phase study experimentally tests the hypothesis that fertilizing low-nutrient soil selects VAM fungi that are inferior mutualists. The first phase examines the effects of chemical fertilizers on the species composition of VAM fungal communities in long-term field plots. The second phase measures the effects of VAM fungal assemblages from fertilized and unfertilized plots on big bluestem grass grown in a greenhouse. The field results indicate that 8 yr of fertilization altered the species composition of VAM fungal communities. Relative abundance of Gigaspora gigantea, Gigaspora margarita, Scutellispora calospora, and Glomus occultum decreased while Glomus intraradix increased in response to fertilization. Results from the greenhouse experiment show that big bluestem colonized with VAM fungi from fertilized soil were smaller after 1 mo and produced fewer inflorescences at 3 mo than big bluestem colonized with VAM fungi from unfertilized soil. Fungal structures within big bluestem roots suggest that VAM fungi from fertilized soil exerted a higher net carbon cost on their host than VAM fungi from unfertilized soil. VAM fungi from fertilized soil produced fewer hyphae and arbuscules (and consequently provided their host with less inorganic nutrients from the soil) and produced as many vesicles (and thus provisioned their own storage structures at the same level) as fungi from unfertilized soil. These results support the hypothesis that fertilization selects VAM fungi that are inferior

Conditions of fertility of the soils of the banana Area; Magdalena Department

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonilla Correa, Carmen Rosa; Garcia Ocampo, Alvaro

2000-01-01

The banana tree production in Colombia constitutes an important line of the economy of the country; it participates actively in the generation of foreign currencies for the high export volumes. However, in the production process, exist a series of inconveniences that if they are not managed appropriately they can affect the production directly. One of those problems is the fertilization of the plantations, the appropriate handling of the soils and the fertilization plans. With the objective of establishing the nutritional state of the soils of the banana area of the Magdalena, was carried out the present study with the purpose of determining the percentage distribution of the soils inside the different ranges of nutritious elements. Equally, with the analysis it could settle down the faulty elements in those soils and the importance of incorporating them appropriately in the fertilization plans

Uptake of fertilizer nitrogen and soil nitrogen by rice using 15N-labelled nitrogen fertilizer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reddy, K.R.; Patrick, W.H. Jr.

1980-01-01

Data from five field experiments using labelled nitrogen fertilizer were used to determine the relative effects of soil nitrogen and fertilizer nitrogen on rice yield. Yield of grain was closely correlated with total aboveground nitrogen uptake (soil + fertilizer), less closely correlated with soil nitrogen uptake and not significantly correlated with fertilizer nitrogen uptake. When yield increase rather than yield was correlated with fertilizer nitrogen uptake, the correlation coefficient was statistically significant. (orig.)

Household Fertilizers Use and Soil Fertility Management Practices ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Household Fertilizers Use and Soil Fertility Management Practices in Vegetable Crops Production: The Case of Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. ... rate, which could leads to pollution of the environment from over dose application and from runoff in to the water bodies and leaching in to the ground water with economic loss.

Variations in eco-enzymatic stoichiometric and microbial characteristics in paddy soil as affected by long-term integrated organic-inorganic fertilization

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Sen; Wang, Shaoxian; Si, Yuanli; Yang, Wenhao; Zhu, Shaowei

2017-01-01

To investigate the effects of different nutrient management regimes on the soil chemical, eco-enzymatic stoichiometric and microbial characteristics, soil samples were collected from a 30-year, long-term field experiment with six plots growing rice. The results showed that as integrated fertilization increased, so did the concentrations of soil total or available nutrients and microbial biomass carbon (MBC). Our results also found enhanced soil basal respiration and cumulative carbon mineralization compared to chemical fertilization alone at the same nutrient doses. The activities of soil protease (Pro), β-glucosidase (βG), N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG) and acid phosphatase (AP) from the integrated fertilization treatments were significantly higher than those of the treatments without organic manure, so did the activities of soil leucyl aminopeptidase (LAP) and urease (Ure) from the treatment with organic manure in addition to farmer practise fertilization (NPKM2). The stoichiometric ratios, expressed as lnβG/ln(NAG+LAP)/lnPro/lnUre/lnAP, ranged from 1:0.94:1.04:0.67:1.01 to 1:0.98:1.10:0.78:1.25, indicating that the acquisition of C, N and P changed consistently and synchronously under different nutrient management strategies. Integrated fertilization was more beneficial to the acquisition and utilization of soil organic carbon compared to low-molecular-weight organic nitrogen. We concluded that protease and urease should be considered in eco-enzymatic stoichiometric assessments for the hydrolysis of proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates and phosphomonoesters in soil, and integrated fertilization with chemical fertilizers and organic manure should be recommended as a preferable nutrient management system for intensive rice cultivation. PMID:29253000

Translocation of labelled fertilizer nitrogen in soil columns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haunold, E.; Zvara, J.

1975-01-01

The translocation of 15 labeled ammonium and nitrate fertilizer was studied under normal weather conditions for two years in columns filled with different soils. At the end of the experimental period, which usually lasted for 9 months, between 5.9-10.3% of the ammonium fertilizer was leached out, 33.7-50.1% remained in the soil and 39.5-59.7% was lost as gas. For nitrate nitrogen the figures were: 22.6-47.3% leached out, 16.7-40% remaining in the soil, 12.7-60.0% lost as gas. The ammonium fertilizer moving through the soil interchanged with 1-13% of the soil nitrogen, the nitrate fertilizer with only 0.5-2%

Effects of Nitrogen Fixing Pre-Crops and Fertilizers on Physical and Chemical Properties Down the Soil Profile

Science.gov (United States)

Hobley, E.; Honermeier, B.; Don, A.; Gocke, M. I.; Amelung, W.; Kogel-Knabner, I.

2016-12-01

We investigated the effects of pre-crops with and without biological nitrogen fixation capacity (fava beans, clover mulch, fodder maize) and fertilization (no fertilizer, NPK fertilizer, PK fertilizer) on soil physico-chemical properties (bulk density, electrical conductivity, soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration and stocks, N concentration and stocks) and their depth distribution (down to 1 m) at a long-term field experiment set up in 1982 in Gießen, Germany. Fertilization had significant but small impacts on the soil chemical environment, most particularly the salt content of the soil, with PK fertilization increasing electrical conductivity throughout the soil profile. Similarly, fertilization resulted in a small reduction of soil pH throughout the entire soil profile. The soil was physically and chemically affected by the type of pre-crop. Plots with fava beans and maize had lower bulk densities in the subsoil than those with clover. Pre-crop type also significantly affected the depth distribution of both N and SOC. Specifically, clover pre-cropping led to an enrichment of N at the surface compared with fava beans and maize. SOC enrichment at the surface was also observed under clover, with the effect most pronounced under PK fertilization. Combined with the bulk density effects, this shift in N distribution resulted in significantly higher N stocks under clover than under fava beans. However, the total stocks of SOC were not affected by pre-crop or fertilizer regime. Our results indicate that humans influence C and N cycling and distribution in soils through the selection of pre-crops and that the influence of crop type is greater than that of fertilization regimes. Pre-cropping with clover, which is used as a mulch, leads to N enrichment in the topsoil, reducing the need for N fertilizer for the subsequent cereal crop. In contrast, the use of fava beans as a pre-crop does not lead to N enrichment. We believe this is due to the greater rooting depth of

Soil fertility and plant diversity enhance microbial performance in metal-polluted soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Stefanowicz, Anna M; Kapusta, Paweł; Szarek-Łukaszewska, Grażyna; Grodzińska, Krystyna; Niklińska, Maria; Vogt, Rolf D

2012-11-15

This study examined the effects of soil physicochemical properties (including heavy metal pollution) and vegetation parameters on soil basal respiration, microbial biomass, and the activity and functional richness of culturable soil bacteria and fungi. In a zinc and lead mining area (S Poland), 49 sites were selected to represent all common plant communities and comprise the area's diverse soil types. Numerous variables describing habitat properties were reduced by PCA to 7 independent factors, mainly representing subsoil type (metal-rich mining waste vs. sand), soil fertility (exchangeable Ca, Mg and K, total C and N, organic C), plant species richness, phosphorus content, water-soluble heavy metals (Zn, Cd and Pb), clay content and plant functional diversity (based on graminoids, legumes and non-leguminous forbs). Multiple regression analysis including these factors explained much of the variation in most microbial parameters; in the case of microbial respiration and biomass, it was 86% and 71%, respectively. The activity of soil microbes was positively affected mainly by soil fertility and, apparently, by the presence of mining waste in the subsoil. The mining waste contained vast amounts of trace metals (total Zn, Cd and Pb), but it promoted microbial performance due to its inherently high content of macronutrients (total Ca, Mg, K and C). Plant species richness had a relatively strong positive effect on all microbial parameters, except for the fungal component. In contrast, plant functional diversity was practically negligible in its effect on microbes. Other explanatory variables had only a minor positive effect (clay content) or no significant influence (phosphorus content) on microbial communities. The main conclusion from this study is that high nutrient availability and plant species richness positively affected the soil microbes and that this apparently counteracted the toxic effects of metal contamination. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights

Mycorrhizas and tropical soil fertility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cardoso, I.M.; Kuyper, T.W.

2006-01-01

Major factors that constrain tropical soil fertility and sustainable agriculture are low nutrient capital, moisture stress, erosion, high P fixation, high acidity with aluminium toxicity, and low soil biodiversity. The fragility of many tropical soils limits food production in annual cropping

Nitrogen Fertilizer and Straw Applications Affect Uptake of 13C,15N-Glycine by Soil Microorganisms in Wheat Growth Stages.

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Lijie Yang

Full Text Available This study investigated the influence of nitrogen (N fertilizer and straw on intact amino acid N uptake by soil microorganisms and the relationship between amino acid turnover and soil properties during the wheat growing season. A wheat pot experiment was carried out with three treatments: control (CK, N fertilizer (NF and N fertilizer plus rice straw (NS. We used stable isotope compound-specific analysis to determine the uptake of 13C,15N-glycine by soil microorganisms. In the NF treatment, microbial 13C,15N-glycine uptake was lower compared with CK, suggesting that inorganic N was the preferred N source for soil microorganisms. However, The application of straw with N fertilizer (in NS treatment increased microbial 13C,15N-glycine uptake even with the same amount of N fertilizer application. In this treatment, enzyme activities, soil microbial biomass C and microbial biomass N increased simultaneously because more C was available. Soil mineral N and plant N contents all decreased substantially. The increased uptake of intact 13C,15N-glycine in the NS treatment can be attributed to direct assimilation by soil microorganisms to satisfy the demand for N when inorganic N was consumed.

Soil acidification and liming in grassland production and grassland soil fertility in Slovenia

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Jure ČOP

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the evidences on grassland soil acidity and liming in relation to soil processes and herbage production. There is also an outline of the present state of soil acidity and acidity-related traits – contents of organic matter (OM, phosphorus (P and potassium (K in Slovene grassland. In grassland, soil acidification is an ongoing process under humid climate conditions. It is mainly driven by leaching of nutrients, net loss of cations due to retention in livestock products, use of physiologically acid fertilizers, acid rain and N2 fixation. This process is reduced by strong pH buffering capacity of the soil and by physiologically basic fertilizers. Acid grassland soils in Slovenia are widely distributed in spite of the fact that 44% of the total land has developed from a carbonate parent material. Of the 1713 grassland soil samples analysed during 2005-2007 45% were regarded as acid ones (pH < 5.5; in KCl, 57% as soils with very low P status (˂ 6 mg P2O5/100 g soil and 22% as soils with very low K status (˂ 10 mg K2O/100 soil. Increased content of soil organic matter was identified for alpine pastures (˃ 10 % OM in 44% of samples, mainly as a result of low decomposition rate. Liming of acid grassland soils did not always reflect in a higher herbage yield. The cause for this inefficiency is plant composition of grassland. Thus, many grassland plants with relatively high production potential have adapted to acid soil conditions. To illustrate the inconsistent liming effect three researches are reviewed. In the first two researches liming along with fertilizer application did not increase the yield comparing to the fertilized control while in the third research the increase amounted 26 %. Liming improves considerably botanical composition of the acid grassland (e.g. sward where Common Bent – Agrostis tenuis Sibth. – prevails and thus indirectly affects palatability and nutritive value of herbage. Grassland liming has a weak

Three-decade long fertilization-induced soil organic carbon sequestration depends on edaphic characteristics in six typical croplands

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Feng; Li, Jianwei; Yang, Xueyun; Huang, Shaomin; Cai, Zejiang; Gao, Hongjun; Ma, Junyong; Cui, Xian; Xu, Minggang

2016-08-01

Fertilizations affect soil organic carbon (SOC) content but the relative influences of the edaphic and climate factors on SOC storage are rarely studied across wide spatiotemporal scales. This study synthesized long-term datasets of fertilization experiments in six typical Chinese croplands, and calculated annual C input from crops and manure amendments, changes in SOC storage (ΔSOC) and C sequestration efficiency (i.e. the percentage of soil C change per unit of C input, hereafter referred as CSE) in 0-20 cm soil over three decades. Three fertilization treatments include no fertilization (CK), chemical nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers (NPK) and combined chemical fertilizers and manure (NPKM). Results showed significant fertilization effects on C input and ΔSOC (NPKM>NPK>CK), and significantly higher CSE in Qiyang at Hunan than Zhengzhou at Henan and Heihe at Heilongjiang. The variance partitioning analysis (VPA) showed more variance of CSE can be explained by edaphic factors (up to 39.7%) than other factors. Furthermore, soil available N content and pH were identified as the major soil properties explaining CSE variance. This study demonstrated key controls of soil fertility factors on SOC sequestration and informs the need to develop strategic soil management plan to promote soil carbon sequestration under long-term intensive fertilization.

Soil fertility in the Great Konya Basin, Turkey

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, B.H.

1970-01-01

Soil fertility was studied in the Great Konya Basin, as part of the study carried out by the Department of Tropical Soil Science of the Agricultural University at Wageningen.

The purpose was to find the agricultural value of the soils, to learn about the main factors governing soil fertility,

Soil and fertilizer nitrogen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winteringham, F.P.W.

1984-01-01

As a result of the intensified practices and effectively diminishing land resources per capita, increasing weights of both native soil- and added fertilizer-nitrogen will be lost to agriculture and its products, and will find their way into the environment. Soil-nitrogen levels and contingent productivity can nevertheless be maintained in the face of these losses on the basis of improved soil-N management. In some local situations nitrate levels in water for drinking purposes are likely to continue rising. In some cases agriculture and clearance practices are only one of several sources. In others they are clearly mainly responsible. In developing countries these losses represent those of a relatively increasingly costly input. This is due to the fact that industrial fertilizer nitrogen production is a particularly high energy-consuming process. In the more advanced industrialized countries they represent an addition to the problems and costs of environmental quality and health protection. The programmes, information and data reviewed here suggest that these problems can be contained by improved and extended soil and water management in agriculture on the basis of existing technology. In particular there appears to be enormous scope for the better exploitation of existing legumes both as non-legume crop alternatives or as biofertilizers which also possess more desirable C:N ratios than chemical fertilizer

Do soil fertilization and forest canopy foliage affect the growth and photosynthesis of Amazonian saplings?

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Nilvanda dos Santos Magalhães

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Most Amazonian soils are highly weathered and poor in nutrients. Therefore, photosynthesis and plant growth should positively respond to the addition of mineral nutrients. Surprisingly, no study has been carried out in situ in the central Amazon to address this issue for juvenile trees. The objective of this study was to determine how photosynthetic rates and growth of tree saplings respond to the addition of mineral nutrients, to the variation in leaf area index of the forest canopy, and to changes in soil water content associated with rainfall seasonality. We assessed the effect of adding a slow-release fertilizer. We determined plant growth from 2010 to 2012 and gas exchange in the wet and dry season of 2012. Rainfall seasonality led to variations in soil water content, but it did not affect sapling growth or leaf gas exchange parameters. Although soil amendment increased phosphorus content by 60 %, neither plant growth nor the photosynthetic parameters were influenced by the addition of mineral nutrients. However, photosynthetic rates and growth of saplings decreased as the forest canopy became denser. Even when Amazonian soils are poor in nutrients, photosynthesis and sapling growth are more responsive to slight variations in light availability in the forest understory than to the availability of nutrients. Therefore, the response of saplings to future increases in atmospheric [CO2] will not be limited by the availability of mineral nutrients in the soil.

Division S-4-soil fertility and plant nutrition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norman, R.J.; Gilmour, J.T.

1987-01-01

A portion of anhydrous NH 3 fertilizer applied to soil can be rendered nonexchangeable through fixation by clay minerals and soil organic matter. The plant availability of anhydrous NH 3 fixed by these two soil fractions can be important agronomically if such fixation limits plant uptake of the fertilizer N. In this study, three soils with clay and organic C contents ranging from 120 to 310 and 7.8 to 30.1 g kg -1 , respectively, were injected with 15 N-labeled (2 atom % 15 N) liquid anhydrous NH 3 at a rate equivalent to 245 kg N ha -1 . Soluble and exchangeable N were removed by leaching and the soil was cropped to rye grass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) in pots. Soils were analyzed before and after cropping for clay fixed N and organic matter fixed N. Four cuttings (harvests) were made at 3- to 4-week intervals and roots were collected at the termination of the experiment. Above ground dry matter, total N uptake, and fertilizer-derived fixed N uptake (mg N pot -1 ) increased from the first to the second harvest and declined thereafter. Nitrogen recovered in the roots accounted for <11% of the total N and <7% of the fixed N utilized, and root dry matter accounted for 13 to 14% of the total dry matter produced. The ratio of fertilizer-derived fixed N uptake to total N uptake declined with harvest suggesting that the fixed N became less available to the rye grass with time. Fertilizer-derived fixed N recovered in the rye grass ranged from 19 to 26% of that originally fixed by the soil. The percentages of fertilizer-derived clay fixed N removed from the soils during cropping (35-72%) were much larger than those of the fertilizer-derived organic matter fixed N (<12%) suggesting that a majority of the plant uptake of fixed N originated in the clay fraction. Overall, fertilizer-derived fixed N removal from the soils (21-30%) agreed well with plant uptake data

Degradation of soil fertility can cancel pollination benefits in sunflower.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamburini, Giovanni; Berti, Antonio; Morari, Francesco; Marini, Lorenzo

2016-02-01

Pollination and soil fertility are important ecosystem services to agriculture but their relative roles and potential interactions are poorly understood. We explored the combined effects of pollination and soil fertility in sunflower using soils from a trial characterized by different long-term input management in order to recreate plausible levels of soil fertility. Pollinator exclusion was used as a proxy for a highly eroded pollination service. Pollination benefits to yield depended on soil fertility, i.e., insect pollination enhanced seed set and yield only under higher soil fertility indicating that limited nutrient availability may constrain pollination benefits. Our study provides evidence for interactions between above- and belowground ecosystem services, highlighting the crucial role of soil fertility in supporting agricultural production not only directly, but also indirectly through pollination. Management strategies aimed at enhancing pollination services might fail in increasing yield in landscapes characterized by high soil service degradation. Comprehensive knowledge about service interactions is therefore essential for the correct management of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes.

ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZA FUNGI AS AN INDICATOR OF SOIL FERTILITY

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Muhammad Akhid Syibli

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF are ubiquitous organism that forms association with the root of most terrestrial plants. AMF association also influence soil fertility through the enhancement of chemical, biological and physical content. In this study, we enumerated AMF spores from rhizosphere of Tithonia difersivolia as an indicator of soil fertility. The results showed that the most fertile soil had the highest AMF spores density. This research has confirmed that AMF has high interaction with organic carbon, organic matter, total phosphorus, cation exchange capacity, water level, soil fungi and soil bacteria. Partial regression analysis revealed the mathematic equation for their interaction. This equation used the abundant of AMF spores as an indicator for chemical, biological and physical fertility of the soil.

Measuring P availability in soils fertilized with water-soluble P fertilizers using 32P methodologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLaughlin, M.J.

2002-01-01

Isotope exchange kinetics was used in conjunction with standard procedures for assessing soil P status in soils fertilized with soluble phosphatic fertilizers. Soil samples were collected before fertilizer application in year 1 (one) from 23 of the 30 sites of the National Reactive Phosphate Rock project. Soil phosphorus test values were plotted against indices of pasture response to applied fertilizer, to assess the effectiveness of the various soil tests to predict site responsiveness to applied fertilizer. Isotopically exchangeable P was only weakly related to other measures of available P, with resin P having the best relationship with E values. In some samples, very large values for isotopically exchangeable P (E values) were determined in relation to P extractable by all reagents. Examination of the data however, revealed that all the samples with large E values in relation to extractable P had very low equilibrium concentrations of solution P and high buffering capacities. The best soil test, Bray 1, could account for only 50% of the variation in plant responsiveness to applied fertilizer, with Olsen and Resin tests slightly worse at 41% and the isotopic procedure at 39%. (author)

Increased microbial functional diversity under long-term organic and integrated fertilization in a paddy soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Long-Jun; Su, Jian-Qiang; Sun, Guo-Xin; Wu, Jin-Shui; Wei, Wen-Xue

2018-02-01

Microbes play key roles in diverse biogeochemical processes including nutrient cycling. However, responses of soil microbial community and functional genes to long-term integrated fertilization (chemical combined with organic fertilization) remain unclear. Here, we used pyrosequencing and a microarray-based GeoChip to explore the shifts of microbial community and functional genes in a paddy soil which received over 21-year fertilization with various regimes, including control (no fertilizer), rice straw (R), rice straw plus chemical fertilizer nitrogen (NR), N and phosphorus (NPR), NP and potassium (NPKR), and reduced rice straw plus reduced NPK (L-NPKR). Significant shifts of the overall soil bacterial composition only occurred in the NPKR and L-NPKR treatments, with enrichment of certain groups including Bradyrhizobiaceae and Rhodospirillaceae families that benefit higher productivity. All fertilization treatments significantly altered the soil microbial functional structure with increased diversity and abundances of genes for carbon and nitrogen cycling, in which NPKR and L-NPKR exhibited the strongest effect, while R exhibited the least. Functional gene structure and abundance were significantly correlated with corresponding soil enzymatic activities and rice yield, respectively, suggesting that the structural shift of the microbial functional community under fertilization might promote soil nutrient turnover and thereby affect yield. Overall, this study indicates that the combined application of rice straw and balanced chemical fertilizers was more pronounced in shifting the bacterial composition and improving the functional diversity toward higher productivity, providing a microbial point of view on applying a cost-effective integrated fertilization regime with rice straw plus reduced chemical fertilizers for sustainable nutrient management.

Long-term influence of tillage and fertilization on net carbon dioxide exchange rate on two soils with different textures.

Science.gov (United States)

Feiziene, Dalia; Feiza, Virginijus; Slepetiene, Alvyra; Liaudanskiene, Inga; Kadziene, Grazina; Deveikyte, Irena; Vaideliene, Asta

2011-01-01

The importance of agricultural practices to greenhouse gas mitigation is examined worldwide. However, there is no consensus on soil organic carbon (SOC) content and CO emissions as affected by soil management practices and their relationships with soil texture. No-till (NT) agriculture often results in soil C gain, though, not always. Soil net CO exchange rate (NCER) and environmental factors (SOC, soil temperature [T], and water content [W]), as affected by soil type (loam and sandy loam), tillage (conventional, reduced, and NT), and fertilization, were quantified in long-term field experiments in Lithuania. Soil tillage and fertilization affected total CO flux (heterotrophic and autotrophic) through effect on soil SOC sequestration, water, and temperature regime. After 11 yr of different tillage and fertilization management, SOC content was 23% more in loam than in sandy loam. Long-term NT contributed to 7 to 27% more SOC sequestration on loam and to 29 to 33% more on sandy loam compared with reduced tillage (RT) or conventional tillage (CT). Soil water content in loam was 7% more than in sandy loam. Soil gravimetric water content, averaged across measurement dates and fertilization treatments, was significantly less in NT than CT and RT in both soils. Soil organic carbon content and water storage capacity of the loam and sandy loam soils exerted different influences on NCER. The NCER from the sandy loam soil was 13% greater than that from the loam. In addition, NCER was 4 to 9% less with NT than with CT and RT systems on both loam and sandy loam soils. Application of mineral NPK fertilizers promoted significantly greater NCER from loam but suppressed NCER by 15% from sandy loam. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

[Effects of mulching management on biomass of Phyllostachys praecox and soil fertility].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Wan Lu; Yang, Chuan Bao; Zhang, Xiao Ping; Gao, Gui Bin; Zhong, Zhe Ke

2018-04-01

We analyzed the dynamics of stand growth and soil nutrient availability during the degradation processes of Phyllostachys praecox plantation, taking the advantage of bamboo forest stands with different mulching ages (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 a). The results showed the aboveground and belowground biomass of bamboo forest reached the maximum value when they were covered by three years, which was significantly increased by 14.6% and 146.6% compared with the control. The soil nutrient content was affected by the mulching age and soil layer. Soil nutrients gradually accumulated in upper layer. Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen content were increased with the increases of coverage years. The soil total phosphorus content at different soil layers showed a trend of decreasing first and then increasing. It was the lowest level in the surface layer (0-20 cm) and the bottom (40-60 cm) in 6 years, and the subsurface (20-40 cm) soil reached the lowest level in three years. The total potassium content kept increasing in 0-20 cm soil layer, but decreased during the first three years of mulching and then increased in 20-60 cm soil layer. The comprehensive index of soil fertility quality was greatly improved after nine years mulching, with fertility of subsurface soil being better than that of surface and bottom soils. There was no relationship between the soil fertility index and biomass of different organs in bamboo in the different mulching ages. In the subsurface, however, nitrogen content was negatively related to leaf biomass and potassium was negatively correlated with the biomass of leaves and whip roots. Our results indicated that excessive accumulation of soil nutrients seriously inhibited the propagation and biomass accumulation of P. praecox after long-term mulching management and a large amount of fertilizer, which further aggravated the degradation of bamboo plantation.

BIOCHEMICAL PROCESSES IN CHERNOZEM SOIL UNDER DIFFERENT FERTILIZATION SYSTEMS

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Ecaterina Emnova

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the evaluation of the intensity of certain soil biochemical processes (e.g. soil organic C mineralization at Organic and mixed Mineral+Organic fertilization of typical chernozem in crop rotation dynamics (for 6 years by use of eco-physiological indicators of biological soil quality: microbial biomass carbon, basal soil respiration, as well as, microbial and metabolic quotients. Soil sampling was performed from a long-term field crop experiment, which has been established in 1971 at the Balti steppe (Northern Moldova. The crop types had a more considerable impact on the soil microbial biomass accumulation and community biochemical activity compared to long-term Organic or mixed Mineral + Organic fertilizers amendments. The Org fertilization system doesn’t make it possible to avoid the loss of organic C in arable typical chernozem. The organic fertilizer (cattle manure is able to mitigate the negative consequences of long-term mineral fertilization.

The use of isotopes in soil fertility and soil chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neptune, A.M.L.; Muraoka, T.

1978-01-01

The concept of radioactive and enriched stable isotopes is reminded. The main topics studied with isotopes which are pointed out are the following: the isotopic exchange and its application; the E and L values; the determination of CEC; the fixing capacity of some ions by the soil particles; the measurement of the A value; the efficiency of fertilizers utilization, the interaction between nutrients, their movements through the soil, the residual effect of the fertilizers and, finally, the root system and soil organic matter. (author) [pt

Long-term organic-inorganic fertilization ensures great soil productivity and bacterial diversity after natural-to-agricultural ecosystem conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Xun, Weibing; Xu, Zhihui; Li, Wei; Ren, Yi; Huang, Ting; Ran, Wei; Wang, Boren; Shen, Qirong; Zhang, Ruifu

2016-09-01

Natural ecosystems comprise the planet's wild plant and animal resources, but large tracts of land have been converted to agroecosystems to support the demand for agricultural products. This conversion limits the number of plant species and decreases the soil biological diversity. Here we used high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing to evaluate the responses of soil bacterial communities in long-term converted and fertilized red soils (a type of Ferralic Cambisol). We observed that soil bacterial diversity was strongly affected by different types of fertilization management. Oligotrophic bacterial taxa demonstrated large relative abundances in chemically fertilized soil, whereas copiotrophic bacterial taxa were found in large relative abundances in organically fertilized and fallow management soils. Only organic-inorganic fertilization exhibited the same local taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity as that of a natural ecosystem. However, the independent use of organic or inorganic fertilizer reduced local taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity and caused biotic homogenization. This study demonstrated that the homogenization of bacterial communities caused by natural-to-agricultural ecosystem conversion can be mitigated by employing rational organic-inorganic fertilization management.

Effect of Fertilization on Soil Fertility and Nutrient Use Efficiency at Potatoes

Science.gov (United States)

Neshev, Nesho; Manolov, Ivan

2016-04-01

The effect of fertilization on soil fertility, yields and nutrient use efficiency of potatoes grown under field experimental conditions was studied. The trail was conducted on shallow brown forest soil (Cambisols-coarse) during the vegetation periods of 2013 to 2015. The variants of the experiment were: control, N140; P80; K100; N140P80; N140K100; P80K100; N140P80K100; N140P80K100Mg33. The applied fertilization slightly decreased soil's pH after the harvest of potatoes compared to the soil pH their planting. Decreasing of pH was more severe at variant N (from 5,80 to 4,19 in 2014). The mineral nitrogen content in the soil after the harvest of potatoes was lower for the variants P, K and PK. The positive effect of fertilization on soil fertility after the end of the trails was more pronounced at variants NPK and NPKMg. The content of available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium forms for these variants was the highest for each year. The highest content of mineral nitrogen was observed in 2013 (252,5 and 351,1 mg/1000g, respectively for variants NPK and NPKMg). It was due to extremely dry weather conditions during the vegetation in this year. Soil content of mineral N for the next two years was lower. The same tendency was observed for phosphorus and potassium was observed. In 2013 the P2O5 and K2O content in soil was the highest for the variants with full mineral fertilization - NPK (64,4 and 97,6 mg 100g-1 respectively for P2O5 and K2O) and NPKMg (65,2 and 88,0 mg 100g-1 respectively for P2O5 and K2O). The highest yields were recorded at variants NPK and NPKMg - 24,21 and 22,01 t ha-1, average for the studied period. The yield of variant NPK was 25 % higher than the yield from variant NP and 68 % higher than control. The partial factor productivity (PFPN, PFPP and PFPK) of the applied fertilizers was the highest at variant NPK. The PFPN (80,10 kg kg-1) for the yields of variant N was 57 % lower than the PFPN at variant NPK (180,36 kg kg-1). The PFPP and PFPK at

soil fertility management practices by smallholder farmers in vhembe ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

p2333147

constraints associated with soil fertility management practices used by the farmers. ... nutrients. In addition, these drier areas often have highly degradable soils that are susceptible to soil erosion and eventual decline in soil fertility, especially under ... cases where the selected farm was a “community garden” (a group of.

Soil fertility, crop biodiversity, and farmers' revenues: Evidence from Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Falco, Salvatore; Zoupanidou, Elisavet

2017-03-01

This paper analyzes the interplay between soil fertility, crop biodiversity, and farmers' revenues. We use a large, original, farm-level panel dataset. Findings indicate that both crop biodiversity and soil fertility have positive effects on farmers' revenues. It is also shown that crop biodiversity and soil fertility may act as substitutes. These results provide evidence for the important role of diversity in the resilience of agroecosystems. Crop diversification can be a potential strategy to support productivity when soils are less fertile.

Biodegradation of aliphatic vs. aromatic hydrocarbons in fertilized arctic soils

Science.gov (United States)

Braddock, J.F.

1999-01-01

A study was carried out to test a simple bioremediation treatment strategy in the Arctic and analyze the influence of fertilization the degradation of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, e.g., pristine, n-tetradecane, n-pentadecane, 2-methylnaphthalene, naphthalene, and acenaphthalene. The site was a coarse sand pad that once supported fuel storage tanks. Diesel-range organics concentrations were 250-860 mg/kg soil at the beginning of the study. Replicate field plots treated with fertilizer yielded final concentrations of 0, 50, 100, or 200 mg N/kg soil. Soil pH and soil-water potentials decreased due to fertilizer application. The addition of fertilizer considerably increased soil respiration potentials, but not the populations of microorganisms measured. Fertilizer addition also led to ??? 50% loss of measured aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in surface and subsurface soils. For fertilized plots, hydrocarbon loss was not associated with the quantity of fertilizer added. Losses of aliphatic hydrocarbons were ascribed to biotic processes, while losses of aromatic hydrocarbons were due to biotic and abiotic processes.

Foods That Can Affect Fertility

Science.gov (United States)

... That Can Affect Fertility Print Email Foods That Can Affect Fertility By Caroline Kaufman, MS, RDN Published ... the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. While couples can't control all of the causes of infertility, ...

Production efficiency and economic potential of different soil fertility ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper provides the economic evaluation of different soil fertility replenishing technologies (use of inorganic fertilizers, organic manure, and rhizobium inoculant) that were tested during field studies and recommended to groundnut farmers. Data on soil fertility technologies used by households, groundnut yields, and ...

Abundant and stable char residues in soils: implications for soil fertility and carbon sequestration.

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, J-D; Johnson, R L; Lehmann, J; Olk, D C; Neves, E G; Thompson, M L; Schmidt-Rohr, K

2012-09-04

Large-scale soil application of biochar may enhance soil fertility, increasing crop production for the growing human population, while also sequestering atmospheric carbon. But reaching these beneficial outcomes requires an understanding of the relationships among biochar's structure, stability, and contribution to soil fertility. Using quantitative (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we show that Terra Preta soils (fertile anthropogenic dark earths in Amazonia that were enriched with char >800 years ago) consist predominantly of char residues composed of ~6 fused aromatic rings substituted by COO(-) groups that significantly increase the soils' cation-exchange capacity and thus the retention of plant nutrients. We also show that highly productive, grassland-derived soils in the U.S. (Mollisols) contain char (generated by presettlement fires) that is structurally comparable to char in the Terra Preta soils and much more abundant than previously thought (~40-50% of organic C). Our findings indicate that these oxidized char residues represent a particularly stable, abundant, and fertility-enhancing form of soil organic matter.

[Effect of composting organic fertilizer supplies on hexachlorobenzene dechlorination in paddy soils].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Cui-Ying; Jiang, Xin

2013-04-01

A rice pot experiment was conducted in two soils, Hydragric Acrisols (Ac) and Gleyi-Stagnic Anthrosols (An). Three treatments including control and additions of 1% or 2% composting organic fertilizer were designed for each soil. The objective of this research was to evaluate the reductive dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) as affected by organic fertilizer supplies in planted paddy soils, and to analyze the relationship between methane production and HCB dechlorination. The results showed that the HCB residues were decreased by 28.6%-30.1% of the initial amounts in Ac, and 47.3% -61.0% in An after 18 weeks of experiment. The amount of HCB and its metabolite uptake by rice plants was only a few thousandths of the initial HCB amount in soils. The main product of HCB dechlorination was pentachlorobenzene (PeCB). The rates of HCB dechlorination in An were higher than those in Ac, which was mainly attributed to the higher pH and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content of An. The applications of both 1% and 2% composting organic fertilizer showed significant inhibition on PeCB production after the 6th and 10th week in Ac and An, respectively. In both tested soils, no significant difference of PeCB production rates was observed between the applications of 1% and 2% composting organic fertilizer. The role of methanogenic bacteria in HCB dechlorination was condition-dependent.

The effect of nitrate addition on efficient use of ammonium sulfate fertilizer under saline soil condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalifa, KH.; Zedan, A.

1996-01-01

The effect of addition of nitrate fertilizers on the efficient use of ammonium fertilizers was studied using N sub 1 sub 5 method. In pot experiment using salt affected alluvial soil, the objective of this study was to determine the ideal ratio of NO sub 3/NH sub 4 which enhance the efficiency of ammonium fertilizers. The results showed that the fresh and dry weights of maize (variety LG11) responded significantly to each type of fertilizer alone. Furthermore, the N-NO sub 3 fertilizer showed superiority over N-NH sup 4 fertilizer. Wherever, the highest yield was obtained with a mixture of both (N-NO sub 3 and N-NH sub 4) with NO sub 3/NH sub 4 ratio 1/8, in spite of the fact that the equivalent amounts of N were employed in all treatments. Under the given circumstances it has been recommended in salt affected soil in dry area, to use the above mentioned ratio for nitrogen fertilizer to obtain optimum yield. (author). 8 refs., 3 tabs

Influence on the long-term fertilizing on radioactivity soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grubisic, M.; Stevanovic, D.; Stojanovic, M.; Vuletic, V.; Pantelic, G.

2007-01-01

Researching in this work need to give the answer in which degree application the mineral fertilizers, especially phosphate, contribute to the contamination of a soil because of long-term continually fertilizing (35 years) and differences of adopting from the corn culture and wheat nursing in monocultures. Like control, it is made measuring activity of radionuclides of a soil on experimental variety where wasn't fertilizing during the making the experiment, separately for both cultures. Based on that it is given accent only on chronic contamination of a soil by radionuclides by application mineral fertilizers at once and transport in the system of soil of different biocenoses. Based on measuring activity 40K, 137Cs, 238U, 235U, 226Ra, 232Th, 212Pb it is fortified differences in concentration of the activity of radionuclides of uranium row between the samples of smonica, fertilized and non-fertilized in the longer period. (author) [sr

Influence of Long-Term Fertilization on Spore Density and Colonization of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in a Brown Soil

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dongdong; Luo, Peiyu; Yang, Jinfeng

2017-12-01

This study aims to explore changes of long-term fertilization on spore density and colonization of AMF (Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) under a 38-y long-term fertilization in a brown soil. Soil samples (0-20 cm,20-40cm,40-60cm)were taken from the six treatments of the long-term fertilization trial in October 2016:no fertilizer (CK), N1(mineral nitrogen fertilizer), N1P (mineral nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer), N1PK (mineral nitrogen, phosphate and potassic fertilizer), pig manure (M2), M2N1P (pig manure, mineral nitrogen andphosphate fertilizer).Spores were isolated from soils by wet sieving and sucrose density gradient centrifugation; mycorrhizal colonization levels were determined by the gridline intersect. The spore density was highest in the topsoils (0-20 cm), and was decreased with increasing of soil depth in each treatment. The spores density of M2N1P treatment was significantly higher than that of other treatments in each soil layer. Application of inorganic fertilizer (especially inorganic with organic fertilizer) can greatly improve the level of colonization. Our results suggested that long-term fertilization significantly affects spore density and colonization of AMF, however, spore density is not related to colonization rate.

Effects of plant species identity, diversity and soil fertility on biodegradation of phenanthrene in soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oyelami, Ayodeji O.; Okere, Uchechukwu V.; Orwin, Kate H.; De Deyn, Gerlinde B.; Jones, Kevin C.; Semple, Kirk T.

2013-01-01

The work presented in this paper investigated the effects of plant species composition, species diversity and soil fertility on biodegradation of 14 C-phenanthrene in soil. The two soils used were of contrasting fertility, taken from long term unfertilised and fertilised grassland, showing differences in total nitrogen content (%N). Plant communities consisted of six different plant species: two grasses, two forbs, and two legume species, and ranged in species richness from 1 to 6. The degradation of 14 C-phenanthrene was evaluated by measuring indigenous catabolic activity following the addition of the contaminant to soil using respirometry. Soil fertility was a driving factor in all aspects of 14 C-phenanthrene degradation; lag phase, maximum rates and total extents of 14 C-phenanthrene mineralisation were higher in improved soils compared to unimproved soils. Plant identity had a significant effect on the lag phase and extents of mineralisation. Soil fertility was the major influence also on abundance of microbial communities. - Highlights: ► Two grassland soils of contrasting fertility showing differences in total nitrogen content (%N) were used in this study. ► The effects of individual plant species and plant diversity on mineralisation of 14 C-phenanthrene in soil were investigated. ► Soil fertility was the major influence on mineralisation of 14 C-phenanthrene, and abundance of microbial community. ► The presence of a specific plant plays a role in the extent of mineralisation of phenanthrene in soil. - Soil management was the main driver for the mineralisation of 14 C-phenanthrene in soil.

Decoupling the deep: crop rotations, fertilization and soil physico-chemical properties down the profile

Science.gov (United States)

Hobley, Eleanor; Honermeier, Bernd; Don, Axel; Amelung, Wulf; Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid

2017-04-01

. This resulted in a reduction of N density at depth, which was not mirrored in C densities, indicating that fava beans decouple C and N cycles in the deep soil profile. We then tested whether these effects are a result of plant (i.e. enhanced rooting depth associated with lowered subsoil bulk density) or microbial (i.e. N-cycling and denitrification processes) activities, by investigating the isotopic signatures of C and N down the profile. Our results indicate that the selection of crop rotation influences soil C and N cycling and depth distribution. Although mineral N fertilizer has significant benefits for yield, the choice of crop rotation has a greater influence on soil C and N cycling and specifically the addition of leguminous plants into rotation can provide additional yield benefits and stability. Incorporating legumes into crop rotations affects soil physical and chemical properties and decouples C and N cycles in the deep soil profile, indicating different nutrient and water cycling processes in the deep soil profile.

Soil fertility decline: definitions and assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hartemink, A.E.

2006-01-01

In permanent agricultural systems, soil fertility is maintained through applications of manure, other organic materials, inorganic fertilizers, lime, the inclusion of legumes in the cropping systems, or a combination of these. In many parts of the world the availability, use, and profitability of

Effects of plant species identity, diversity and soil fertility on biodegradation of phenanthrene in soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oyelami, Ayodeji O; Okere, Uchechukwu V; Orwin, Kate H; De Deyn, Gerlinde B; Jones, Kevin C [Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ (United Kingdom); Semple, Kirk T., E-mail: k.semple@lancaster.ac.uk [Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ (United Kingdom)

2013-02-15

The work presented in this paper investigated the effects of plant species composition, species diversity and soil fertility on biodegradation of {sup 14}C-phenanthrene in soil. The two soils used were of contrasting fertility, taken from long term unfertilised and fertilised grassland, showing differences in total nitrogen content (%N). Plant communities consisted of six different plant species: two grasses, two forbs, and two legume species, and ranged in species richness from 1 to 6. The degradation of {sup 14}C-phenanthrene was evaluated by measuring indigenous catabolic activity following the addition of the contaminant to soil using respirometry. Soil fertility was a driving factor in all aspects of {sup 14}C-phenanthrene degradation; lag phase, maximum rates and total extents of {sup 14}C-phenanthrene mineralisation were higher in improved soils compared to unimproved soils. Plant identity had a significant effect on the lag phase and extents of mineralisation. Soil fertility was the major influence also on abundance of microbial communities. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Two grassland soils of contrasting fertility showing differences in total nitrogen content (%N) were used in this study. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The effects of individual plant species and plant diversity on mineralisation of {sup 14}C-phenanthrene in soil were investigated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Soil fertility was the major influence on mineralisation of {sup 14}C-phenanthrene, and abundance of microbial community. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The presence of a specific plant plays a role in the extent of mineralisation of phenanthrene in soil. - Soil management was the main driver for the mineralisation of {sup 14}C-phenanthrene in soil.

Assessment of Fertility Status of Soils Supporting Coconut ( Cocus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Coconut cultivation is mostly practiced in the Western and Central regions of Ghana. Information on the fertility status of the soils on which coconuts are grown and possible fertilizer recommendation is not common. Since coconut yield is generally related to the fertility status of the soil, a study was conducted to evaluate the ...

Nuclear techniques used in soil fertility and plant nutrition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halitligil, M.B.; Kislal, H.; Sirin, H.; Sirin, C.; Kilicaslan, A.

2004-01-01

Full text: Nuclear techniques, which include the usage of radioactive and stable isotopes, had been used in soil fertility, plant nutrition, plant breeding, plant protection and food preservation research works after 1950s. Ultimately these nuclear techniques contributed greatly in increased plant production. In general, it is possible to separate the nuclear techniques used in soil fertility and plant nutrition into two groups. The first group is the use of radioactive and stable isotopes as a tracer in order to find out the optimum fertilization rate of plants precisely. The second group is the use of neutron probe in determining the soil moisture at different periods of the growing season and at various soil depths precisely without any difficulty. In research works where conventional techniques are used, it is not possible to identify how much of the nutrient taken up by the plant came from applied fertilizer or soil. However, when tracer techniques are used in research works it is possible to identify precisely which amount of the nutrient taken from fertilizer or from soil. Therefore, the nuclear techniques are very important in finding out which variety of fertilizer and how much of it must be used. The determination of the soil moisture is very important in finding the water needs of the plants for a good growth. Soil moisture contents changes often during the growth period, so it must be determined very frequently in order to determine the amount of irrigation that has to be done. Conventional soil moisture determination (gravimetric method) is very laborious especially when it has to be done frequently. However, by using neutron probe soil moisture determinations can be done very easily any time during the plant growth period

Nuclear techniques used in soil fertility and plant nutrition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halitligil, M.B.

2004-01-01

Nuclear techniques, which include the usage of radioactive and stable isotopes, had been used in soil fertility, plant nutrition, plant breeding, plant protection and food preservation research works after 1950s. Ultimately these nuclear techniques contributed greatly in increased plant production. In general, it is possible to separate the nuclear techniques used in soil fertility and plant nutrition into two groups. The first group is the use of radioactive and stable isotopes as a tracer in order to find out the optimum fertilization rate of plants precisely. The second group is the use of neutron probe in determining the soil moisture at different periods of the growing season and at various soil depths precisely without any difficulty. In research works where conventional techniques are used, it is not possible to identify how much of the nutrient taken up by the plant came from applied fertilizer or soil. However, when tracer techniques are used in research works it is possible to identify precisely which amount of the nutrient taken from fertilizer or from soil. Therefore, the nuclear techniques are very important in finding out which variety of fertilizer and how much of it must be used. The determination of the soil moisture is very important in finding the water needs of the plants for a good growth. Soil moisture contents changes often during the growth period, so it must be determined very frequently in order to determine the amount of irrigation that has to be done. Conventional soil moisture determination (gravimetric method) is very laborious especially when it has to be done frequently. However, by using neutron probe soil moisture determinations can be done very easily any time during the plant growth period. (author)

Phospholipid fatty acid patterns of microbial communities in paddy soil under different fertilizer treatments

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZHANG Qi-chun; WANG Guang-huo; YAO Huai-ying

2007-01-01

The microbial communities under irrigated rice cropping with different fertilizer treatments, including control (CK), PK, NK, NP, NPK fertilization, were investigated using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profile method. The results of this study revealed that the fertilizer practice had an impact on the community structure of specific microbial groups. The principal components analysis (PCA) showed that proportion of the actinomycete PLFAs (10Me 18:0 and 10Me 16:0) were the lowest in the PK treatment and the highest in the NPK treatment, which means that soil nitrogen status affected the diversity of actinomycetes, whereas nitrogen cycling was related to the actinomycets. Under CK treatment, the ratio of Gram-positive to Gram-negative bacteria was lower compared with that in fertilizer addition treatments, indicating that fertilizer application stimulated Gram-positive bacterial population in paddy soil. The fatty acid 18:2ω6, 9, which is considered to be predominantly of fungal origin, was at low level in all the treatments. The ratio of cy19:0 to 18:1ω7, which has been proposed as an indicator of stress conditions, decreased in PK treatment. Changes of soil microbial community under different fertilizer treatments of paddy soil were detected in this study; however, the causes that lead to changes in the microbial community still needs further study.

Diversity and Abundance of Soil Animals as Influenced by Long-Term Fertilization in Grey Desert Soil, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maibo Jiang

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The relationship between soil fauna and different fertilizer management practices is of growing concern. The aim of this research was to investigate the response of soil fauna to fertilization regimes, to explore the relationships among the community of soil animals, soil moisture and crop yields. The application of organic fertilizers (i.e., sheep manure or crop residues increased crop yields and promoted the number of individuals and species of soil fauna owing to the exogenous organic matter that fertilizers provided for the survival and development of soil fauna. Furthermore, the treatments that applied sheep manure (i.e., sheep manure only or nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sheep manure plus were significantly beneficial for increasing crop yields and diversity of soil fauna compared to treatments with crop residues returned (i.e., crop residues returned only or nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and crop residues returned to the field (p < 0.05 due to the response of soil fauna to diverse exogenous nutrients and the effect of soil fertility. Therefore, the finding that soil fauna abundance is significantly positively correlated with soil moisture and crop yield may mean the effects of fertilizer applications on soil animals were partly masked by the soil moisture and crop yield.

[Variation characteristics of soil carbon sequestration under long-term different fertilization in red paddy soil].

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jing; Zhang, Yang-zhu; Gao, Ju-sheng; Zhang, Wen-ju; Liu, Shu-jun

2015-11-01

The objective of this study was to clarify the changes of soil organic carbon (SOC) content, the saturation capacity of soil carbon sequestration and its cooperation with carbon input (crop source and organic fertilizer source carbon) under long-term (1982-2012) different fertilization in red paddy soil. The results showed that fertilization could increase SOC content. The SOC content of all the fertilization treatments demonstrated a trend of stabilization after applying fertilizer for 30 years. The SOC content in the treatments applying organic manure with mineral fertilizers was between 21.02 and 21.24 g · kg(-1), and the increase rate ranged from 0.41 to 0.59 g · kg(-1) · a(-1). The SOC content in the treatments applying mineral fertilizers only was 15.48 g · kg(-1). The average soil carbon sequestration in the treatments that applied organic manure with mineral fertilizers ranged from 43.61 to 48.43 t C · hm(-2), and the average SOC storage over the years in these treatments was significantly greater than those applying mineral fertilizers only. There was an exponentially positive correlation between C sequestration efficiency and annual average organic C input. It must input exogenous organic carbon at least at 0. 12 t C · hm(-2) · a(-1) to maintain the balance of soil organic carbon under the experimental conditions.

Availability of residual nitrogen from fertilizers in soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jakovljevic, M.; Filipovic, R.; Petrovic, M.

1983-01-01

The plant availability of residual fertilizer nitrogen for the next crop was studied in chernozem and pseudogley soils. Release of nitrogen was examined after incubation at 3 and 30 0 C. It was found that the use of increased doses of nitrogen fertilizer (ammonium nitrate) led to an increased release of residual fertilizer nitrogen into plant available forms. The release of this nitrogen fraction was 5-10 times faster in comparison with the remaining soil nitrogen. (author)

Availability of residual nitrogen from fertilizers in soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jakovljevic, M.; Filipovic, R.; Petrovic, M. (Institut za Primeni Nuklearne Energije u Poljoprivedri, Veterinarstvu i Sumarstvu, Zemun (Yugoslavia))

1983-05-01

The plant availability of residual fertilizer nitrogen for the next crop was studied in chernozem and pseudogley soils. Release of nitrogen was examined after incubation at 3 and 30/sup 0/C. It was found that the use of increased doses of nitrogen fertilizer (ammonium nitrate) led to an increased release of residual fertilizer nitrogen into plant available forms. The release of this nitrogen fraction was 5-10 times faster in comparison with the remaining soil nitrogen.

The relative importance of fertilization and soil erosion on C-dynamics in agricultural landscapes of NE Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Pohl, Madlen; Hoffmann, Mathias; Hagemann, Ulrike; Jurisch, Nicole; Remus, Rainer; Sommer, Michael; Augustin, Jürgen

2016-04-01

and interactions between soil and fertilization types also seem to affect C-dynamics. Hence, long-term measurements of different fertilization treatments at characteristic soil landscape elements are needed.

Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria Community Composition and Diversity Are Influenced by Fertilizer Regimes, but Are Independent of the Soil Aggregate in Acidic Subtropical Red Soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Shun; Li, Xiang; Luo, Xuesong; Wen, Shilin; Chen, Wenli; Huang, Qiaoyun

2018-01-01

Nitrification is the two-step aerobic oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via nitrite in the nitrogen-cycle on earth. However, very limited information is available on how fertilizer regimes affect the distribution of nitrite oxidizers, which are involved in the second step of nitrification, across aggregate size classes in soil. In this study, the community compositions of nitrite oxidizers ( Nitrobacter and Nitrospira ) were characterized from a red soil amended with four types of fertilizer regimes over a 26-year fertilization experiment, including control without fertilizer (CK), swine manure (M), chemical fertilization (NPK), and chemical/organic combined fertilization (MNPK). Our results showed that the addition of M and NPK significantly decreased Nitrobacter Shannon and Chao1 index, while M and MNPK remarkably increased Nitrospira Shannon and Chao1 index, and NPK considerably decreased Nitrospira Shannon and Chao1 index, with the greatest diversity achieved in soils amended with MNPK. However, the soil aggregate fractions had no impact on that alpha-diversity of Nitrobacter and Nitrospira under the fertilizer treatment. Soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil had a significant correlation with Nitrospira Shannon and Chao1 diversity index, while total potassium only had a significant correlation with Nitrospira Shannon diversity index. However, all of them had no significant correlation with Nitrobacter Shannon and Chao1 diversity index. The resistance indices for alpha-diversity indexes (Shannon and Chao1) of Nitrobacter were higher than those of Nitrospira in response to the fertilization regimes. Manure fertilizer is important in enhancing the Nitrospira Shannon and Chao1 index resistance. Principal co-ordinate analysis revealed that Nitrobacter - and Nitrospira -like NOB communities under four fertilizer regimes were differentiated from each other, but soil aggregate fractions had less effect on the nitrite oxidizers community. Redundancy analysis

Effects of long-term fertilization on soil humic acid composition and structure in Black Soil.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiuming Zhang

Full Text Available The composition and structure of humic acid (HA can be affected by fertilization, but the short-term effects are difficult to detect using traditional analysis methods. Using a 35-year long-term experiment in Black Soil, the molecular structure of HA was analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Variation in HA was analyzed after long-term fertilization, including fertilization with manure (M, inorganic N, P and K fertilizer (NPK, manure combined with inorganic N, P, and K fertilizer (MNPK, and a no-fertilizer control (CK. The application of each fertilizer treatment increased crop yields compared with the CK treatment, and the MNPK treatment increased crop yield the most. The ratio of main IR absorption peak of HA at 2,920 cm-1 compared with the peak at 2,850 cm-1 (2920/2850 was higher in the NPK and MNPK treatments compared with the CK treatment. The application of manure (MNPK and M treatments increased the ratio of hydrogen to carbon (H/C in HA, and raised the ratio of the main IR absorption peak of HA at 2920 cm-1 to that at 1720 cm-1 (2920/1720. Manure treatments also raised the ratio of aliphatic carbon (C to aromatic C, alkyl C to alkoxy C and hydrophobic C to hydrophilic C and the fluorescence index (f 450/500, but decreased the degree of aromatization of HA, when compared with the CK treatment. The ratio between each type of C in HA was similar among all the fertilizer treatments, but NPK had a lower ratio of H/C and a lower content of aliphatic C compared with the CK treatment. These results indicated that the molecular structure of HA in Black Soil tends to be aliphatic, simpler, and younger after the application of manure. While the application of inorganic fertilizers increased in the degree of condensation of HA and made HA structure complicated. The application of manure alone or combined with inorganic fertilizers may be an

Effects of long-term fertilization on soil humic acid composition and structure in Black Soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jiuming; Wang, Jingkuan; An, Tingting; Wei, Dan; Chi, Fengqin; Zhou, Baoku

2017-01-01

The composition and structure of humic acid (HA) can be affected by fertilization, but the short-term effects are difficult to detect using traditional analysis methods. Using a 35-year long-term experiment in Black Soil, the molecular structure of HA was analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and fluorescence spectroscopy. Variation in HA was analyzed after long-term fertilization, including fertilization with manure (M), inorganic N, P and K fertilizer (NPK), manure combined with inorganic N, P, and K fertilizer (MNPK), and a no-fertilizer control (CK). The application of each fertilizer treatment increased crop yields compared with the CK treatment, and the MNPK treatment increased crop yield the most. The ratio of main IR absorption peak of HA at 2,920 cm-1 compared with the peak at 2,850 cm-1 (2920/2850) was higher in the NPK and MNPK treatments compared with the CK treatment. The application of manure (MNPK and M treatments) increased the ratio of hydrogen to carbon (H/C) in HA, and raised the ratio of the main IR absorption peak of HA at 2920 cm-1 to that at 1720 cm-1 (2920/1720). Manure treatments also raised the ratio of aliphatic carbon (C) to aromatic C, alkyl C to alkoxy C and hydrophobic C to hydrophilic C and the fluorescence index (f 450/500), but decreased the degree of aromatization of HA, when compared with the CK treatment. The ratio between each type of C in HA was similar among all the fertilizer treatments, but NPK had a lower ratio of H/C and a lower content of aliphatic C compared with the CK treatment. These results indicated that the molecular structure of HA in Black Soil tends to be aliphatic, simpler, and younger after the application of manure. While the application of inorganic fertilizers increased in the degree of condensation of HA and made HA structure complicated. The application of manure alone or combined with inorganic fertilizers may be an effective way

Soil Fertility Gradient in the Restinga Ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

América Castelar da Cunha, Joana; Casagrande, José Carlos; Soares, Marcio Roberto; Martins Bonilha, Rodolfo

2013-04-01

The restinga ecosystem (coastal plain vegetation) can be termed as a set of plant communities that suffer strong influenced by fluvial and marine factors and is characterized as an ecosystem of great biological diversity, therefore, represents areas of great importance in the context of ecological preservation. The degradation processes from many forms of anthropogenic disturbances that has taken place since the colonization of the country, made studies on the characterization and dynamics of soil fertility of these areas even more important in relation to the maintenance of its biodiversity and conservation. The sites studied were the Cardoso Island and Comprida Island, and in these, we analyzed four physiognomies, restinga, low restinga, dune and antedune (from continent to ocean). Chemical analyses were performed and soil salinity in these areas in depths 0-5; 0-10; 0-20; 20-40; 40-60 cm. In all soils the cationic exchange capacity was intimately associated with the concentration of soil organic matter, which makes this parameter essential to the maintenance of soil fertility of these areas; in more superficial layers (0-20 cm) there was an increase of pH and base saturation and decline of organic matter, aluminum saturation and cationic exchange capacity in the nearby sea, physiognomies what determines the existence of fertility gradient towards the continent-coast; restinga forests showed a chemical standard that is heavily marked by sandy texture, high degree of leaching, nutrient poverty, low base saturation, high saturation by aluminum and acidity, opposite conditions to soils of the dunes and antedunes, with the exception of sandy texture; despite the existence of a chemical gradient of fertility among the physiognomies studied it is possible to determine the soil acts more strongly as a physical support than as provider of fertility; as for salinity, soil collected in Cardoso Island did not present salinity in any depth, a fact which can be explained due

Fertility Evaluation of Limed Brazilian Soil Polluted with Scrap Metal Residue

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Flávia Almeida Gabos

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to characterize the main inorganic contaminants and evaluate the effect of lime addition, combined with soil dilution with uncontaminated soil, as a strategy for mitigation of these contaminants present in a soil polluted with auto scrap. The experiment was performed in a greenhouse at Campinas (São Paulo State, Brazil in plastic pots (3 dm−3. Five soil mixtures, obtained by mixing an uncontaminated soil sample with contaminated soil (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% contaminated soil, were evaluated for soil fertility, availability of inorganic contaminants, and corn development. In addition to the expected changes in soil chemistry due to the addition of lime, only the availability of Fe and Mn in the soil mixtures was affected, while the available contents of Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb increased to some extent in the soil mixtures with higher proportion of contaminated soil. Liming of 10 t ha−1 followed by soil dilution at any proportion studied was not successful for mitigation of the inorganic contaminants to a desired level of soil fertility, as demonstrated by the available amounts extracted by the DTPA method (Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, Cd and hot water (B still present in the soil. This fact was also proved by the phytotoxicity observed and caused by high amounts of B and Zn accumulating in the plant tissue.

The effects of ant nests on soil fertility and plant performance: a meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Farji-Brener, Alejandro G; Werenkraut, Victoria

2017-07-01

Ants are recognized as one of the major sources of soil disturbance world-wide. However, this view is largely based on isolated studies and qualitative reviews. Here, for the first time, we quantitatively determined whether ant nests affect soil fertility and plant performance, and identified the possible sources of variation of these effects. Using Bayesian mixed-models meta-analysis, we tested the hypotheses that ant effects on soil fertility and plant performance depend on the substrate sampled, ant feeding type, latitude, habitat and the plant response variable measured. Ant nests showed higher nutrient and cation content than adjacent non-nest soil samples, but similar pH. Nutrient content was higher in ant refuse materials than in nest soils. The fertilizer effect of ant nests was also higher in dry habitats than in grasslands or savannas. Cation content was higher in nests of plant-feeding ants than in nests of omnivorous species, and lower in nests from agro-ecosystems than in nests from any other habitat. Plants showed higher green/root biomass and fitness on ant nests soils than in adjacent, non-nest sites; but plant density and diversity were unaffected by the presence of ant nests. Root growth was particularly higher in refuse materials than in ant nest soils, in leaf-cutting ant nests and in deserts habitats. Our results confirm the major role of ant nests in influencing soil fertility and vegetation patterns and provide information about the factors that mediate these effects. First, ant nests improve soil fertility mainly through the accumulation of refuse materials. Thus, different refuse dump locations (external or in underground nest chambers) could benefit different vegetation life-forms. Second, ant nests could increase plant diversity at larger spatial scales only if the identity of favoured plants changes along environmental gradients (i.e. enhancing β-diversity). Third, ant species that feed on plants play a relevant role fertilizing soils

Effects of plant species identity, diversity and soil fertility on biodegradation of phenanthrene in soil

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oyelami, A.O.; Okere, U.V.; Orwin, K.; Deyn, de G.B.; Jones, K.C.; Semple, K.T.

2013-01-01

The work presented in this paper investigated the effects of plant species composition, species diversity and soil fertility on biodegradation of 14C-phenanthrene in soil. The two soils used were of contrasting fertility, taken from long term unfertilised and fertilised grassland, showing

Speciation of Cs-137 in fertilizers amended soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mocanu, N.; Breban, D.C.

1999-01-01

One of the most used agricultural countermeasures to reduce the uptake of radionuclides from soil into plants is the chemical treatment of the soil with fertilizers. The distribution of a radionuclide between different physico chemical forms is essential to characterize its behaviour and the biological impact on the environment. To assess a radionuclide bioavailability to the soil-plant transfer, the chemical forms that are most relevant are the water soluble and exchangeable ones. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the potential modifications in time of the Cs-137 distribution in the two soil fractions, induced by the treatment with different K-based fertilizers. The two types of soil were selected taking into account their importance for the agricultural use in Romania. By the sequential extraction method the distribution of 137 Cs has been determined in the water soluble and exchangeable fractions separated from the soils after 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 4 months, respectively. For the reference untreated soils, experimental data revealed that less than 1 percent of Cs-137 is associated to the water soluble fraction for both types of soil. Around 4 percents of the total amount of Cs-137 in the brown-reddish soil and 13 percents in the alluvial one were associated to the exchangeable fraction. The differences between the Cs-137 distribution are correlated to the higher content of dust and clay in the brown reddish soil, which are strong binders for Cs ions. The application of the two fertilizers releasing fast the K ions (KCl and potassium salt), determined from at the first moment after the contamination a reduction of the Cs-137 concentration in both fraction. The effect was most pronounced for the soluble fraction in the brown -reddish soil: with a factor of 8 in case of KCl treatment and 5 in case of potassium salt. For the others experimental cases the concentration of Cs-137 in both fractions was slightly reduced, with factors between (1

Soil heterogeneity and soil fertility gradients in smallholder agricultural systems of the east african highlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tittonell, P.A.; Muriuki, A.; Klapwijk, C.J.; Shepherd, K.D.; Coe, R.; Vanlauwe, B.

2013-01-01

Heterogeneity in soil fertility in these smallholder systems is caused by both inherent soil-landscape and human-induced variability across farms differing in resources and practices. Interventions to address the problem of poor soil fertility in Africa must be designed to target such diversity and

Combining Organic and Mineral Fertilizers for Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Smallholder Farming Systems of Kenya: Explorations Using the Crop-Soil Model FIELD

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tittonell, P.A.; Corbeels, M.; Wijk, van M.T.; Vanlauwe, B.; Giller, K.E.

2008-01-01

Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) technologies for African smallholders should consider (i) within-farm soil heterogeneity; (ii) long-term dynamics and variability; (iii) manure quality and availability; (iv) access to fertilizers; and (v) competing uses for crop residues. We used the

Effects of Soil Fertility and Atmospheric CO2 Enrichment on Leaf, Stem and Root Dark Respiration of Populus tremuloides

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2001-01-01

An open-top chamber experiment was conducted at the University of Michigan Biological Station near Pellston, Michigan, USA, to study the effects of soil fertility and CO2 on leaf, stem and root dark respiration (Rd) of Populus tremuloides. Overall, area-based daytime leaf Rd (Rda) was significantly greater at elevated than at ambient CO2 in high-fertility soil, but not in low-fertility soil. Mass-based leaf Rd (Rdm) was overall greater for high- than for low-fertility soil grown trees at elevated, but not at ambient CO2. Nighttime leaf Rda and Rdm were unaffected by soil fertility or CO2, nor was stem Rda, which ranged from 1.0 to 1.4 μmol m-2 s-1 in the spring and 3.5 to 4.5 μmol m-2 s-1 in the summer. Root Rda was significantly higher in high- than in low-fertility soil, but was unaffected by CO2. Since biomass production of P. tremuloides will be significantly greater at elevated CO2 while specific Rd will either increase or remain unchanged, we predict that carbon loss to the atmosphere through respiration from this ecologically important species would increase at higher CO2. Soil fertility would also interact with elevated CO2 in affecting the carbon flow in the plant-soil-air system.

EFFECT OF SOIL SULFUR FERTILIZER AND SOME FOLIAR FERTILIZERS ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF BROCCOLI IN SALINE SOIL

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Ali Husain JASIM

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Factorial experiment was conducted in the open fields of Agricultural College, Al-Qasim Green University during the agricultural seasons of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 to study the effect of adding two levels of agricultural sulfur (control and add 100 kg.ha-1 and four levels of nutrient spray (without spray, high-potash fertilizer, high-phosphorus fertilizer and humic acid on growth and yield of broccoli under drip irrigation and polyethylene soil mulching in saline soil (9.6 dS.m-1. Randomized complete block design with three replicates was used. The results showed that agricultural sulfur led to increase number of leaves, leaf area, leaves chlorophyll content, diameter and weight of flower head compared to control. Spraying foliar fertilizer and its interaction with sulfur fertilizer also led to increase all of parameters above (except leaves chlorophyll content significantly compared to control treatment.

Comparative effects of organic compost and NPK fertilizer on soil ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Pre-treatment and post planting soil samples were taken for laboratory soil analysis of soil chemical properties for a comparison of the assessment of the cumulative effects of organic compost and inorganic fertilizer in improving soil fertility over a period of three years. The organic matter increased by 23.3% and 0.6% in the ...

Effects of different fertilizers on growth and nutrient uptake of Lolium multiflorum grown in Cd-contaminated soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Mohan; Li, Yang; Che, Yeye; Deng, Shaojun; Xiao, Yan

2017-10-01

This study aimed to explore the effects of different fertilizers and their combinations on growth and nutrient and Cd uptake of Lolium multiflorum. Compared with control treatment, chemical fertilizer, organic manure, and their conjunctions with biofertilizer increased shoot biomass. Biofertilizers were found to cause significant reductions in shoot biomass of plants grown in organic manure-treated and control soil. Decreased soil-available N and P and shoot N and K concentrations in biofertilizer amendment treatments indicated that plant growth and nutrient absorption might be negatively affected under nutrient deficiency conditions. Elevated shoot biomasses contributed to the highest shoot Cd contents in chemical fertilizer and chemical fertilizer + biofertilizer treatments among all treatments. But the maximum translocation efficiency occurred in biofertilizer + chemical fertilizer + organic manure treatment, followed by organic manure and chemical fertilizer + organic manure treatments. Based on the results, we can conclude that the application of only the biofertilizer Bacillus subtilis should be avoided in nutrient-limited soils. Chemical fertilizer application could benefit the amount of Cd in shoots, and organic manure application and its combinations could result in the higher translocation efficiency.

Effect of organic matter application and water regimes on the transformation of fertilizer nitrogen in a Philippine soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Tomio; Padre, B.C. Jr.

1975-01-01

Greenhouse experiments using the tracer technique showed that about 20 per cent of the fertilizer nitrogen added as basal to the Maahas clay soil was immobilized in submerged soils to which no organic material was added. The addition of organic matter to the soil increases the amount of nitrogen immobilized and the magnitude depends on the carbon to nitrogen ratio of the materials added. More fertilizer nitrogen was immobilized in the soils under upland and alternate wet-and-dry conditions than under submerged soil conditions. The uptake of fertilizer nitrogen by rice plants growing under submerged soil conditions ceased at the vegetative stage of growth because only a small amount of available nitrogen remains in the soil at this time, but the rice plant continued to absorb gradually untagged nitrogen from the soil throughout the reproductive stages of growth. Losses of fertilizer nitrogen were great under the alternate wet-and-dry conditions (submerged-upland). The loss of nitrogen from the soil-plant system was reduced by the addition of rice straw, which also reduced the uptake of fertilizer nitrogen but not the total dry matter production under the experimental conditions. Fertilizer nitrogen immobilized during the first crop remained mostly in the soil throughout the full period of the second crop. The total nitrogen uptake by rice plants was not affected by the soil moisture tension under the upland conditions used in the study but the movement of nitrogen from the leaves to the panicles during the reproductive stage seemed to decrease as the soil moisture tension increased. (auth.)

Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization in soil fertilized by organic and mineral fertilizers

Science.gov (United States)

Dvořáčková, Helena; Záhora, Jaroslav; Mikajlo, Irina; Elbl, Jakub; Kynický, Jindřich; Hladký, Jan; Brtnický, Martin

2017-04-01

The level of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of roots represents one of the best parameters for assessing soil quality. This special type of symbiosis helps plants to obtain nutrients of the distant area which are unavailable without cooperation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. For example the plant available form of phosphorus is of the most important elements in plant nutrition. This element can't move (significantly) throw the soil and it could be unachievable for root system of plant. The same situation also applies to other important nutrients and water. Colonization of individual roots by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi has a direct effect on the enlargement of the root system but plant needs to invest sugar substance for development of fungi. It's very difficult to understand when fungi colonization represents indicator of good soil condition. And when it provides us with information "about plant stress". The main goal of our work was to compare the effect of different fertilizers application on development of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization. We worked with organic fertilizers such as biochar from residual biomass, biochar from sewage sludge and ageing biochar and with mineral fertilizer DAM 390 (mixture of ammonium 25 %, nitrate 25 % and urea nitrogen 50 %). Effect of different types of the above fertilizers on development of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization was tested by pot experiment with indicator plant Lactuca sativa L. The highest (P arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of roots.

SOIL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND GROWTH OF SUNFLOWER (HELIANTHUS ANNUUS L. AS AFFECTED BY THE APPLICATION OF ORGANIC FERTILIZERS AND INOCULATION WITH ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Apolino José Nogueira da Silva

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The use of organic fertilizers and the inoculation of mycorrhizal fungi in the cultivation of oil crops is essential to reduce production costs and minimize negative impacts on natural resources. A field experiment was conducted in an Argissolo Amarelo (Ultisol with the aim of evaluating the effects of fertilizer application and inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the growth attributes of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. and on soil chemical properties. The experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, using a randomized block design with three replicates in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of four treatments in regard to application of organic fertilizer (liquid biofertilizer, cow urine, mineral fertilizer, and unfertilized control and two treatments in regard to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (with and without mycorrhizal fungi. The results showed that the physiological attributes of relative growth rate and leaf weight ratio were positively influenced by fertilization, compared to the control treatment, likely brought about by the supply of nutrients from the fertilizers applied. The growth and productivity attributes were positively affected by mycorrhization.

Diversity and Abundance of Soil Animals as Influenced by Long-Term Fertilization in Grey Desert Soil, China

OpenAIRE

Maibo Jiang; Xihe Wang; Yunhao Liusui; Xueqing Sun; Chengyi Zhao; Hua Liu

2015-01-01

The relationship between soil fauna and different fertilizer management practices is of growing concern. The aim of this research was to investigate the response of soil fauna to fertilization regimes, to explore the relationships among the community of soil animals, soil moisture and crop yields. The application of organic fertilizers (i.e., sheep manure or crop residues) increased crop yields and promoted the number of individuals and species of soil fauna owing to the exogenous organic mat...

Contribution of soil-32P, fertilizer-32P and VA mycorrhizal fungi to phosphorus nutrition of corn plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Gu; Yang Maoqiu; Bai Dengsha; Huang Quansheng

1997-01-01

32 P labelled fertilizer and five synthetic phosphates (dicalcium phosphate, octocalcium phosphate, iron phosphate, aluminium phosphate and apatite), which were used to simulate inorganic phosphates such as Ca 2 -P, Ca 8 -P, Fe P , Al-P and Ca 10 -P in calcareous soil, were applied to corn plants inoculating with and without vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal fungi in a calcareous soil. The results showed that VA mycorrhizal fungi and dicalcium phosphate, octocalcium phosphate, iron phosphate, aluminium phosphate promoted growth and increased phosphorus content of corn plant. The four synthetic phosphates except apatite had higher contributions to corn plant growth than VA mycorrhizal fungi. Contributions of fertilizer-P, soil-P and synthetic phosphates to phosphorus nutrition of corn plant were in order of synthetic phosphates (except apatite) > soil- P > fertilizer-P. Inoculating with VA mycorrhizal fungi increased the contribution of soil-P and decreased the contribution of synthetic phosphates, but did not affect the contribution of fertilizer-P

Responses of bacterial communities in arable soils in a rice-wheat cropping system to different fertilizer regimes and sampling times.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Zhao

Full Text Available Soil physicochemical properties, soil microbial biomass and bacterial community structures in a rice-wheat cropping system subjected to different fertilizer regimes were investigated in two seasons (June and October. All fertilizer regimes increased the soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen. Both fertilizer regime and time had a significant effect on soil physicochemical properties and bacterial community structure. The combined application of inorganic fertilizer and manure organic-inorganic fertilizer significantly enhanced the bacterial diversity in both seasons. The bacterial communities across all samples were dominated by Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi at the phylum level. Permutational multivariate analysis confirmed that both fertilizer treatment and season were significant factors in the variation of the composition of the bacterial community. Hierarchical cluster analysis based on Bray-Curtis distances further revealed that bacterial communities were separated primarily by season. The effect of fertilizer treatment is significant (P = 0.005 and accounts for 7.43% of the total variation in bacterial community. Soil nutrients (e.g., available K, total N, total P and organic matter rather than pH showed significant correlation with the majority of abundant taxa. In conclusion, both fertilizer treatment and seasonal changes affect soil properties, microbial biomass and bacterial community structure. The application of NPK plus manure organic-inorganic fertilizer may be a sound fertilizer practice for sustainable food production.

[Effect of mineral N fertilizer reduction and organic fertilizer substitution on soil biological properties and aggregate characteristics in drip-irrigated cotton field.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Rui; Tai, Rui; Wang, Dan; Chu, Gui-Xin

2017-10-01

A four year field study was conducted to determine how soil biological properties and soil aggregate stability changed when organic fertilizer and biofertilizer were used to reduce chemical fertilizer application to a drip irrigated cotton field. The study consisted of six fertilization treatments: unfertilized (CK); chemical fertilizer (CF, 300 kg N·hm -2 ; 90 kg P2O5 · hm -2 , 60 kg K2 O·hm -2 ); 80% CF plus 3000 kg·hm -2 organic fertilizer (80%CF+OF); 60% CF plus 6000 kg·hm -2 organic fertilizer (60%CF+OF); 80% CF plus 3000 kg·hm -2 biofertilizer (80%CF+BF); and 60% CF plus 6000 kg·hm -2 biofertilizer (60%CF+BF). The relationships among soil organic C, soil biological properties, and soil aggregate size distribution were determined. The results showed that organic fertilizer and biofertilizer both significantly increased soil enzyme activities. Compared with CF, the biofertilizer treatments increased urease activity by 55.6%-84.0%, alkaline phosphatise activity by 53.1%-74.0%, invertase activity by 15.1%-38.0%, β-glucosidase activity by 38.2%-68.0%, polyphenoloxidase activity by 29.6%-52.0%, and arylsulfatase activity by 35.4%-58.9%. Soil enzyme activity increased as the amount of organic fertilizer and biofertilizer increased (i.e., 60%CF+OF > 80%CF+OF, 60%CF+BF > 80%CF+BF). Soil basal respiration decreased significantly in the order BF > OF > CF > CK. Soil microbial biomass C and N were 22.3% and 43.5% greater, respectively, in 60%CF+BF than in CF. The microbial biomass C:N was significantly lower in 60%CF+BF than in CF. The organic fertilizer and the biofertilizer both improved soil aggregate structure. Soil mass in the >0.25 mm fraction was 7.1% greater in 80%CF+OF and 8.0% greater in (60%CF+OF) than in CF. The geometric mean diameter was 9.2% greater in 80%CF+BF than in 80%CF+OF. Redundancy analysis and cluster analysis both demonstrated that soil aggregate structure and biological activities increased when organic fertilizer and biofertilizer were

Effects on soil quality of biochar and straw amendment in conjunction with chemical fertilizers

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

HE Li-li; ZHONG Zhe-ke; YANG Hui-min

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects on chemical and microbiological properties of paddy soil of short-term biochar,straw,and chemical fertilizers compared with chemical fertilization alone.Five soil fertilization treatments were evaluated:regular chemical fertilizers (RF),straw+regular chemical fertilizers (SRF),straw biochar+regular chemical fertilizers (SCRF),bamboo biochar (BC)+regular chemical fertilizers (BCRF),and straw biochar+70％ regular chemical fertilizers (SC+70％RF).Their effects were investigated after approximately 1.5 years.The soil pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were significantly higher in biochar-treated soils.The soil phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) contents increased with biochar application.The soil Colwell P content was significantly increased with the addition of straw biochar in the treatments of SCRF and SC+70％RF.The oxygen (O):carbon (C) ratio doubled in BC picked from the soil.This indicated that BC underwent a significant oxidation process in the soil.The denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprints of microbial communities differed among the treatments.Soils with added biochar had higher Shannon diversity and species richness indices than soils without biochars.The results suggest that biochar can improve soil fertility.

Fertility dynamics of three types of tea garden soils in western sichuan, china

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yaun, D.; Zhang, Q.; Chen, X.; Peng, W.

2012-01-01

Understanding the seasonal dynamics of soil fertility is a key to providing decision support for rational use of fertilizers in tea gardens. In this study, seasonal variation in fertility parameters and the comprehensive fertility of 3 types of tea garden soils in western Sichuan, China, were investigated using a field survey and laboratory analysis. The results showed that pH, available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK) in yellow earth remained low regardless of season; the lowest levels (among all soils) of total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) occurred in yellow earth during spring and summer. Higher TOC, TN, and AP content occurred in spring due to basal fertilizer application; TOC was lower in summer due to higher decomposition rates and extensive soil erosion; lower TN and AP contents in summer were attributed to absorption by tea plants and to soil erosion; higher TOC and TN in autumn occurred as litter returned to the soil. Seasonal variation in AK was less obvious than that of the other fertility parameters. The comprehensive fertility of tea garden soils, ranked in order from higher to lower by season and soil type, was as follows: spring > autumn > summer for bleached paddy soil and yellow earth; but spring > summer > autumn for acid purple soil. Among the 3 tea garden soils, the fertility of acid purple soil was highest, and that of yellow earth was lowest in every season. Fertility was highest in spring for all soils. These results can provide a theoretical basis for scientific management of tea plantations in western Sichuan and similar regions. (author)

Distribution Of 15N Fertilizer Added To Sandy Soil Under Drip Irrigation System As Affected By Irrigation Frequencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GADALLA, A.M.; GALAL, Y.G.M.; EL-GENDY, R.W.; ISMAIL, M.M.; EL-DEGWY, S.M.; KASSAB, M.F.

2009-01-01

Neutron moisture meter and stable nitrogen isotope ( 15 N) were used to follow horizontal and vertical water movement and N-fertilizer added to soil before and after irrigation. The data indicated that soil moisture distribution and values of total hydraulic potential depend on soil moisture content. Characterization of nitrogen in soil for all sites around the emitter indicated spatial variability with different soil depths due to leaching and volatilization processes. Moreover, water movement and flow direction greatly were characterized by active evaporation depth which was 30 cm.

The Impact of Soil Sampling Errors on Variable Rate Fertilization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

R. L. Hoskinson; R C. Rope; L G. Blackwood; R D. Lee; R K. Fink

2004-07-01

Variable rate fertilization of an agricultural field is done taking into account spatial variability in the soil’s characteristics. Most often, spatial variability in the soil’s fertility is the primary characteristic used to determine the differences in fertilizers applied from one point to the next. For several years the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) has been developing a Decision Support System for Agriculture (DSS4Ag) to determine the economically optimum recipe of various fertilizers to apply at each site in a field, based on existing soil fertility at the site, predicted yield of the crop that would result (and a predicted harvest-time market price), and the current costs and compositions of the fertilizers to be applied. Typically, soil is sampled at selected points within a field, the soil samples are analyzed in a lab, and the lab-measured soil fertility of the point samples is used for spatial interpolation, in some statistical manner, to determine the soil fertility at all other points in the field. Then a decision tool determines the fertilizers to apply at each point. Our research was conducted to measure the impact on the variable rate fertilization recipe caused by variability in the measurement of the soil’s fertility at the sampling points. The variability could be laboratory analytical errors or errors from variation in the sample collection method. The results show that for many of the fertility parameters, laboratory measurement error variance exceeds the estimated variability of the fertility measure across grid locations. These errors resulted in DSS4Ag fertilizer recipe recommended application rates that differed by up to 138 pounds of urea per acre, with half the field differing by more than 57 pounds of urea per acre. For potash the difference in application rate was up to 895 pounds per acre and over half the field differed by more than 242 pounds of potash per acre. Urea and potash differences

Study on the adsorption and desorption of fertilizer phosphates by the soil suspensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puspodikoro, S.

1978-01-01

The adsorption and desorption of fertilizer phosphate by soil suspensions were studied with the purpose to improve the efficiency of the use of phosphate fertilizer in rice growing countries. Experiments have shown that the applied phosphate fertilizer was quickly adsorbed by the soil and that the bulk of the fertilizer phosphate got bound to the soil complex. These bound fertilizer phosphates could readily be desorbed by flooding of the soil up to a certain amount. (author)

Fertilizer phosphorus in some Finnish soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Armi Kaila

1961-01-01

Full Text Available In the present paper it is tried to trace the fate of fertilizer phosphorus in soil by comparing the analyses of soils from treated and untreated plots of field trials. This indirect approach cannot be expected to provide exact values, but it is likely to give an approximate answer. The results reported above do not in any marked degree change our present conception of the forms in which fertilizer phosphorus accumulates in soils. In the acid soils studied (pH 4—6.4 in 0.02 N CaCl2 superphosphate tended to increase the fractions which were extracted by NH4F or NaOH. Hyperphosphate phosphorus was mostly found in the acid-soluble fraction. During a longer period of dressing with phosphate an increase in the organic phosphorus content of a peat soil could be detected. In the incubation experiments the mineralization of organic phosphorus occurred at a higher rate in the samples from the plots treated with superphosphate than in those from the untreated one. It might be supposed that the organic phosphorus mineralized mainly originated from the plant residues. It seems that the fractionation method developed by CHANG and JACKSON (4 for the estimation of discrete forms of soil phosphorus is not quite satisfactory for tracing the fertilizer phosphorus in soils recently dressed with phosphates. In particular, it may be fallacious to conclude that the fraction extracted by NH4F would only represent phosphorus bound to aluminium and its compounds. At least in the absence of soil, a large part of phosphorus in dicalcium phosphate dihydrate falls into this fraction, and also a small amount of hyperphosphate phosphorus may be found in it. The test values for »available» phosphorus showed the effect of fertilizers in accordance with previous observations (9, 13. Acetic acid soluble P revealed the treatment with hyperphosphate, but only slightly the application of superphosphate. The test value for the sorbed P of BRAY and KURTZ (2, or phosphorus

Fate of phosphorus in Everglades agricultural soils after fertilizer application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wright, Alan L. [Everglades Research and Education Center, Belle Glade, FL (United States); Hanlon, Edward A. [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States); McCray, J. Mabry [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

2012-07-01

Land use changes, agricultural drainage and conventional cultivation of winter vegetables and sugarcane cropping in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) may alter soil conditions and organic matter decomposition and ultimately influence the fate of phosphorus (P). Theses agricultural practices promote soil subsidence, reduce the soil depth to bedrock limestone and increase the potential for incorporation of limestone into the root zone of crops. The incorporation of limestone into surface soil has significantly increased soil pH which in turns causes greater fixation of P fertilizer into unavailable forms for plant growth. Additional P fertilization is thus required to satisfy crop nutrient requirements in plant-available P form. It is important to determine how the mixing of bedrock limestone into soils influences the behavior of P fertilizers after their application. To accomplish this task, P fertilizers were applied to (1) typical cultivated soils and to (2) soils that have never been fertilized or extensively tilled. The changes in P concentrations over time were then compared between the two land uses, with differences being attributable to the impacts of cultivation practices. The P distribution in soil varied between land uses, with sugarcane having more P in inorganic pools while the uncultivated soil had more in organic pools. Water-soluble P concentrations in soil increased with increasing fertilizer application rates for all sampling times and both land uses. However, concentrations in uncultivated soil increased proportionally to P-fertilized soil due to organic P mineralization. At all sampling times, plant-available P concentrations remained higher for uncultivated than sugarcane soil. Lower P concentrations for sugarcane were related to adsorption by mineral components (e.g. limestone). Cultivated soils have higher calcium concentrations resulting from incorporation of bedrock limestone into soil by tillage, which increased pH and fostered

Effects of Soil Fertility and Atmospheric CO2 Enrichment on Leaf,Stem and Root Dark Respiration of Populus tremuloides

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

X.Z.WANG; P.S.CURTIS; 等

2001-01-01

An open-top chamber experiment was conducted at the University of Michigan Biological Station near Pellston,Michigan,USA,to study the effects of soil fertility and CO2 on leaf,sdtem and root dark respiration (Rd) of Populus tremuloides.Overall,area-based daytime leaf Rd(Rda) was significantly greater at elevated than at ambient CO2 in high-fertility soil,but not in low-fertility soil.Mass-based leaf Rd(Rdm) was overall greater for high-than for low-fertility soil grown trees at elevated,but not at ambient CO2 .Nighttime leaf Rda and Rdm were unaffected by soil fertility or CO2,nor was stem Rda ,which ranged from 1.0 to 1.4μmol m-2s-1 in the spring and 3.5 to 4.5μmol m-2s-1 in the summer.Root Rda was significantly higher in high-than in low-fertiliy soil,but was unaffected by CO2.Since biomass production of P.tremuloides will be significantly greater at elevated CO2 while specific Rd will either increase or remain unchanged,we predict that carbon loss to the atmosphere through respiration from this ecologically important species would increase at higher CO2.Soil fertility would also interact with elevated CO2 in affecting the carbon flow in the plant-soil-air system.

[Effects of fertilization on soil CO2 flux in Castanea mollissima stand].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jiao-Jiao; Li, Yong-Fu; Jiang, Pei-Kun; Zhou, Guo-Mo; Shen, Zhen-Ming; Liu, Juan; Wang, Zhan-Lei

2013-09-01

In June 2011-June 2012, a fertilization experiment was conducted in a typical Castanea mollissima stand in Lin' an of Zhejiang Province, East China to study the effects of inorganic and organic fertilization on the soil CO2 flux and the relationships between the soil CO2 flux and environmental factors. Four treatments were installed, i. e., no fertilization (CK), inorganic fertilization (IF), organic fertilization (OF), half organic plus half inorganic fertilization (OIF). The soil CO2 emission rate was determined by the method of static closed chamber/GC technique, and the soil temperature, soil moisture content, and soil water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) concentration were determined by routine methods. The soil CO2 emission exhibited a strong seasonal pattern, with the highest rate in July or August and the lowest rate in February. The annual accumulative soil CO2 emission in CK was 27.7 t CO2 x hm(-2) x a(-1), and that in treatments IF, OF, and OIF was 29.5%, 47.0%, and 50.7% higher than the CK, respectively. The soil WSOC concentration in treatment IF (105.1 mg kg(-1)) was significantly higher than that in CK (76.6 mg x kg(-1)), but was obviously lower than that in treatments OF (133.0 mg x kg(-1)) and OIF (121.2 mg x kg(-1)). The temperature sensitivity of respiration (Q10) in treatments CK, IF, OF, and OIF was 1.47, 1.75, 1.49, and 1.57, respectively. The soil CO2 emission rate had significant positive correlations with the soil temperature at the depth of 5 cm and the soil WSOC concentration, but no significant correlation with soil moisture content. The increase of the soil WSOC concentration caused by fertilization was probably one of the reasons for the increase of soil CO2 emission from the C. mollissima stand.

Soil Fertility Assessment of The Lugu Main Canal Of Wurno Irrigation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

acer

Sokoto State, Nigeria, Five Years After Rehabilitation. A.U. Dikko* ... the soil fertility. Key words: Soil fertility, Soil chemical properties, Wurno Irrigation Project, Lugu main canal. .... 17oC recorded in December/January to 40oC in. April/May.

Utilization of soil and fertilizer zinc by maize (Zea mays) and moong (Phaseolus aureus Roxb.) from some Indian soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iyengar, B.R.V.; Deb, D.L.

1977-01-01

Utilization of soil and fertilizer zinc by maize (Zea mays) and moong (Phaseolus aureus Roxb.) was studied under greenhouse conditions in ten soils belonging to three important soil groups of India viz. alluvial, red and laterite using two levels of labelled zinc sulphate. The efficiency of utilization of fertilizer zinc was found to be higher at 10 ppm level of application in both the crops as compared with 20 ppm level of applied zinc. The total utilization of fertilizer zinc by both the crops in different soils ranged from 0.47 to 1.34 percent and 0.41 to 0.95 percent at 10 and 20 ppm level of applied zinc, respectively. Application of fertilizer zinc resulted in a decrease in the uptake of soil zinc. The utilization of fertilizer zinc was found to be negatively correlated with soil pH but the interaction of different soil characters seemed to have determined the efficiency of fertilizer use by both the crops. The efficiency of fertilizer zinc utilization was found to be low in moong as compared with maize. (author)

Nitrogen uptake and fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency of wheat under different soil water conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Baiqun; Zhang Wei; Yu Cunzu

1999-01-01

The pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of soil water regime and fertilizer nitrogen rate on the yields, nitrogen uptake and fertilizer nitrogen utilization of wheat by using 15 N tracer method. The results showed that the aboveground biomass, stem yield and grain yield increased with the increase of soil moisture in the fertilizer nitrogen treatments. All the yield increased with the increase of the fertilizer nitrogen rate in the soil water treatments. It was found that both soil water regime and fertilizer nitrogen rate significantly influenced the amount of nitrogen uptake by wheat according to the variance analysis. The amount of nitrogen uptake increased with the rise of the soil moisture in fertilizer nitrogen treatments and the amount also increased with the increase of the urea nitrogen rate in the soil water regime. Soil water regimes not only had an impact on nitrogen uptake but also had a close relationship with soil nitrogen supply and fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency. The soil A values decreased in urea treatment and increased with the rise of the soil moisture in the combination treatment of urea with pig manure. The fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency rose with the rise of the soil moisture in the same fertilizer nitrogen treatment. The fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency of the urea treatment was 13.3%, 27.9% and 32.3% in the soils with 50%, 70% and 90% of the field water capacity, respectively. The fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency in the combination treatment of urea with pig manure was 20.0%, 29.9% and 34.4% in the soils of above three levels, respectively. It was concluded that the low soil moisture restricted urea nitrogen use efficiency (UNUE) and the UNUE could be raised by combination treatment of urea with manure in the soil of enough moisture

Use of isotopically labeled fertilizer to trace nitrogen fertilizer contributions to surface, soil, and ground water

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkison, D.H.; Blevins, D.W.; Silva, S.R.

2000-01-01

The fate and transport of a single N fertilizer application through plants, soil, runoff, and the unsaturated and saturated zones was determined for four years at a field site under continuous corn (Zea mays L.) management. Claypan soils, which underlie the site, were hypothesized to restrict the movement of agrichemicals from the soil surface to ground water. However, N fertilizer moved rapidly through preferential flow paths in the soil and into the underlying glacial till aquifer. Most N transport occurred during the fall and winter when crops were not available to use excess N. Forty months after application, 33 percent of the fertilizer had been removed by grain harvests, 30 percent had been transpired to the atmosphere, and 33 percent had migrated to ground water. Although runoff volumes were 50 percent greater than infiltration, less than 2 percent of the fertilizer was lost to runoff. Small measured denitrification rates and large measured dissolved oxygen concentrations in ground water favor the long-term stability of NO3-1 in ground water. Successive fertilizer applications, in areas that lack the ability to moderate N concentrations through consumptive N reactions, risk the potential of N-saturated ecosystems.

Parental material and cultivation determine soil bacterial community structure and fertility.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Li; Gao, Jusheng; Huang, Ting; Kendall, Joshua R A; Shen, Qirong; Zhang, Ruifu

2015-01-01

Microbes are the key components of the soil environment, playing important roles during soil development. Soil parent material provides the foundation elements that comprise the basic nutritional environment for the development of microbial community. After 30 years artificial maturation of cultivation, the soil developments of three different parental materials were evaluated and bacterial community compositions were investigated using the high-throughput sequencing approach. Thirty years of cultivation increased the soil fertility and soil microbial biomass, richness and diversity, greatly changed the soil bacterial communities, the proportion of phylum Actinobacteria decreased significantly, while the relative abundances of the phyla Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Armatimonadetes and Nitrospira were significantly increased. Soil bacterial communities of parental materials were separated with the cultivated ones, and comparisons of different soil types, granite soil and quaternary red clay soil were similar and different with purple sandy shale soil in both parental materials and cultivated treatments. Bacterial community variations in the three soil types were affected by different factors, and their alteration patterns in the soil development also varied with soil type. Soil properties (except total potassium) had a significant effect on the soil bacterial communities in all three soil types and a close relationship with abundant bacterial phyla. The amounts of nitrogen-fixing bacteria as well as the abundances of the nifH gene in all cultivated soils were higher than those in the parental materials; Burkholderia and Rhizobacte were enriched significantly with long-term cultivation. The results suggested that crop system would not deplete the nutrients of soil parental materials in early stage of soil maturation, instead it increased soil fertility and changed bacterial community, specially enriched the nitrogen-fixing bacteria to accumulate

Mercury in rice (Oryza sativa L.) and rice-paddy soils under long-term fertilizer and organic amendment.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Zhenya; Fan, Fangling; Wang, Xinyue; Shi, Xiaojun; Deng, Shiping; Wang, Dingyong

2018-04-15

High levels of mercury (Hg), especially methylmercury (MeHg), in rice is of concern due to its potential of entering food chain and the high toxicity to human. The level and form of Hg in rice could be influenced by fertilizers and other soil amendments. Studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of 24 years application of chemical fertilizers and organic amendments on total Hg (THg) and MeHg and their translocation in soil, plants, and rice grain. All treatments led to significantly higher concentrations of MeHg in grain than those from the untreated control. Of nine treatments tested, chemical fertilizers combining with returning rice straw (NPK1+S) led to highest MeHg concentration in grain and soil; while the nitrogen and potassium (NK) treatment led to significantly higher THg in grain. Concentrations of soil MeHg were significantly correlated with THg in soil (r = 0.59 *** ) and MeHg in grain (r = 0.48 *** ). Calcium superphosphate negatively affected plant bioavailability of soil Hg. MeHg concentration in rice was heavily influenced by soil Hg levels. Phosphorus fertilizer was a main source contributing to soil THg, while returning rice straw to the field contributed significantly to MeHg in soil and rice grain. As a result, caution should be exercised in soil treatment or when utilizing Hg-contaminated soils to produce rice for human consumption. Strategic management of rice straw and phosphorus fertilizer could be effective strategies of lowering soil Hg, which would ultimately lower MeHg in rice and the risk of Hg entering food chain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

External costs of cadmium emissions to soil: a drawback of phosphorus fertilizers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pizzol, Massimo; C.R. Smart, James; Thomsen, Marianne

2014-01-01

are exposed to cadmium through their diet causing potential adverse health impacts. Future scenarios for cadmium emissions to soil via agricultural applications of inorganic and organic fertilizers in Denmark were defined. A simplified fate and speciation model allowed the increase in soil cadmium......Abstract: In this study the Impact-Pathway Approach methodology was applied for monetary valuation of health impacts due to cadmium emitted to soil as a micro-pollutant present in phosphorus fertilizers. Due to the high persistency of cadmium in soil, and high soil-to-plant transfer rates, humans...... ammonium phosphate) and mineral fertilizer produced the lowest external health costs, followed by the fertilizer products wastewater sludge and pig manure. The external cost estimates produced in this study could be used to design economic policy instruments to encourage use of cleaner fertilizer products....

Maize nutrient uptake affected by genotype and fertilization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đalović Ivica

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The content of nutrients in maize are commonly related with fertilization and soil quality and rarely explained with the individual hybrid properties. Therefore, the aim of this study is to access a long term fertilization system on ear leaf of Mg, Fe, Mn and Cu content in six maize hybrids(NS 3014, NS 4015, NS 5043, NS 6010, NS 6030 and NS 7020. Samples were collected from a long-term experiment at the Rimski Šančevi experimental field of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad. The study included maize monoculture and 2-year rotations with the application of NPK and manure. Results showed that ear Mg content was influenced with the treatments, hybrid and their interaction and ranged from 1.77-2.69 g kg-1. Iron variability was significantly affected with the treatments and interaction (hybrid x treatments in range from 103.2 to151.9g kg-1. The ear manganese content (41.1-63.6g kg-1 derived from treatments and hybrid effect and Cu (12.3-23.6 g kg-1 was significantly influenced with treatments. Across all treatments, in average, NS6030 had higher values of nutrient and NS3014 was lower in ear nutrient content. This indicates that vegetation length could favor nutrient accumulation. Obtained results suggested that even on fairly productive soil such as Chernozem hybrid selection and the balanced fertilization is crucial for managing the maize nutrient content. [Projekat Ministarsva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR031073

Creating a soil data base in a reconnaissance soil fertility study of an ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The reconnaissance soil fertility study of 10,000 ha partly encroached forest reserve located between latitude 11°47'N and 11°56'N and longitude 4°22'E and 4°32'E in Northern Nigeria was conducted in 2009 to generate a soil fertility data base of the reserve. The tracking of the forest reserve boundary was done using a ...

Enhancing the fertility of an acid sulfate soil for rice cultivation using lime in combination with bio-organic fertilizer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farhana, A.; Shamshuddin, J.; Fauziah, C.I.; Panhwar, Q.A.

2017-01-01

The acid sulfate soils contain pyrite (FeS/sub 2/) which is due to oxidation results in the production of high amount of acidity, aluminum and iron significantly affecting rice growth. A glasshouse study was arranged to determine the effect of ground magnesium limestone (GML) in combination with bio-organic fertilizer (JITUTM) application on the chemical properties of soils and rice yield. Three rice seedlings were transplanted in pots which were previously amended with 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 t/ha GML with or without bio-organic fertilizer. The common rice varieties (MR 219 and MR 253) were cultivated for two seasons in the same pots. The critical Fe2+ and Al3+ activities for MR 219 were 14.45 and 4.23 mu M, while for MR 253 were 7.45 and 5.53 mu M, respectively. However, without applying the amendments, rice grown on the soils was affected severely by the high acidity (Fe2+ and Al3+ toxicity). The soil pH increased to 5 and the higher grain yield of MR 219 (99.77 and 121.38 g/pot) and MR253 (98.63 and 112.60 g/pot) was in first and second season with the application of 2 t GML application combined with 0.25 t JITUTM/ha respectively. In addition, 1000 grain weight, number of panicle, number of spikelets panicle-1 and the percentage of filled spikelet, were also higher than without the soil amendments. Hence, the infertility of acid sulfate soils for sustainable rice cultivation in Malaysia can be improved by applying 2 t GML/ha combined with 0.25 t JITUTM/ha for two seasons in long run. (author)

Soil fertility status and challenges in Burundi: an overview

Science.gov (United States)

Kaboneka, Salvator

2015-04-01

Landlocked and thousands miles away from international sea ports, Burundi is one of the poorest country in the world. 58% of the population suffers chronic malnutrition, 67% live in absolute poverty (MDG report 2012). 90% of the estimated 10 million people depends on subsistence agriculture, on about 3 million ha of cultivable land. The average size of a family farm is less than 0.5 ha which has to support a family of typically 7 people . As a consequence, fallow practices are no longer possible and continuous land cultivation leads to enormous soil losses by erosion. As much as 100-200 metric tons per hectare of soil losses have been reported on the hill sides of the Mumirwa region, whose landscape is currently so degraded that the local community now say that "stones grow" in the zone. In medium to high altitude areas, about 1 million of ha are acidic (pH poverty of the population is such that access to fertilizers and adoption of sustainable practices is very weak. We believe that the main challenge to soil productivity in Burundi is more socio-economic than technical, and farmers should be helped with simple tools that should be linked to their indigenous knowledge about soil fertility. Sustainable management of soil fertility is the key challenge for farmers to optimize a sustainable yield. Key words: micro nutrient, soil fertility, nutrient depletion, soil acidity.

Reducing Nutrient Losses with Directed Fertilization of Degraded Soils

Science.gov (United States)

Menzies, E.; Walter, M. T.; Schneider, R.

2016-12-01

Degraded soils around the world are stunting agricultural productivity in places where people need it the most. In China, hundreds of years of agriculture and human activity have turned large swaths of productive grasslands into expanses of sandy soils where nothing can grow. Returning soils such as these to healthy productive landscapes is crucial to the livelihoods of rural families and to feeding the expanding population of China and the world at large. Buried wood chips can be used to improve the soils' water holding capacity but additional nutrient inputs are crucial to support plant growth and completely restore degraded soils in China and elsewhere. Improperly applied fertilizer can cause large fluxes of soluble nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to pollute groundwater, and reach surface water bodies causing harmful algal blooms or eutrophication. Similarly, fertilization can create increases in nutrient losses in the form of greenhouse gases (GHGs). It is imperative that nutrient additions to this system be done in a way that fosters restoration and a return to productivity, but minimizes nutrient losses to adjacent surface water bodies and the atmosphere. The primary objective of this study is to characterize soluble and gaseous N and P losses from degraded sandy soils with wood chip and fertilizer amendments in order to identify optimal fertilization methods, frequencies, and quantities for soil restoration. A laboratory soil column study is currently underway to begin examining these questions results of this study will be presented at the Fall Meeting.

Almond tree and organic fertilization for soil quality improvement in southern Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Macci, Cristina; Doni, Serena; Peruzzi, Eleonora; Masciandaro, Grazia; Mennone, Carmelo; Ceccanti, Brunello

2012-03-01

The semi-arid Mediterranean region, characterized by long dry periods followed by heavy bursts of rainfall, is particularly prone to soil erosion. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the soil quality under different practices of bio-physical amelioration which involve the soil-plant system (almond trees) and microorganism-manure. This study, carried out in the South of Italy (Basilicata Region- Pantanello farm), considered two types of fertilization (mineral and organic) and three slope gradients (0, 2 and 6%), in order to evaluate the effects of management practices in resisting soil erosion. Chemical (organic carbon and nitrogen), physical (soil shrinkage and bulk density) and biochemical (dehydrogenase activity and hydrolytic enzyme activities) parameters were selected as markers to follow agro-ecological changes with time. The organic treatment affected soil microbiological and physico-chemical properties by increasing soil nutrient availability, microbial activity, and improving soil structure. The consistently higher values of the hydrolytic enzyme activities (β-glucosidase, phosphatase, urease and protease) often observed in the presence of plants and on the 0 and 2% slopes, suggested the stimulation of nutrient cycles by tree roots, which improve the conditions for soil microorganisms in carrying out their metabolic activity. In the 6% slope and, in particular, in the mineral fertilizer treatment, soil metabolism was lower as suggested by the dehydrogenase activity which was 50% lower than that found in the 0 and 2% slopes, this seemed to be related to a slowdown in the nutrient cycling and organic carbon metabolism. However, on this slope, in both mineral and organic treatments, a significant stimulation of hydrolytic enzyme activities and an improvement of soil structure (reduction of bulk density of about 10% and increase in total shrinkage from 20 to 60%) were observed with plants compared to the control soil. The combination of organic

Effects of Pig Manure Organic Fertilizer Application on Available Nutrient Content and Soil Aggregate Distribution in Fluvo-aquic Soil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SHI Wen-xuan

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on environmental risk caused by livestock manure disorderly discharged from integrated livestock and poultry industry. 2-year pot experiment was carried out to study the effects of pig manure organic fertilizer on fluvo-aquic soil organic carbon, available nutrient content and soil aggregate distribution, which designed in 5 levels of organic fertilizer application(0, 6.7, 13.3, 26.7, 40.0 g·kg-1 soil. The results showed that the organic carbon, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, available P and available K contents in soil were enhanced with organic fertilizer application increasing, and the indicators of soil were increased significantly in second year, such as organic carbon content was 2.7%~54.0% higher than that of the first year, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen content was higher 6.7%~34.6%, available P content was higher 36.8%~159.5% and available K content was higher 20.3%~35.7%. There was a significant linear relationship between soil organic carbon content and external organic carbon input. Organic fertilizer application could significantly improve lettuce yield, and it had a significant effect. The soil micro-aggregate contents for 0.053~0.25 mm and 0.5 mm soil macro-aggregates were increased with organic fertilizer application increasing. Organic fertilizer application could promote soil macro-aggregates formation, when the pig manure organic fertilizer applied 40.0 g·kg-1 soil, the contents of >0.25 mm soil aggregates reached maximum, and also the mean weight diameter(MWD and geometric average diameter(GWD of soil aggregates were higher than that of other treatments, the soil agglomeration became more stronger and the soil structure became more stable.

Effects of soil stripping and dressing for decontamination of radioactive materials on soil fertility of agricultural land

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshino, Namiko; Takahashi, Yoshihiko; Kobayashi, Hiroyuki; Saitou, Kunihito

2015-01-01

Farms that were highly contaminated with radioactive materials following the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident were decontaminated by removing topsoil and subsequently dressing with fresh soil. We investigated the chemical properties of soils following such decontamination on farms in Iitate village, Fukushima. The nitrogen content of dressed soil was considerably lower than that of the subsoil that was not stripped for decontamination, as a result of which the amount of dressed soil greatly affected the soil fertility of decontaminated farms. The potassium (K) content of soil differs markedly depending on the type of soil dressing material used; accordingly, the type of soil dressing material affected the soil K content on decontaminated farms. On most of the decontaminated farms where sandy soils were used as the soil dressing material, soil exchangeable K contents were less than 25 mg K_2O/100 g, which is the criterion value for inhibiting cesium absorption in rice and soybean cultivation. However, even in the soil dressing material from agricultural land, soil K content after soil dressing was generally lower than that before soil dressing. During fallow management and at the restart of cultivation on decontaminated farms, it is important to know in advance the chemical properties of soil and take the necessary measures based on this information. (author)

Study on the placement of phosphorus fertilizer to improve fertilizer utilization by lowland rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sisworo, W.H.; Riswantoro; Mardjo, M.

1976-01-01

An experiment for studying the placement of phosphorus fertilizer was carried out in the glass house by using 32 P-labelled superphosphate. The specific activity of the labelled fertilizer used was 0,25 mCi/g P 2 O 5 . Three placement methods were studied: (1) Hill placement: Fertilizer was burried at a distance of 5cm from the plants at the depth of 5 cm, (2) Surface placement: Fertilizer was spread on the surface, and (3) Soil mixed application: Fertilizer was mixed with the soil at the depth of 5 cm. Superphosphate was applied at the rates of 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 kg P 25 /ha. Results obtained from the experiment showed that the dry matter production was significantly affected by the methods of placement of phosphorus fertilizer. Soil mixed placement gave the lowest yield of dry plant material. It differed significantly from the two other methods of placement. However, there was no significant difference between hill and surface placement. The placement of phosphorus fertilizer significantly affected the total uptake of phosphorus nutrient, uptake fertilizer phosphorus, and the percentage of fertilizer utilization. Surface placement gave the highest utilization of fertilizer when supplied at rates higher than 60 kg P 2 O 5 /ha. At low rate applications, hill placement was the best, but, at rates higher than 60 kg P 2 O 5 /ha the percentage of fertilizer utilization decreased. Soil mixed application was the least efficient fertilizer utilization. (author)

Impacts of land use and Ugandan farmer's cultural and economic status on soil organic matter and soil fertility

Science.gov (United States)

Tiemann, Lisa; Grandy, Stuart; Hartter, Joel

2014-05-01

Soil is the keystone in building sustainable agricultural systems, but increased demand for these soil services has led to soil degradation, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, where population growth rates are 9th highest in the world, increasing pressure on soil resources and potential losses of SOM are particularly concerning because there is virtually no use of fertilizers or other inputs on farms. In addition, smallholder farmers in Uganda are placing greater emphasis on resource-intensive cash crops like maize, and thereby straining soil resources. In this study we investigate the relationships between land use decisions and soil fertility to better understand declines in soil fertility and how they might be slowed near Kibale National Park (KNP), Uganda, a global biodiversity hotspot. Within 2.5 km of the KNP border, we conducted household surveys and collected soil samples in 160 farms along a 20 km north-south transect. We also collected soils from inside KNP, adjacent to farms we visited, to serve as controls. Cultural differences in land use, such as greater residue removal and a lower likelihood of legumes in rotation with the Bakiga, likely led to the greater declines in SOM and soil fertility we observed in Bakiga compared to Batooro maize fields. We also found that households in areas of high soil fertility are more reliant on maize sales. Surprisingly, these same areas have also seen relatively smaller declines in total SOM, but do show larger relative declines in nutrients (e.g. N, P and K) when compared to the adjacent KNP soils. We found lower depletion of nutrients and overall higher soil fertility measures and more stability of SOM in banana fields compared to maize fields, which is due to transferring maize crop residues to banana plantations as well as no-till practices in banana fields. Our work reveals that complex interactions between edaphic soil properties, land use management, cultural background, perceptions of soil

Studies in utilization of fertilizer and soil nitrogen by carrots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moussa, A.G.; Markgraf, G.; Geissler, T.

1985-01-01

Pot experiments were conducted to determine the extent of fertilizer N utilization by carrots, using double-labelled 15 N-ammonium nitrate. The degree of soil N utilization was also studied. The residual effect of nitrogen in the individual variants was determined in spinach grown as succeeding crop. Under the experimental conditions, N utilization was highest at high water supply (100 % of water capacity). Due to the daily rhythm of pot watering to approximately 100 % of water capacity, gas exchange (air and oxygen) was ensured as well, providing optimum growth conditions. At medium nitrogen rates (12.5 g N/m 2 ), carrots took up 44.5 % of the fertilizer N on sand and 54.5 % on loess soil. When water supply decreased to 70 % of the water capacity, utilization of fertilizer N declined to 26 % on sand and 43.8 % on loess soil. Spinach grown as succeeding crop took up more soil N than fertilizer N. (author)

Increasing Efficiency of Soil Fertility Map for Rice Cultivation Using Fuzzy Logic, AHP and GIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

javad seyedmohammadi

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: With regard to increasing population of country, need to high agricultural production is essential. The most suitable method for this issue is high production per area unit. Preparation much food and other environmental resources with conservation of biotic resources for futures will be possible only with optimum exploitation of soil. Among effective factors for the most production balanced addition of fertilizers increases production of crops higher than the others. With attention to this topic, determination of soil fertility degree is essential tobetter use of fertilizers and right exploitation of soils. Using fuzzy logic and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP could be useful in accurate determination of soil fertility degree. Materials and Methods: The study area (at the east of Rasht city is located between 49° 31' to 49° 45' E longitude and 37° 7' to 37° 27' N latitude in north of Guilan Province, northern Iran, in the southern coast of the Caspian sea. 117 soil samples were derived from0-30 cm depth in the study area. Air-dried soil samples were crushed and passed through a 2mm sieve. Available phosphorus, potassium and organic carbon were determined by sodium bicarbonate, normal ammonium acetate and corrected walkly-black method, respectively. In the first stage, the interpolation of data was done by kriging method in GIS context. Then S-shape membership function was defined for each parameter and prepared fuzzy map. After determination of membership function weight parameters maps were determined using AHP technique and finally soil fertility map was prepared with overlaying of weighted fuzzy maps. Relative variance and correlation coefficient criteria used tocontrol groups separation accuracy in fuzzy fertility map. Results and Discussion: With regard to minimum amounts of parameters looks some lands of study area had fertility difficulty. Therefore, soil fertility map of study area distinct these lands and present soil

Investigating the Effect of Soil Texture and Fertility on Evapotranspiration and Crop Coefficient of Maize Forage

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M. Ghorbanian Kerdabadi

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Crop coefficient varies in different environmental conditions, such as deficit irrigation, salinity and intercropping. The effect of soil fertility and texture of crop coefficient and evapotranspiration of maize was investigated in this study. Low soil fertility and food shortages as a stressful environment for plants that makes it different evapotranspiration rates of evapotranspiration calculation is based on the FAO publication 56. Razzaghi et al. (2012 investigate the effect of soil type and soil-drying during the seed-filling phase on N-uptake, yield and water use, a Danish-bred cultivar (CV. Titicaca was grown in field lysimeters with sand, sandy loam and sandy clay loam soil. Zhang et al (2014 were investigated the Effect of adding different amounts of nitrogen during three years (from 2010 to 2012 on water use efficiency and crop evapotranspiration two varieties of winter wheat. The results of their study showed. The results indicated the following: (1 in this dry land farming system, increased N fertilization could raise wheat yield, and the drought-tolerant Changhan No. 58 showed a yield advantage in drought environments with high N fertilizer rates; (2 N application affected water consumption in different soil layers, and promoted wheat absorbing deeper soil water and so increased utilization of soil water; and (3 comprehensive consideration of yield and WUE of wheat indicated that the N rate of 270 kg/ha for Changhan No. 58 was better to avoid the risk of reduced production reduction due to lack of precipitation; however, under conditions of better soil moisture, the N rate of 180 kg/ha was more economic. Materials and Methods: The study was a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three soil texture treatment, including silty clay loam, loam and sandy-loam soil and three fertility treatment, including without fertilizer, one and two percent fertilizer( It was conducted at the experimental farm in

Plant nutrition and soil fertility manual

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Jones, J. Benton

2012-01-01

.... With over 70 percent new material, the second edition of the Plant Nutrition and Soil Fertility Manual discusses the principles determining how plants grow and the elements essential for successful...

Cyanobacteria Inoculation Improves Soil Stability and Fertility on Different Textured Soils: Gaining Insights for Applicability in Soil Restoration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonia Chamizo

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous components of biocrust communities and the first colonizers of terrestrial ecosystems. They play multiple roles in the soil by fixing C and N and synthesizing exopolysaccharides, which increase soil fertility and water retention and improve soil structure and stability. Application of cyanobacteria as inoculants to promote biocrust development has been proposed as a novel biotechnological technique for restoring barren degraded areas and combating desertification processes in arid lands. However, previous to their widespread application under field conditions, research is needed to ensure the selection of the most suitable species. In this study, we inoculated two cyanobacterial species, Phormidium ambiguum (non N-fixing and Scytonema javanicum (N-fixing, on different textured soils (from silt loam to sandy, and analyzed cyanobacteria biocrust development and evolution of physicochemical soil properties for 3 months under laboratory conditions. Cyanobacteria inoculation led to biocrust formation in all soil types. Scanning electron microscope (SEM images showed contrasting structure of the biocrust induced by the two cyanobacteria. The one from P. ambiguum was characterized by thin filaments that enveloped soil particles and created a dense, entangled network, while the one from S. javanicum consisted of thicker filaments that grouped as bunches in between soil particles. Biocrust development, assessed by chlorophyll a content and crust spectral properties, was higher in S. javanicum-inoculated soils compared to P. ambiguum-inoculated soils. Either cyanobacteria inoculation did not increase soil hydrophobicity. S. javanicum promoted a higher increase in total organic C and total N content, while P. ambiguum was more effective in increasing total exopolysaccharide (EPS content and soil penetration resistance. The effects of cyanobacteria inoculation also differed among soil types and the highest improvement in soil

Impact of long-term fertilization practice on soil structure evolution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naveed, Muhammad; Møldrup, Per; Vogel, Hans-Jörg

2014-01-01

higher macroporosity and biological (earthworm) activity in the well fertilized areas when compared to plots without or only a small amount of fertilizer applied. A combined evaluation of the soil water characteristic, gas transport and X-ray CT results suggested that pore size distributions widened......The study characterized soil structure development and evolution in six plots that were amended with varying amounts of animalmanure (AM) and NPK fertilizer over a period of 106 years in a long-termfertilization experiment in Bad Lauchstädt, Germany. Two intact soil cores (10-cm diameter and 8-cm...... tall) and bulk soil samples were extracted froma depth between 5 and 15-cmfromeach plot. Soil properties including texture, organic carbon, soil–water characteristic, air permeability and diffusivity were measured and analyzed along with X-ray computed tomography (CT) data. Long...

Fertilizer nitrogen fixation in plants and its transmutation in soils in case of annual application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shilova, E.I.; Smirnov, P.M.; Khon, N.I.

1974-01-01

Using certain combinations of 15 N labeled and unlabeled nitrogen-containing fertilizers data were obtained for direct determination of nitrogen balance in the year of fertilization and subsequently. Annual and total (for 3 years) increment in utilization of soil nitrogen resulting from repeated fertilization was also determined. Coefficient of nitrogen utilization by barley decreased over the 3-year period after additional application of ammonium sulfate while biological immobilization of nitrogen tended to increase. Application of straw during the first year of the experiment did not significantly affect the nitrogen balance in the following years. The total coefficient of nitrogen utilization for the 2 to 3-year period was higher than that of the first year while biological immobilization was relatively lower. Additional utilization of soil nitrogen as compared to the control was the same over the whole 3-year period; additional mobilization (annual and total) was relatively higher due to lower removal of soil nitrogen in the subsequent years. Utilization of previously immobilized nitrogen was higher in the case of repeated fertilization than without application of nitrogen fertilizers. The content of newly immobilized nitrogen during 3 years in the hydrolyzable undistilable fraction (nitrogen of bounded amino acids) was relatively lower and this was accompanied by the growth of hydrolyzable distilable and unhydrolyzable nitrogen

Reduced soil cultivation and organic fertilization on organic farms: effects on crop yield and soil physical traits

Science.gov (United States)

Surböck, Andreas; Gollner, Gabriele; Klik, Andreas; Freyer, Bernhard; Friedel, Jürgen K.

2017-04-01

A continuous investment in soil fertility is necessary to achieve sustainable yields in organic arable farming. Crucial factors here besides the crop rotation are organic fertilization and the soil tillage system. On this topic, an operational group (Project BIOBO*) was established in the frame of an European Innovation Partnership in 2016 consisting of organic farmers, consultants and scientists in the farming region of eastern Austria. The aim of this group is the development and testing of innovative, reduced soil cultivation, green manure and organic fertilization systems under on-farm and on-station conditions to facilitate the sharing and transfer of experience and knowledge within and outside the group. Possibilities for optimization of the farm-specific reduced soil tillage system in combination with green manuring are being studied in field trials on six organic farms. The aim is to determine, how these measures contribute to an increase in soil organic matter contents, yields and income, to an improved nitrogen and nutrient supply to the crops, as well as support soil fertility in general. Within a long-term monitoring project (MUBIL), the effects of different organic fertilization systems on plant and soil traits have been investigated since 2003, when the farm was converted to organic management. The examined organic fertilization systems, i.e. four treatments representing stockless and livestock keeping systems, differ in lucerne management and the supply of organic manure (communal compost, farmyard manure, digestate from a biogas plant). Previous results of this on-station experiment have shown an improvement of some soil properties, especially soil physical properties, since 2003 in all fertilization systems and without differences between them. The infiltration rate of rainwater has increased because of higher hydraulic conductivity. The aggregate stability has shown also positive trends, which reduces the susceptibility to soil erosion by wind and

Isotope techniques in soil fertility and plant nutrition studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zapata, F.

1990-01-01

Fertilizers are one of the essential inputs which have to be used for maintaining and/or increasing the soil fertility level in intensive agricultural systems. The purpose of applying fertilizers is primarily to supply the crop with essential plant nutrients. The major plant nutrients (N, P and K) have to be applied regularly to compensate for the amounts exported from the soil by the harvested plant parts. Other plant nutrients such as Ca, Mg, S and the microelements also need to be added to maintain adequate levels of these nutrients or to correct deficiencies. The best combination of fertilizer practices can be established for each crop by carrying out field experiments under different environmental conditions. Methods which can be used to assess the effect of fertilizer practices are described in the article. 39 refs, 2 figs, 5 tabs

Assessing soil fertility decline in the tropics using soil chemical data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hartemink, A.E.

2006-01-01

Soil fertility decline is perceived to be widespread in the upland soils of the tropics, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Most studies have used nutrient balances to assess the degree and extent of nutrient depletion; these have created awareness but suffer methodological problems as several of

Research Regarding The Impact Of Chemical Fertilizers Upon The Soil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Călugăr

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Chemical fertilizers need to be used according to the natural fertility of the soil, to the ecological conditions and the cultivation requirements for nourishing elements. Keeping this in mind, they will not have any negative effects over the surrounding environment. But if the optimal doses are not respected the soil will be polluted. Regarding this matter a study has been made that showed that if the correct dosage is not respected this could lead to the acidification of the soil to such a level that it won’t be suitable for agricultural purposes. Even if excess usage of fertilizers does not cause any changes in the soils texture, it can still contribute to its pure quality. If the correct dosage and the period of administration is respected than the soil will be improved with nourishing elements, this leading to a better agricultural production.

Anaerobic digestate from biogas production as a resource for improving soil fertility: effects on crop yield and soil properties

Science.gov (United States)

Pastorelli, Roberta; Lagomarsino, Alessandra; Vignozzi, Nadia; Valboa, Giuseppe; Papini, Rossella; Fabiani, Arturo; Simoncini, Stefania; Mocali, Stefano; Piccolo, Raimondo

2013-04-01

Soil fertility is fundamental in determining crops productivity in all farming systems. Production of biogas through anaerobic digestion of energy crops generates residues that can represent a valuable resource to sustain and improve soil fertility and to increase soil organic matter content. Residues from anaerobic digestion contain organic fractions and available nutrients, that can thus be returned to the cultivation soil as fertilizer and soil conditioner. However, some unknown aspects of digested residues utilization remain to explore: i) the nutrient supply and the real potential for mineral fertilization substitution, ii) the impact on the structure and functioning of soil microbial communities, iii) the direct and indirect effects on soil structure, organic matter and C mineralization. The aim of the present research was to gain a better understanding of these aspects, evaluating the effects of anaerobic digestate application on soil properties and maize yield. With the main focus of comparing mineral fertilization (250 Kg N ha-1) with digested residues addition (at the dose of 25 % and 50 % of mineral fertilizer), a triplicate sets of plots were designed in a field experiment on a silty-clay loam soil in the southern Po Valley (Italy). The amount of applied residues was calculated according to its N content in order to fertilizer each plots with the same amount of total nitrogen. Residues from digestion showed a N content of 0.4 % (60 % as N-NH4) and a C/N ratio of 3. Changes in soil quality after residues application were studied with a holistic approach, involving microbiological, physical and chemical aspects of soil fertility. In particular, we determined: the abundance and diversity of bacterial and fungal soil communities; the soil organic matter content, its distribution within soil aggregates and the C mineralization potential; cation exchange capacity; the main macro and micro nutrients; bulk density; aggregate stability. No significant

Importance of soil nitrogen and select intensifying measures in the soil-plant-fertilizer system demonstrated in sugar beets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rauhe, K.; Sielaff, B.; Barth, F.J.

1981-01-01

Sugar beets were gradually fertilized with 15 N-labelled nitrogen fertilizer without or in combination with irrigation. To gain optimum crop yields 180 - 200 kg/ha fertilizer nitrogen were required. Within the range of maximum yield the total nitrogen uptake amounted to 300 - 360 kg/ha under conditions of irrigation. Nitrogen was taken up from the fertilizer by 40% and from the soil by 60%. The immobilization rate of fertilizer nitrogen was near 30% after 2 years of vegetation. Only 33% and 25%, resp., of soil nitrogen could be replaced by fertilizing without and combined with irrigation, resp. It was shown that despite of increased application of the main intensifying factors, nitrogen and water, the soil nitrogen was mineralized intensively

Cadmium and zinc in soil solution extracts following the application of phosphate fertilizers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, Raphaël; Grant, Cynthia; Sauvé, Sébastien

2007-06-01

This study investigated the solubility of cadmium and zinc in soils after the application of phosphate fertilizers containing those two metals. The solubility of cadmium and zinc was assessed by measuring their concentration in soil water extracts. Three monoammonium phosphate fertilizers containing various amounts of metals were applied on cultivated fields for 3 years at three different rates. In order to investigate the effects of long-term applications of fertilizers on the solubility of Cd and Zn, a similar design was used to apply contaminated fertilizers to soils in a laboratory experiment using a single fertilizer addition equivalent to 15 years of application. Phosphate fertilizers increased the concentration of Cd in soil extracts compared to control in 87% and 80% of the treatments in field and laboratory experiments respectively. Both increasing the rate of application and using fertilizer containing more Cd lead to higher Cd concentrations in extracts for the field and the laboratory experiments. The addition of the equivalent of 15 years of fertilizer application in the laboratory results in higher Cd concentration in extracts compared to the field experiment. For Zn, the fertilizer treatments enhanced the metal solution concentration in 83% of field treatments, but no significant correlations could be found between Zn inputs and its concentration in solution. In the laboratory, fertilizer additions increase the Zn concentrations in 53% of the treatments and decrease it in most of the other treatments. The decrease in Zn concentrations in the laboratory trial is attributed to the higher phosphate concentrations in the soil solution; which is presumed to have contributed to the precipitation of Zn-phosphates. For both trials, the metal concentrations in soil extracts cannot be related to the Zn concentration in the fertilizer or the rate of application. The high Zn to Cd ratio is presumably responsible for the Cd increase in the soil extracts due to

Fertilizer balance in the soil-plant system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reichardt, K.; Libardi, P.L.; Victoria, R.L.; Ruschel, A.P.; Nascimento Filho, V.F. do; Saito, S.M.T.

A report is presented on a beans culture project developed to study in detail processes on: (1)Nitrogen - fixation, mineralization, denetrification and absorption by the plant (effect of plant variety; selection of the efficient rhizobia; bacteria specificity for the plant; inocculation longevity; persistence and competition with bacteria found naturally in the soil, etc.) (2)Phosphorus and Potassium interactions with nitrogen absorption, residual effects of natural phosphates. The transformations suffered by nitrogen and the ways it follows after its application to the soil were also studied aiming at a rational handling of the fertilizer. The use of fertilizers by the plants was studied through stable and radioactive isotopes, information being sought on absorption efficiency, phosphorus - and potassium interactions with nitrogen absorption, and effects of natural phosphates. Three types of experiments were carried out: I-Nitrogen fixation experiments II-Nitrogen-and Potassium fertility experiments III-Laboratory experiments [pt

Soil fertility erosion and the associated cost of NPK removed under ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Soil fertility erosion and the associated cost of NPK removed under different soil and ... to study the effect of different tillage practices and mulching rates on fertility ... hand plough-harrow-plant and plough-plant tillage, respectively (1 US Dollar ...

Soil fertility evaluation and management by smallholder farmer communities in northern Tanzania

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mowo, J.G.; Janssen, B.H.; Oenema, O.; German, L.A.; Mrema, J.P.; Shemdoe, R.S.

2006-01-01

The objective of this paper is to compare soil fertility evaluation based on experience and knowledge of smallholder farmer communities with the evaluation by scientists based on soil analysis and model calculations. The role of the smallholder farmer community in soil fertility evaluation and

Residue and soil carbon sequestration in relation to crop yield as affected by irrigation, tillage, cropping system and nitrogen fertilization

Science.gov (United States)

Information on management practices is needed to increase surface residue and soil C sequestration to obtain farm C credit. The effects of irrigation, tillage, cropping system, and N fertilization were evaluated on the amount of crop biomass (stems and leaves) returned to the soil, surface residue C...

PENETRATION OF NITROGEN INTO WATER AS A RESULT OF FERTILIZATION OF LIGHT SOIL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franciszek Czyżyk

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In this article there are present the results of six-year study of infiltration of nitrogen through the sand soil (loamy sand. Every year the soil was fertilized by compost (from sewage sludge and equivalent doses of nitrogen in mineral fertilizers. Two variants of compost fertilization (K1-10 and K2-15 g N·m-2 were used. Additionally two variants of NPK with equivalent doses of nitrogen as an ammonium nitrate supplemented with PK as a superphosphate and potassium salt were applied. Systematically there were investigated the volume of all leachates and their chemical composition. With increasing doses of fertilizers the concentrations of total nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen in the leachate were increased. The concentration of nitrogen in the leachate from the soil fertilized by nitrate was much greater than in compost with equivalent dose of nitrogen. Not only nitrates but also nitrogen from soluble organic compounds were rinsed from the soil. In the case of soil fertilized by compost the participation of nitrates in the total value of nitorgen in the leachate was 41-77%. However in the case of fertilization by ammonium sulphate this proportion was significantly higher and was in the range 60-95%. Over the years, a systematic soil fertilization by both ways increased the nitrogen concentrations in leachate. It shows that in the soil there is surplus of nitrogen, increasing during the time.

Organic farming and cover crops as an alternative to mineral fertilizers to improve soil physical properties

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez de Cima, Diego; Luik, Anne; Reintam, Endla

2015-10-01

For testing how cover crops and different fertilization managements affect the soil physical properties in a plough based tillage system, a five-year crop rotation experiment (field pea, white potato, common barley undersown with red clover, red clover, and winter wheat) was set. The rotation was managed under four different farming systems: two conventional: with and without mineral fertilizers and two organic, both with winter cover crops (later ploughed and used as green manure) and one where cattle manure was added yearly. The measurements conducted were penetration resistance, soil water content, porosity, water permeability, and organic carbon. Yearly variations were linked to the number of tillage operations, and a cumulative effect of soil organic carbon in the soil as a result of the different fertilization amendments, organic or mineral. All the systems showed similar tendencies along the three years of study and differences were only found between the control and the other systems. Mineral fertilizers enhanced the overall physical soil conditions due to the higher yield in the system. In the organic systems, cover crops and cattle manure did not have a significant effect on soil physical properties in comparison with the conventional ones, which were kept bare during the winter period. The extra organic matter boosted the positive effect of crop rotation, but the higher number of tillage operations in both organic systems counteracted this effect to a greater or lesser extent.

THE WORMS COMPOST - EFFECTIVE FERTILIZER FOR IMPROVING DEGRADED SOILS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Larisa CREMENEAC

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Management of organic waste is a difficult, complex and intractable in Moldova, according to international standards. Acute problem of organic matter from livestock sector waste is generated by storing them in unauthorized areas. Organic waste management strategies require different methods. One of them is organic waste bio conversion technology by worm’s cultivation. As the main natural wealth of the Republic of Moldova, soil requires a special care. Agriculture, in particular, should pay attention to the soil’s humus and nutrient status – and restore losses of humus and the nutrients used by crops. This requires measures to improve soil fertility. Land use provides, first of all return losses of humus and nutrients used by plants. Therefore measures required to improve soil fertility. The essence of the research was to highlight the role of worms compost improve the soil. To this end, in ETS "Maximovca" was organized an experiment that included three groups (two - experimental, to fund worms compost and one - control the natural background. Observations on soil fertility have been conducted over three years. The soil samples were collected by usual methods determined values of organic matter and humus. The results of the investigations, to determine the values of organic matter and humus samples collected from surface and depth 15 cm exceeded that of the sample control group to 29,7%; 11,4% and 34,3%; 37,1% in experimental group I and 9,3%; 11,6% and 45,5%; 45,5% in experimental group II. Therefore, worms compost embedded in a dose of 3-4 tons / ha during three years, has improved the fertility of the soil

Nuclear techniques in flower production. Soil and irrigation fertility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Bad soil management; the nutrients and water used in ornamental cultivation are the cause for considerable reductions in productivity here in Ecuador. It's essential to take measures to reduce the accumulation of salts and the degeneration of soils to minimum, and to put back those nutrients that have been exported by the harvesting of ornamental crops. In this way we can maintain an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable flower industry. Nuclear techniques such as radioisotopes and stable isotopes are used to track the final destination of the fertilizers that have been applied to the soil and to determine the availability of these for plants. The Ecuadorian Atomic Energy Commission (CEEA) in collaboration with the Central University of Ecuador have carried out studies using the isotopic tracers Nitrogen 15 (N-15), Phosforus 32 (P-32), Rubide-85 (Rb-85) as tracers for Potassium (K). These studies have shown that only a part of the nigrogenized fertilizer applied to the soil is useful in the growing of roses, and a large part of the nitrogen escapes in the the environment thereby contaminating the water table in the form of nitrites, depending on he way and the time of year that the fertilizer has been applied. The best form of fertilizer in rose growing for example is with the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients in fractioned from always using fertilized irrigation with a dose of 1300 kg of N, 200 Kg of P, 1600 kg of K per hectare/year. This differs form norm in plantations where a weekly-fertilized irrigation is used whilst on other days only watering is used. A 30% increase in production was achieved with a 50% increase in the absorption of nitrogen and a 40% increase in potassium. These studies have shown the tremendous cost saving in terms of the importing of fertilizers, as well as the decrease in the use of contaminating fertilizers. (The author)

Does nitrogen fertilizer application rate to corn affect nitrous oxide emissions from the rotated soybean crop?

Science.gov (United States)

Iqbal, Javed; Mitchell, David C; Barker, Daniel W; Miguez, Fernando; Sawyer, John E; Pantoja, Jose; Castellano, Michael J

2015-05-01

Little information exists on the potential for N fertilizer application to corn ( L.) to affect NO emissions during subsequent unfertilized crops in a rotation. To determine if N fertilizer application to corn affects NO emissions during subsequent crops in rotation, we measured NO emissions for 3 yr (2011-2013) in an Iowa, corn-soybean [ (L.) Merr.] rotation with three N fertilizer rates applied to corn (0 kg N ha, the recommended rate of 135 kg N ha, and a high rate of 225 kg N ha); soybean received no N fertilizer. We further investigated the potential for a winter cereal rye ( L.) cover crop to interact with N fertilizer rate to affect NO emissions from both crops. The cover crop did not consistently affect NO emissions. Across all years and irrespective of cover crop, N fertilizer application above the recommended rate resulted in a 16% increase in mean NO flux rate during the corn phase of the rotation. In 2 of the 3 yr, N fertilizer application to corn (0-225 kg N ha) did not affect mean NO flux rates from the subsequent unfertilized soybean crop. However, in 1 yr after a drought, mean NO flux rates from the soybean crops that received 135 and 225 kg N ha N application in the corn year were 35 and 70% higher than those from the soybean crop that received no N application in the corn year. Our results are consistent with previous studies demonstrating that cover crop effects on NO emissions are not easily generalizable. When N fertilizer affects NO emissions during a subsequent unfertilized crop, it will be important to determine if total fertilizer-induced NO emissions are altered or only spread across a greater period of time. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

EFFECT OF SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON NEMATODE DESTROYING FUNGI IN TAITA, KENYA

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Peter M Wachira

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The effect of soil fertility management practices on nematode destroying fungi was investigated for three seasons in Taita, Kenya. The study aimed at identifying soil fertility practice that promoted nematode destroying fungi in the soil. Field experiments were established in Taita district, the treatments comprised of Mavuno fertilizer, Triple super- phosphate and calcium ammonium nitrate (TSP+CAN, cow manure and a control where no amendments were applied. This experiment was replicated in ten farms and repeated in three planting seasons. Isolation of nematode destroying fungi carried out was using the soil sprinkle technique and the isolates were identified using the key described by Cooke and Godfrey (1964. There were significant difference (P= 1.705 x 10-06 in occurrence of the nematode destroying fungi between soil fertility treatments. The highest mean (1.6 occurrence of nematode destroying fungi was recorded in soils amended with cow manure and the least (0.7 was recorded in soils from the control plots. A mean of 0.78 was recorded in soils from both TSP+CAN and Mavuno fertilizers. Plots amended with cow manure presented the highest diversity of nematodes followed by the control, then TSP+CAN and least in Mavuno with shannon indices of 0.34, 0.15, 0.13 and 0.11 respectively. Sixty percent of all the isolated nematode destroying fungi genera were from plots treated with cow manure and only twenty percent were from plots amended with the inorganic fertilizer. The control plots recorded higher number of nematode destroying fungi compared to the soils that received inorganic fertilizers.

The role of 15N in elucidating processes governing integrated soil fertility management strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vanlauwe, B.; Sanginga, N.; Merckx, R.

2005-01-01

Full text: Nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient for crop production in most of sub-Saharan Africa and has negative impacts on the environment if inputs, both mineral and organic, are not properly managed. Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) aims at integrating organic and mineral inputs and at site-specific management of mineral inputs to maximize the N use efficiency of both inputs. A series of experiments with 15 N labelled urea and organic matter of varying biochemical quality was carried out to test the hypothesis that mixing urea with organic matter will lead to temporary immobilization of urea-derived N and subsequently to a better utilization of urea-N by the crop and reduced losses of urea-N. Another set of experiments addressed the issue whether organic matter status affects the recovery of applied N fertilizer. First of all, in a lysimeter experiment, mixing 15 N-labeled urea with various organic materials with varying quality was observed not to significantly affect the drainage of urea-derived mineral N. Outflow of water at the bottom of the lysimeters was affected by the type of residue and the way of application. Secondly, in a nanoplot experiment with square metal cubes, 0.43 by 0.43 m, the recovery of applied 15 N-labeled urea was not affected by applying the urea together with incorporated organic materials of varying quality and averaged 23%. Recovery of applied urea in the soil (0-90 cm), however, was significantly higher after mixing the urea with maize stover than in the treatment which received only 90 kg urea-N ha -1 . This is likely to be related to the rather large N-immobilization potential of maize stover in view of its low quality. Leucaena residues have also been shown to initially immobilize N and this was related to the rather high content of soluble polyphenols. Cowpea stover is likely to decompose very fast and may have little impact on the urea-N dynamics. Thirdly, the recovery of 15 N-labeled urea, as affected by the

Changes in soil nematode communities under the impact of fertilizers

Science.gov (United States)

Gruzdeva, L. I.; Matveeva, E. M.; Kovalenko, T. E.

2007-06-01

Changes taking place in the communities of soil nematodes of an artificially sown meadow under the impact of annually applied mineral fertilizers have been studied in a field experiment for nine years. It is shown that changes in the species composition, trophic structure, and numbers of nematodes from different genera depend on the fertilizer applied and on the competitiveness of the plant species grown. The spectra of nematode genera sensitive to the complete mineral fertilizer (NPK) and to the particular nutrients have been identified with the use of a number of parameters, including the maturity index of nematode communities, the biotope preferences of the particular nematode genera, and the general pattern of nematode habitats. The results obtained in this study can be used to assess the effect of mineral fertilizers on the soil fauna and to suggest optimum application rates of mineral fertilizers ensuring the sustainable development of meadow herbs. The use of the data on the trophic structure of nematode communities for predicting the ways of organic matter decomposition in the soil is discussed.

Soil Fertility Evaluation and Land Management of Dryland Farming at Tegallalang Sub-District, Gianyar Regency, Bali, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Sardiana, I. K.; Susila, D.; Supadma, A. A.; Saifulloh, M.

2017-12-01

The landuse of Tegallalang Subdistrict is dominated by dryland farming. The practice of cultivation on agricultural dryland that ignores the carrying capacity of the environment can lead to land degradation that makes the land vulnerable to the deterioration of soil fertility. Soil fertility evaluation and land management of dryland farming in Tegallalang Sub-district, Gianyar Regency were aimed at (1) identifying the soil fertility and it’s respective limiting factors, (2) mapping the soil fertility using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and (3) developing land management for dryland farming in Tegallalang Sub-district. This research implementing explora-tory method which followed by laboratory analysis. Soil samples were taken on each homogene-ous land units which developed by overlay of slope, soil type, and land use maps. The following soil fertility were measured, such as CEC, base saturation, P2O5, K- Total and C-Organic. The values of soil fertility were mapping using QGIS 2.18.7 and refer to land management evaluation. The results showed that the soil fertility in the research area considered high, and low level. The High soil fertility presents on land units at the flat to undulating slope with different land management systems (fertilizer, without fertilizer, soil tillage and without soil tillage). The low soil fertility includes land units that present on steep slope, and without land managements. The limiting factors of soil fertility were texture, C-Organic, CEC, P2O5, and K- total. It was recommended to applying organic fertilizer, Phonska, and dolomite on the farming area.

Effect of Applying Chemical Fertilizers on Concentration of Cd, Pb and Zn in Agricultural Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossein Pourmoghadas

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background &Objective:  Nowadays uncontrolled uses of chemical fertilizers which have many heavy metals such as Cadmium, Lead and Zinc in addition have economic problems, cause to serious damages in the environment. Therefore uncontrolled application of fertilizers can cause accumulation contaminants in soil, water sources and increasing in plants and human & animals’ food chain. The main objective of this research was to investigate the effects of chemical fertilizers application to increase heavy metals in agricultural soils at directions to prevent contamination in water sources, agricultural products and the best uses of chemical fertilizers. Methods: In this study, 20 soil samples and 5 useful chemical fertilizer samples were collected and investigated. After fertilizer and soil samples were prepared, digested and filtered, heavy metals were determined with using atomic absorption. Results: The results of this study showed that, Cd in Diammonum phosphate  fertilizer 1.25 times, Super phosphate triple 1.7 times and in Macro granular fertilizer 1.5 times were as much as maximum acceptable concentration in chemical fertilizers. Cadmium concentration in all of the Jarghoye (Isfahan agricultural soil samples 3 to 7 times and in the Mobarake village (Najaf abad agricultural soil samples 10 to 35 times were as much as maximum acceptable concentration in agricultural soils. But Pb and Zn concentration in all of the agricultural soil samples was less than the amount of maximum acceptable concentration. Conclusion: Phosphate chemical fertilizers were positive effects to increase concentration of Pb and Zn in agricultural soils. Therefore, application of the fertilizer must be more attention because of increasing heavy metals in the agriculture soils and probably increasing heavy metals in food chain.  

Phosphorus runoff from turfgrass as affected by phosphorus fertilization and clipping management.

Science.gov (United States)

Bierman, Peter M; Horgan, Brian P; Rosen, Carl J; Hollman, Andrew B; Pagliari, Paulo H

2010-01-01

Phosphorus enrichment of surface water is a concern in many urban watersheds. A 3-yr study on a silt loam soil with 5% slope and high soil test P (27 mg kg(-1) Bray P1) was conducted to evaluate P fertilization and clipping management effects on P runoff from turfgrass (Poa pratensis L.) under frozen and nonfrozen conditions. Four fertilizer treatments were compared: (i) no fertilizer, (ii) nitrogen (N)+potassium (K)+0xP, (iii) N+K+1xP, and (iv) N+K+3xP. Phosphorus rates were 21.3 and 63.9 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) the first year and 7.1 and 21.3 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) the following 2 yr. Each fertilizer treatment was evaluated with clippings removed or clippings recycled back to the turf. In the first year, P runoff increased with increasing P rate and P losses were greater in runoff from frozen than nonfrozen soil. In year 2, total P runoff from the no fertilizer treatment was greater than from treatments receiving fertilizer. This was because reduced turf quality resulted in greater runoff depth from the no fertilizer treatment. In year 3, total P runoff from frozen soil and cumulative total P runoff increased with increasing P rate. Clipping management was not an important factor in any year, indicating that returning clippings does not significantly increase P runoff from turf. In the presence of N and K, P fertilization did not improve turf growth or quality in any year. Phosphorus runoff can be reduced by not applying P to high testing soils and avoiding fall applications when P is needed.

Circular linkages between soil biodiversity, fertility and plant productivity are limited to topsoil at the continental scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel; Powell, Jeff R; Hamonts, Kelly; Reith, Frank; Mele, Pauline; Brown, Mark V; Dennis, Paul G; Ferrari, Belinda C; Fitzgerald, Anna; Young, Andrew; Singh, Brajesh K; Bissett, Andrew

2017-08-01

The current theoretical framework suggests that tripartite positive feedback relationships between soil biodiversity, fertility and plant productivity are universal. However, empirical evidence for these relationships at the continental scale and across different soil depths is lacking. We investigate the continental-scale relationships between the diversity of microbial and invertebrate-based soil food webs, fertility and above-ground plant productivity at 289 sites and two soil depths, that is 0-10 and 20-30 cm, across Australia. Soil biodiversity, fertility and plant productivity are strongly positively related in surface soils. Conversely, in the deeper soil layer, the relationships between soil biodiversity, fertility and plant productivity weaken considerably, probably as a result of a reduction in biodiversity and fertility with depth. Further modeling suggested that strong positive associations among soil biodiversity-fertility and fertility-plant productivity are limited to the upper soil layer (0-10 cm), after accounting for key factors, such as distance from the equator, altitude, climate and physicochemical soil properties. These findings highlight the importance of surface soil biodiversity for soil fertility, and suggest that any loss of surface soil could potentially break the links between soil biodiversity-fertility and/or fertility-plant productivity, which can negatively impact nutrient cycling and food production, upon which future generations depend. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer for increasing soil fertility and crop production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suess, A.

1997-01-01

The high nutrient and organic-matter contents of sewage sludge make it a useful soil amendment for farmers. In this study at four locations in Bavaria, the application of sewage sludge produced com yields that were similar to or better than those produced by an equal application (in terms of N) of chemical fertilizer. High rates of sludge (800 m 3 /ha) further improved crop yields, although such are impractical for farmers' fields. Residual beneficial effects of sewage-sludge application were seen also in terms of subsequent yields of barley. Application of sludge also improved biological and physical properties of the soils. More long-term studies are needed to better understand how sewage sludge contributes to the improvement of soil fertility and crop yields. (author)

Study on the effect of organic fertilizers on soil organic matter and enzyme activities of soil in forest nursery

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Piaszczyk Wojciech

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to assess the effects of organic fertilization on selected chemical properties of the soil and the activity of dehydrogenase and β-glucosidase in the soil of forest nursery. The main goal was to evaluate the role of organic fertilizers in carbon storage in the forest nursery soil. Sample plots were located in northern Poland in the Polanów Forest District on a forest nursery. Soil samples were collected from horizon 0–20 cm for laboratory analyzes. In soil samples pH, soil texture, and organic carbon, nitrogen, base cation contents, dehydrogenase activity and β-glucosidase activity were determined. The obtained results were used to evaluate the carbon storage. The results confirm the beneficial effect of the applied organic fertilizer on chemical properties of the soils under study and their biological activity. The applied organic fertilizers had an impact on increased accumulation of soil organic matter. In the soils investigated, there was an increase in the activity of such enzymes as dehydrogenases and β-glucosidase.

Isotope studies on soil and fertilizer nitrogen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olson, R.A.

1979-01-01

Reductions in isotope cost in the 1960s and equipment innovations, have extended compared to 1940, the research of soil and plant scientists so that 15 N is now an indispensable tool when working with N. Leadership of FAO/IAEA coordinated research programmes and the Nitrogen Laboratory of the Tennessee Valley Authority helped greatly in bringing about this expanded usage. Recognized isotope effects are of insufficient magnitude to invalidate tracer measurements of field crop uptake in the treatment year if enrichment of 0.3 at.% excess 15 N or greater is employed. Thus, use of 15 N depleted tracer with potential of 0.366% 15 N differential from the standard isotope ratio of N in air is feasible. Its manufacture has allowed further economy in the isotope tag and ultimate treatment of field-scale plots. Interest in Δ 15 N measurements for predicting the NO - 3 contaminant source in surface and ground waters has depreciated. Variations in natural isotope ratio of soil N commonly exceed the differences in Δ 15 N values of the presumed source materials. 15 N provides the only correct measure of fertilizer N utilization efficiency. The field study examples of irrigated maize demonstrate that little or no fertilizer N is likely to escape the root zone where the rate applied does not exceed that required for maximum yield; also, that light and frequent irrigations afford higher yields than heavier, less frequent irrigations. Delaying fertilizer N applications until the crop is well established affords not only higher yields, but greater residual fertilizer N for future crops. Measured effective root activity for absorbing NO - 3 has been invaluable in estimating fertilizer requirements of a crop in relation to residual mineral N in soil at planting and projecting the depth at which the NO - 3 becomes an environmental hazard. The tag likewise is indispensable in determining symbiotic N fixation

Soil water erosion under different cultivation systems and different fertilization rates and forms over 10 years

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Ildegardis Bertol

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The action of rain and surface runoff together are the active agents of water erosion, and further influences are the soil type, terrain, soil cover, soil management, and conservation practices. Soil water erosion is low in the no-tillage management system, being influenced by the amount and form of lime and fertilizer application to the soil, among other factors. The aim was to evaluate the effect of the form of liming, the quantity and management of fertilizer application on the soil and water losses by erosion under natural rainfall. The study was carried out between 2003 and 2013 on a Humic Dystrupept soil, with the following treatments: T1 - cultivation with liming and corrective fertilizer incorporated into the soil in the first year, and with 100 % annual maintenance fertilization of P and K; T2 - surface liming and corrective fertilization distributed over five years, and with 75 % annual maintenance fertilization of P and K; T3 - surface liming and corrective fertilization distributed over three years, and with 50 % annual maintenance fertilization of P and K; T4 - surface liming and corrective fertilization distributed over two years, and with 25 % annual maintenance fertilization of P and K; T5 - fallow soil, without liming or fertilization. In the rotation the crops black oat (Avena strigosa , soybean (Glycine max , common vetch (Vicia sativa , maize (Zea mays , fodder radish (Raphanus sativus , and black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris . The split application of lime and mineral fertilizer to the soil surface in a no-tillage system over three and five years, results in better control of soil losses than when split in two years. The increase in the amount of fertilizer applied to the soil surface under no-tillage cultivation increases phytomass production and reduces soil loss by water erosion. Water losses in treatments under no-tillage cultivation were low in all crop cycles, with a similar behavior as soil losses.

Long-Term Effect of Manure and Fertilizer on Soil Organic Carbon Pools in Dryland Farming in Northwest China

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Enke; Yan, Changrong; Mei, Xurong; Zhang, Yanqing; Fan, Tinglu

2013-01-01

An understanding of the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) as affected by farming practices is imperative for maintaining soil productivity and mitigating global warming. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of long-term fertilization on SOC and SOC fractions for the whole soil profile (0–100 cm) in northwest China. The study was initiated in 1979 in Gansu, China and included six treatments: unfertilized control (CK), nitrogen fertilizer (N), nitrogen and phosphorus (P) fertilizers (NP), straw plus N and P fertilizers (NP+S), farmyard manure (FYM), and farmyard manure plus N and P fertilizers (NP+FYM). Results showed that SOC concentration in the 0–20 cm soil layer increased with time except in the CK and N treatments. Long-term fertilization significantly influenced SOC concentrations and storage to 60 cm depth. Below 60 cm, SOC concentrations and storages were statistically not significant between all treatments. The concentration of SOC at different depths in 0–60 cm soil profile was higher under NP+FYM follow by under NP+S, compared to under CK. The SOC storage in 0–60 cm in NP+FYM, NP+S, FYM and NP treatments were increased by 41.3%, 32.9%, 28.1% and 17.9%, respectively, as compared to the CK treatment. Organic manure plus inorganic fertilizer application also increased labile soil organic carbon pools in 0–60 cm depth. The average concentration of particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) in organic manure plus inorganic fertilizer treatments (NP+S and NP+FYM) in 0–60 cm depth were increased by 64.9–91.9%, 42.5–56.9%, and 74.7–99.4%, respectively, over the CK treatment. The POC, MBC and DOC concentrations increased linearly with increasing SOC content. These results indicate that long-term additions of organic manure have the most beneficial effects in building carbon pools among the investigated types of fertilization. PMID:23437161

Smallholders' soil fertility management in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia: implications for nutrient stocks, balances and sustainability of agroecosystems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haileslassie, A.; Priess, J.A.; Veldkamp, E.; Lesschen, J.P.

2006-01-01

Low agricultural productivity caused by soil degradation is a serious problem in the Ethiopian Highlands. Here, we report how differences in soil fertility management between farming systems, based either on enset (Ensete ventricosum) or on teff (Eragrostis tef) as the major crops, affect the extent

Biological soil crusts in deserts: A short review of their role in soil fertility, stabilization, and water relations

Science.gov (United States)

Belnap, Jayne

2003-01-01

Cyanobacteria and cyanolichens dominate most desert soil surfaces as the major component of biological soil crusts (BSC). BSCs contribute to soil fertility in many ways. BSC can increase weathering of parent materials by up to 100 times. Soil surface biota are often sticky, and help retain dust falling on the soil surface; this dust provides many plant-essential nutrients including N, P, K, Mg, Na, Mn, Cu, and Fe. BSCs also provide roughened soil surfaces that slow water runoff and aid in retaining seeds and organic matter. They provide inputs of newly-fixed carbon and nitrogen to soils. They are essential in stabilizing soil surfaces by linking soil particles together with filamentous sheaths, enabling soils to resist both water and wind erosion. These same sheaths are important in keeping soil nutrients from becoming bound into plant-unavailable forms. Experimental disturbances applied in US deserts show soil surface impacts decrease N and C inputs from soil biota by up to 100%. The ability to hold aeolian deposits in place is compromised, and underlying soils are exposed to erosion. While most undisturbed sites show little sediment production, disturbance by vehicles or livestock produces up to 36 times more sediment production, with soil movement initiated at wind velocities well below commonly-occurring wind speeds. Winds across disturbed areas can quickly remove this material from the soil surface, thereby potentially removing much of current and future soil fertility. Thus, reduction in the cover of cyanophytes in desert soils can both reduce fertility inputs and accelerate fertility losses.

Fertilizer nitrogen leaching in relation to water regime and the fertilizer placement method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moustafa, A.T.A.; Khadr, M.S.

1983-01-01

A field experiment was conducted at the farm of Sids Experimental Station, Ministry of Agriculture, Middle Egypt, to evaluate the effect of the water regime and fertilizer placement method on the leaching of urea fertilizer under field conditions. Ordinary and heavy irrigations were the water regimes, while side-banding and surface broadcasting were the fertilizer placement methods. Wheat (Giza 158, local variety) was planted, and urea labelled with 15 N at the rate of 100 kg N/ha was added at planting. The data obtained showed that in general the leaching process of urea fertilizer, as evaluated from the amounts of fertilizer nitrogen residues, is not uniform even within replicates. This is despite the fact that the average total amount of fertilizer nitrogen residues in the soil profile to a depth of 125 cm is almost the same in the different treatments. Data also show that the bulk of fertilizer nitrogen residues is accumulated in the surface soil layers, especially at 0-25 cm. Only 10% of the fertilizer nitrogen is detected below 75 cm and up to 125 cm depth of the soil profile. It could be concluded that urea leaching (amount and depth) under these conditions is affected mainly by the soil characteristics, namely soil pores. This is in addition to some other factors that cause variable concentrations in the soil solution leaving the root zone. (author)

Liquid Organic Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture: Nutrient Uptake of Organic versus Mineral Fertilizers in Citrus Trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Alcántara, Belén; Martínez-Cuenca, Mary-Rus; Bermejo, Almudena; Legaz, Francisco; Quiñones, Ana

2016-01-01

The main objective of this study was to compare the performance of two liquid organic fertilizers, an animal and a plant-based fertilizer, with mineral fertilization on citrus trees. The source of the fertilizer (mineral or organic) had significant effect in the nutritional status of the organic and conventionally managed mandarins. Nutrient uptake, vegetative growth, carbohydrate synthesis and soil characteristics were analyzed. Results showed that plants fertilized with animal based liquid fertilizers exhibited higher total biomass with a more profuse development of new developing organs (leaves and fibrous roots). Liquid organic fertilization resulted in an increased uptake of macro and micronutrients compared to mineral fertilized trees. Moreover, organic fertilization positively affected the carbohydrate content (fructose, glucose and sucrose) mainly in summer flush leaves. Liquid organic fertilization also resulted in an increase of soil organic matter content. Animal-based fertilizer, due to intrinsic composition, increased total tree biomass and carbohydrate leaves content, and led to lower soil nitrate concentration and higher P and Mg exchangeable in soil extract compared to vegetal-based fertilizer. Therefore, liquid organic fertilizers could be used as an alternative to traditional mineral fertilization in drip irrigated citrus trees.

SOIL FERTILITY EVALUATION FOR FERTILISER RECOMMENDATION USING HYPERION DATA

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Ranendu Ghosh

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Soil fertility characterised by nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur is traditionally measured from soil samples collected from the field. The process is very cumbersome and time intensive. Hyperspectral data available from Hyperion payload of EO 1 was used for facilitating preparation of soil fertility map of Udaipur district of Rajasthan state, India. Hyperion data was pre-processed for band and area sub setting, atmospheric correction and reflectance data preparation. Spectral analysis in the form of SFF and PPI were carried out for selecting the ground truth sites for soil sample collection. Soil samples collected from forty one sites were analysed for analysis of nutrient composition. Generation of correlogram followed by multiple regressions was done for identifying the most important bands and spectral parameters that can be used for nutrient map generation.

Influence of long-term fertilization on soil enzyme activities

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Alina Dora SAMUEL

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Soil enzyme activities (actual and potential dehydrogenase, catalase, acid and alkaline phosphatase were determined in the 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm layers of a brown luvic soil submitted to a complex fertilization experiment with different types of green manure. It was found that each activity decreased with increasing sampling depth. It should be emphasized that greenmanuring of maize led to a significant increase in each of the five enzymatic activities determined. The enzymatic indicators of soil quality calculated from the values of enzymatic activities showed the order: lupinus + rape + oat > lupinus > vetch + oat + ryegrass > lupinus + oat + vetch > unfertilized plot. This order means that by determination of enzymatic activities valuable information can be obtained regarding fertility status of soils. There were significant correlations of soil enzyme activities with chemical properties.

Soil management in rainfed olive orchards may result in conflicting effects on olive production and soil fertility

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I. Q. Ferreira

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The adoption of a sustainable soil management system is essential for the steep slopes and low fertility soils still supporting rainfed olive orchards in the Mediterranean basin. The effect of the soil management on olive yield, tree nutritional status and soil fertility was studied in a rainfed olive orchard located in NE Portugal that had been managed since its earliest days as a sheep-walk. In 2001, three different soil management systems were established: Sheep-walk, in which the vegetation was managed with a flock of sheep; Tillage, where the vegetation was controlled by conventional tillage; and Glyphosate, where a glyphosate-based herbicide was applied. The soil management systems had a pronounced effect on olive yield. The accumulated olive yields between 2002 and 2011 were 187.2, 142.9 and 89.5 kg tree-1, respectively in the Glyphosate, Tillage and Sheep-walk treatments. However, the effect of soil management on tree nutritional status was not so clear. On the other hand, the pools of organic carbon and N in the soil, and also the soil available N and phosphorus (P, were found to be less in the Glyphosate and Tillage treatments in comparison with the Sheep-walk. In these soils, N appeared as a much more limiting factor for crop growth than P. In rainfed orchards, the tolerance to herbaceous vegetation appears to be a determining factor in sustainability, which regulates annual crop yields and soil fertility. The higher the tolerance to herbaceous species, the lower the olive yields, but the better are the soil fertility parameters.

Effect of dry mycelium of Penicillium chrysogenum fertilizer on soil microbial community composition, enzyme activities and snap bean growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bing; Liu, Huiling; Cai, Chen; Thabit, Mohamed; Wang, Pu; Li, Guomin; Duan, Ziheng

2016-10-01

The dry mycelium fertilizer (DMF) was produced from penicillin fermentation fungi mycelium (PFFM) following an acid-heating pretreatment to degrade the residual penicillin. In this study, it was applied into soil as fertilizer to investigate its effects on soil properties, phytotoxicity, microbial community composition, enzyme activities, and growth of snap bean in greenhouse. As the results show, pH, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, and organic matter of soil with DMF treatments were generally higher than CON treatment. In addition, the applied DMF did not cause heavy metal and residual drug pollution of the modified soil. The lowest GI values (<0.3) were recorded at DMF8 (36 kg DMF/plat) on the first days after applying the fertilizer, indicating that severe phytotoxicity appeared in the DMF8-modified soil. Results of microbial population and enzyme activities illustrated that DMF was rapidly decomposed and the decomposition process significantly affected microbial growth and enzyme activities. The DMF-modified soil phytotoxicity decreased at the late fertilization time. DMF1 was considered as the optimum amount of DMF dose based on principal component analysis scores. Plant height and plant yield of snap bean were remarkably enhanced with the optimum DMF dose.

A GIS-based fuzzy classification for mapping the agricultural soils for N-fertilizers use.

Science.gov (United States)

Assimakopoulos, J H; Kalivas, D P; Kollias, V J

2003-06-20

Special attention should be paid to the choice of the proper N-fertilizer, in order to avoid a further acidification and degradation of acid soils and at the same time to improve nitrogen use efficiency and to limit the nitrate pollution of the ground waters. Therefore, the risk of leaching of the fertilizer and of the acidification of the soils must be considered prior to any N-fertilizer application. The application of N-fertilizers to the soil requires a good knowledge of the soil-fertilizer relationship, which those who are planning the fertilization policy and/or applying it might not have. In this study, a fuzzy classification methodology is presented for mapping the agricultural soils according to the kind and the rate of application of N-fertilizer that should be used. The values of pH, clay, sand and carbonates soil variables are estimated at each point of an area by applying geostatistical techniques. Using the pH values three fuzzy sets: "no-risk-acidification"; "low-risk-acidification"; and "high-risk-acidification" are produced and the memberships of each point to the three sets are estimated. Additionally, from the clay and sand values the membership grade to the fuzzy set "risk-of-leaching" is calculated. The parameters and their values, which are used for the construction of the fuzzy sets, are based on the literature, the existing knowledge and the experimentation, of the soil-fertilizer relationships and provide a consistent mechanism for mapping the soils according to the type of N-fertilizers that should be applied and the rate of applications. The maps produced can easily be interpreted and used by non-experts in the application of the fertilization policy at national, local and farm level. The methodology is presented through a case study using data from the Amfilochia area, west Greece.

Improving soil fertility through Azolla application in low land rice: A review

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Purushottam Subedi

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The continuous usages of chemical fertilizers have harmful effects on soil organic matter reserves, soil health and environmental safety. The use of Bio-fertilizers like Azolla not only increases the rice productivity but also improves the long term soil fertility. Azolla is a fast growing aquatic pteridophyte which fixes atmospheric Nitrogen by forming a symbiotic association with the Blue-Green Algae, Anabaena azollae. Azolla is an efficient Nitrogen fixer. It is grown in lowland rice fields because flooded habitat is suitable for it. Under favorable field condition, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen at a rate exceeding that of the Legume-Rhizobium symbiotic relationship. It increases the rice yield equivalent to that produced by 30-60 kg N/ha. As green manure in water logged soil, it enhances the rapid mineralization of nitrogen. It reduces the NH3 volatilization losses through its influence on floodwater pH that leads to the conservation of urea-N in the system to improve the efficiency of N fertilizers. It significantly improves the physical and chemical properties of the soil including improvement in soil microbial activities. It helps in addition of Organic Matter and release of cations such as Magnesium, Calcium and Sodium. The total N, available P and exchangeable K in the soil and N-uptake by rice can be improved. Therefore, Azolla application is considered as a good practice for sustaining soil fertility and crop productivity irrespective of some limitations.

Fate of nitrogenous fertilizers in forest soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pang, P.C.K.

1984-01-01

The fate of the nitrogenous fertilizers through the processes of denitrification, ammonia volatilization, immobilization and uptake by a conifer is determined, with the aid of 15 N-labelled fertizers. The foliage of Douglas-fir was able to absorb gaseous ammonia under optimal conditions. Denitrification and immobilization of fertilizer-N by forest soil were highest with forest floor samples and decreased with depth. Laboratory studies with four-year-old Douglas-fir demostrated that a higher quantity of fertilizer-N was utilized by trees when the nitrogen was supplied as NO 3 - rather than NH 4 + . (M.A.C.) [pt

Thinking and Countermeasures for Rational Utilization of Soil Fertility in Modern Agriculture Developping

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WENG Bo-qi

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Soil is not only an important foundation for agricultural production, but also is the safeguard of human survival. Soil quality is close-ly related with food safety and argo-ecological environment. Soil fertility is the support of modern agricultural development. Multiple disci-plines and specialties are involved in researches of soil cultivating process. Nowadays, the understanding of soil fertility has changed from a-gricultural production to environmental security and resource exploitation, even larger scales to ecological health and global soil change. In this review, the characteristics and inherent link between soil and agriculture were comprehensive expounded from the aspects of long-term fertilization trials, soil cultivation techniques, and modern agriculture development. The challenge and prospect faced in soil science research field were also analyzed. Finally, several suggestions and countermeasures were proposed to the researches of soil science in future.

Various forms of organic and inorganic P fertilizers did not negatively affect soil- and root-inhabiting AM fungi in a maize-soybean rotation system.

Science.gov (United States)

Beauregard, M S; Gauthier, M-P; Hamel, C; Zhang, T; Welacky, T; Tan, C S; St-Arnaud, M

2013-02-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are key components of most agricultural ecosystems. Therefore, understanding the impact of agricultural practices on their community structure is essential to improve nutrient mobilization and reduce plant stress in the field. The effects of five different organic or mineral sources of phosphorus (P) for a maize-soybean rotation system on AM fungal diversity in roots and soil were assessed over a 3-year period. Total DNA was extracted from root and soil samples collected at three different plant growth stages. An 18S rRNA gene fragment was amplified and taxa were detected and identified using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis followed by sequencing. AM fungal biomass was estimated by fatty acid methyl ester analysis. Soil P fertility parameters were also monitored and analyzed for possible changes related with fertilization or growth stages. Seven AM fungal ribotypes were detected. Fertilization significantly modified soil P flux, but had barely any effect on AM fungi community structure or biomass. There was no difference in the AM fungal community between plant growth stages. Specific ribotypes could not be significantly associated to P treatment. Ribotypes were associated with root or soil samples with variable detection frequencies between seasons. AM fungal biomass remained stable throughout the growing seasons. This study demonstrated that roots and soil host distinct AM fungal communities and that these are very temporally stable. The influence of contrasting forms of P fertilizers was not significant over 3 years of crop rotation.

Inorganic and organic fertilizers impact the abundance and proportion of antibiotic resistance and integron-integrase genes in agricultural grassland soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Nõlvak, Hiie; Truu, Marika; Kanger, Kärt; Tampere, Mailiis; Espenberg, Mikk; Loit, Evelin; Raave, Henn; Truu, Jaak

2016-08-15

Soil fertilization with animal manure or its digestate may facilitate an important antibiotic resistance dissemination route from anthropogenic sources to the environment. This study examines the effect of mineral fertilizer (NH4NO3), cattle slurry and cattle slurry digestate amendment on the abundance and proportion dynamics of five antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and two classes of integron-integrase genes (intI1 and intI2) in agricultural grassland soil. Fertilization was performed thrice throughout one vegetation period. The targeted ARGs (sul1, tetA, blaCTX-M, blaOXA2 and qnrS) encode resistance to several major antibiotic classes used in veterinary medicine such as sulfonamides, tetracycline, cephalosporins, penicillin and fluoroquinolones, respectively. The non-fertilized grassland soil contained a stable background of tetA, blaCTX-M and sul1 genes. The type of applied fertilizer significantly affected ARGs and integron-integrase genes abundances and proportions in the bacterial community (porganic fertilizer's application event, but this increase was followed by a stage of decrease, suggesting that microbes possessing these genes were predominantly entrained into soil via cattle slurry or its digestate application and had somewhat limited survival potential in a soil environment. However, the abundance of these three target genes did not decrease to a background level by the end of the study period. TetA was most abundant in mineral fertilizer treated soil and blaCTX-M in cattle slurry digestate amended soil. Despite significantly different abundances, the abundance dynamics of bacteria possessing these genes were similar (p<0.05 in all cases) in different treatments and resembled the dynamics of the whole bacterial community abundance in each soil treatment. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Soil biota response to amendment with biochar as P and K fertilizer

Science.gov (United States)

Winding, Anne; Imparato, Valentina; Santos, Susana; Hansen, Veronika; Haugaard-Nielsen, Henrik; Browne, Patrick; Hestbjerg Hansen, Lars; Henning Krogh, Paul; Johansen, Anders

2017-04-01

Thermal gasification converts biomass into a combustible gas at oxygen-poor conditions, the bi-product being biochar which can be used as soil amendment to increase pH, sequester carbon to mitigate climate change, and supply phosphate and potassium to crops; replacing chemical or other alternative organic fertilizers. Amending soil with biochar can support three soil functions: production of food, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity. This was tested in a field experiment with reduced-tillage agricultural management, where the effect of biochar amendment on soil ecosystem services, especially biodiversity and carbon sequestration were studied. The effects on soil microorganisms and fauna (protists and earthworms) were assessed with activity based assays and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Crops were alternating oil seed rape and winter wheat, and biochar was added annually for 3 years. The soil was a sandy loam soil with SOM content of ca. 5%. Earthworms and soil were sampled from field plots either left untreated, amended with straw or annually amended with either 6-8 t ha-1 or ca. 1 t ha-1 biochar. Soil was sampled from bulk soil and earthworm drilosphere. Earthworms had a priming effect on protist abundance and basal soil respiration. However, in biochar amended soil the protist abundance decreased in the drilosphere. Culturable bacteria and extracellular enzymatic activities were not significantly affected by earthworms. The abundance of only one earthworm species increased at high compared to low application levels of biochar, while still not differing from controls without biochar. Thus, no harmful effects were detected for earthworms. At the lower biochar amendment, significant changes were observed for the activity of a few selected enzymes related to biochar and also a relative increase in abundance of low abundant microorganisms was seen. At the high doses of biochar the abundance of protists increased compared to control. NGS analysis was more

Transformation of fertilizer nitrogen in soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soechting, H.

1980-01-01

Pot experiments are described in which the transformations between nitrogen added as fertilizer urea, plant-assimilated nitrogen, and different chemical fractions of soil or added straw nitrogen were studied with 15 N as a tracer. The data indicated that: (a) The transformation of added fertilizer nitrogen to immobilized amide nitrogen is decreased with added decomposable organic carbon. The transformation to immobilized α-amino N is increased, on the other hand, by the addition of decomposable organic carbon. (b) The freshly immobilized amide nitrogen is more readily remineralized than the α-amino form. The immobilization of added nitrogen continues in the presence of growing plants. (c) Mineralization of nitrogen added as 15 N-labelled straw is also increased with increasing fertilizer-nitrogen additions. (author)

Fertilizer shanks to promote soil decompaction in the seeding operation

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Marta Sandra Drescher

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Intensification of soil compaction process under no-tillage (NT is motivating the search for alternatives to mitigate soil compaction state. This study evaluated changes in soil physical and hydraulic properties caused by seeder with fertilizer shanks at different depths compared with the double discs lagged seeder, to investigate the possibility of soil decompaction by sowing under NT in southern Brazil. The study was conducted in a clayed Oxisol, for 27 years under NT. Treatments were three planting mechanisms: S0.10m: cutting disc combined with shank acting to 0.10m depth; S0.15m: cutting disc combined with shank acting to 0.15m depth and, D0.07m: double discs lagged acting to 0.07m depth in an experimental randomized block design with four replications. We evaluated the soil mechanical resistance, water infiltration rate, soil bulk density, pore size distribution and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. Results indicated that the use of seeder with fertilizer shanks acting at 0.15m deep promoted the soil decompaction by the reduction of penetration resistance and increase of porosity and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. To have significant increase in water infiltration rate the fertilizer shanks of the seeder must be deepened to the lower limit of the compacted surface layer.

Nodulation, dry matter production and N2 fixation by fababean and chickpea as affected by soil moisture and potassium fertilizer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurdali, F.; Al-Ain, F.; Al-Ahamma, M.

2003-01-01

The impact of three rates of K-fertilizer (0, 75, and 150 kg K 2 O/ha)on nodulation, dry matter production and N 2 fixation by fababean (Vicia faba L.) and chickpea (Cirer arietinum L.) was evaluated in a pot experiment. The plants were subjected to three soil moisture regimes (low, 45-50%; moderate, 55-60% and high 75-80% of field capacity). 15 N-isotope dilution method was employed to evaluate N 2 fixation using a non-fixing chickpea genotype as a reference crop. Water restriction drastically affected dry matter production, nodulation and N 2 fixation by both plant species. The negative effect of water stress on %N 2 fixed was more prominent in chickpea (11-58%) than in fababean (68-81%) under low and high % of field capacity, respectively. Plant species differed in their response to K-fertilizer as a mean to enhance growth and overcome the stress conditions. The higher level of K fertilizer increased both dry matter production and total N 2 fixed in fababean, but did not have any impact on chickpea. %N 2 fixed, however, appeared to be unaffected by K fertilizer as a mean of alleviating drought stress in both plant species. Therefore, it appears that, under the experimental conditions, the beneficial effect of potassium on water-stressed fababean resulted from stimulation the growth rather than improving the N 2 -fixation efficiency. However, under well-watered plants, a high requirement of the symbiotic system to potassium is needed to ensure and optimal growth and N 2 -fixation. (author)

Economic evaluation of soil fertility management in groundnut fields ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper provides the economic evaluation of soil fertility replenishing technologies (use of inorganic fertilizers, organic manure, and rhizobium inoculant) that were tested and recommended. Data on groundnut technologies used, yields, resource availability and use, and farmers' characteristics were collected through ...

Tillage, fertilization systems and chemical attributes of a Paleudult

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evelyn Penedo Dorneles

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Tillage and fertilization methods may affect soil fertility. With the aim of assessing changes in soil chemical properties over a period of ten years, soil samples of a Paleudult were collected over nine seasons at three layer depths (0-5, 5-10, 10-20 cm and were chemically analyzed. Grain yield and nutrient export in two summer crops, soybean (Glycine max and corn (Zea mays, in a field experiment set in Eldorado do Sul, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were determined. Three soil tillage systems were evaluated, conventional (CT, reduced (RT and no-tillage (NT, combined with mineral (lime and fertilizers and organic (poultry litter fertilization. The no-tillage system stood out as compared to the others, especially in the surface layer, in terms of values of organic matter, soil pH, available phosphorus, cation exchange capacity and base saturation. Phosphorus content was higher under organic than mineral fertilization due to the criteria used for the establishment of fertilizer doses. Under organic fertilization, soil pH values were similar to those obtained in limed soil samples because of the cumulative effect of the organic fertilizer. Soybean yield was lower under NT in comparison to the RT and CT systems. Consequently, soybean grain exported a lower content of nutrients than maize grain. Maize yield was not affected by either tillage or fertilization systems.

[Mechanism of nutrient preservation and supply by soil and its regulation. IV. Fertility regulation and improvement of brown earth type vegetable garden soil and their essence].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, L; Zhou, L

2000-08-01

Pot experiment studies on the fertility regulation and improvement of fertile and infertile brown earth type vegetable garden soils and their functionary essence show that under conditions of taking different soil fertility improvement measures, the nutrient contents in fertile and infertile soils were not always higher than the controls, but the aggregation densities of soil microaggregates were increased, and the proportion of different microaggregates was more rational. There was no significant relationship between soil productivity and soil microaggregates proportion. It is proved that the essence of soil fertility improvement consists in the ultimate change of the preservation and supply capacities of soil nutrients, and the proportion of soil microaggregates could be an integrative index to evaluate the level of soil fertility and the efficiency of soil improvement.

Relationships between nutrient-related plant traits and combinations of soil N and P fertility measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujita, Yuki; van Bodegom, Peter M; Witte, Jan-Philip M

2013-01-01

Soil fertility and nutrient-related plant functional traits are in general only moderately related, hindering the progress in trait-based prediction models of vegetation patterns. Although the relationships may have been obscured by suboptimal choices in how soil fertility is expressed, there has never been a systematic investigation into the suitability of fertility measures. This study, therefore, examined the effect of different soil fertility measures on the strength of fertility-trait relationships in 134 natural plant communities. In particular, for eight plot-mean traits we examined (1) whether different elements (N or P) have contrasting or shared influences, (2) which timescale of fertility measures (e.g. mineralization rates for one or five years) has better predictive power, and (3) if integrated fertility measures explain trait variation better than individual fertility measures. Soil N and P had large mutual effects on leaf nutrient concentrations, whereas they had element-specific effects on traits related to species composition (e.g. Grime's CSR strategy). The timescale of fertility measures only had a minor impact on fertility-trait relationships. Two integrated fertility measures (one reflecting overall fertility, another relative availability of soil N and P) were related significantly to most plant traits, but were not better in explaining trait variation than individual fertility measures. Using all fertility measures together, between-site variations of plant traits were explained only moderately for some traits (e.g. 33% for leaf N concentrations) but largely for others (e.g. 66% for whole-canopy P concentration). The moderate relationships were probably due to complex regulation mechanisms of fertility on traits, rather than to a wrong choice of fertility measures. We identified both mutual (i.e. shared) and divergent (i.e. element-specific and stoichiometric) effects of soil N and P on traits, implying the importance of explicitly

Plant-Soil Relationships of Bromus tectorum L.: Interactions among Labile Carbon Additions, Soil Invasion Status, and Fertilizer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blank, R.R.; Young, J.A.

2010-01-01

Invasion of western North America by the annual exotic grass Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass) has been an ecological disaster. High soil bioavailability of nitrogen is a contributing factor in the invasive potential of B. tectorum. Application of labile carbon sources to the soil can immobilize soil nitrogen and favor native species. We studied the interaction of labile carbon addition (sucrose), with soil invasion status and fertilizer addition on the growth of B. tectorum. Soils were non invaded (BNI) and B. tectorum invaded (BI). Treatments were control, sucrose, combined fertilizer, and sucrose + fertilizer. The greenhouse experiment continued for 3 growth-cycles. After the 1st growth-cycle, sucrose addition reduced B. tectorum aboveground mass almost 70 times for the BI soil but did not significantly reduce growth in the BNI soil. B. tectorum aboveground mass, after the 1st growth-cycle, was over 27 times greater for BI control soils than BNI control soils. Although sucrose addition reduced soil-solution NO 3 , tissue N was not significantly lowered, suggesting that reduction of soil available N may not be solely responsible for reduction in B. tectorum growth. Non invaded soil inhibits growth of B. tectorum. Understanding this mechanism may lead to viable control strategies.

Degradation of ¹³C-labeled pyrene in soil-compost mixtures and fertilized soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Adam, Iris K U; Miltner, Anja; Kästner, Matthias

2015-11-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are toxic pollutants widely distributed in the environment due to natural and anthropogenic processes. In order to mitigate tar oil contaminations with PAH, research on improving bioremediation approaches, which are sometimes inefficient, is needed. However, the knowledge on the fate of PAH-derived carbon and the microbial degraders in particular in compost-supplemented soils is still limited. Here we show the PAH carbon turnover mass balance in microcosms with soil-compost mixtures or in farmyard fertilized soil using [(13)C6]-pyrene as a model PAH. Complete pyrene degradation of 100 mg/kg of soil was observed in all supplemented microcosms within 3 to 5 months, and the residual (13)C was mainly found as carbon converted to microbial biomass. Long-term fertilization of soil with farmyard manure resulted in pyrene removal efficiency similar to compost addition, although with a much longer lag phase, higher mineralization, and lower carbon incorporation into the biomass. Organic amendments either as long-term manure fertilization or as compost amendment thus play a key role in increasing the PAH-degrading potential of the soil microbial community. Phospholipid fatty acid stable isotope probing (PLFA-SIP) was used to trace the carbon within the microbial population and the amount of biomass formed from pyrene degradation. The results demonstrate that complex microbial degrader consortia rather than the expected single key players are responsible for PAH degradation in organic-amended soil.

Understanding the Role of Microorganisms in Soil Quality and Fertility under changing Climatic Conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dercon, Gerd; Adu-Gyamfi, Joseph; Heiling, Maria; Aigner, Martina; Nguyen, Minh-Long [Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Seibersdorf (Austria); Schwartz, Egbert [Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, (United States); Dexin, Lin [Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Seibersdorf, (Austria); Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fujian (China)

2013-01-15

The Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition (SWMCN) Subprogramme (Section and Laboratory) assists FAO and IAEA Member States in the development, validation and dissemination of a range of soil, water and crop management technology packages using nuclear and nuclear-related techniques. In the coming years, SWMCN aims to (i) improve soil quality and soil resilience against the impacts of climate change and variability and (ii) reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase soil carbon sequestration in both productive and marginal lands. To achieve these aims, the SWMCN Subprogramme is planning to put major emphasis on applied microbial ecology. Microbial communities play a major role in soil fertility improvement through the decomposition of crop residues, live- stock manure and soil organic matter. These microbes are often affected by variations in rainfall and temperature patterns caused by climate change. Recent advances in the use of stable isotopes like carbon-3, nitrogen-5 and oxygen-18 as biomarkers to characterize microbial communities and their interactions with soil nutrient and organic matter processes, known as stable isotope probing (SIP), are important for soil-water-nutrient management. SIP helps us to understand the interactions between soil microbial communities and their specific functions in soil carbon sequestration, soil organic matter stabilization, soil fertility and soil resilience, as well as the soil productive capacity for sustainable intensification of cropping and livestock production. SIP involves the introduction of a stable isotope labelled substrate into a soil microbial community to trace the fate of the substrate. This allows direct observations of substrate assimilation to be made in minimally disturbed communities of microorganisms. Microorganisms that are actively involved in specific metabolic processes can be identified under in-situ conditions. SIP is most developed for carbon-13 probing, but studies using nitrogen-15 and

Fertilization with liquid digestate in organic farming - effects on humus balance, soil potassium contents and soil physical properties

Science.gov (United States)

Erhart, Eva; Siegl, Thomas; Bonell, Marion; Unterfrauner, Hans; Peticzka, Robert; Ableidinger, Christoph; Haas, Dieter; Hartl, Wilfried

2014-05-01

Biogas production and use of liquid digestate are subject of controversial discussion in organic farming. Using biomass from intercrops as feedstock for biogas production makes it possible to produce renewable energy without compromising food production. With liquid digestate, crops can be fertilized in a more targeted way than by incorporating intercrop biomass into the soil. For long-term sustainability in organic farming, however, this practice must not have adverse effects on soil fertility. In order to assess the effects of fertilization with liquid digestate on soil fertility, two randomised field experiments were conducted for two years on different soil types near Bruck/Leitha (Lower Austria). One experiment was set up on a calcareous chernozem with 4 % humus content, the other on a parachernozem with pH 5.9 and 2.1 % humus. Soil potassium content, both in the water-soluble fraction and in the exchangeable fraction, increased significantly at both sites. As fertilization with liquid digestate exceeded the potassium requirements of the crops by far, the proportion of potassium of the exchangeable cations increased rapidly. Soil physical properties were not influenced by digestate fertilization on the chernozem site. On the parachernozem, aggregate stability was increased by the organic matter applied via digestate. On this acidic site low in humus content, the supply of 4 t/ha organic matter, which featured a lignin content of 37 % and was relatively resistant to decomposition, had a clearly positive impact on soil physical properties. Humus balances were computed both with the 'Humuseinheiten'-method and with the site-adapted method STAND. They were calculated on the basis of equal amounts of intercrop biomass either left on the field as green manure or used for biogas production and the resulting amount of liquid digestate brought back to the field. The humus balances indicated that the humus-efficacy of the liquid digestate was equal to slightly higher

Soil fertility and plant nutrition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menzel, R.G.; Smith, S.J.

1984-01-01

The applications of isotopic and related techniques, including autoradiography, radiation absorption, radiation scattering and activation analysis, in investigations on soil fertility and plant nutrition are discussed. The unique information that can be obtained with isotopes and radiation techniques is indicated. The advantages and disadvantages of these techniques are discussed in relation to other methods of obtaining similar information. (U.K.)

Using organic matter to increase soil fertility in Burundi: potentials and limitations

Science.gov (United States)

Kaboneka, Salvator

2015-04-01

Agriculture production in Burundi is dominated by small scale farmers (0.5 ha/household) who have only very limited access to mineral inputs. In the past, farmers have relied on fallow practices combined with farm yard manures to maintain and improve soil fertility. However, due to the high population growth and high population density (370/km²), fallow practices are nowadays no longer feasible, animal manures cannot be produced in sufficient quantities to maintain soil productivity and food insecurity has become a quasi permanent reality. Most Burundian soils are characterized by 1:1 types of clay minerals (kaolinite) and are acidic in nature. Such soils are of very low cation exchange capacity (CEC). To compare the effect of % clays and % organic matter (% C), correlations tests have been conducted between the two parameters and the CEC. It was found that in high altitude kaolinitic and acidic soils, CEC was highly correlated to % C and less correlated to % clay, suggesting that organic matter could play an important role in improving fertility and productivity of these soils. Based on these findings, additional studies have been conducted to evaluate the fertilizer and soil amendment values of animal manures (cattle, goat, chicken), and leguminous (Calliandra calothyrsus, Gliricidia sepium, Senna simea, Senna spectabilis) and non-leguminous (Tithonia diversifolia) foliar biomass. It was observed that chicken manure significantly reduces Al3+ levels in acidic soils, while Tithonia diversifolia outperforms in nutrient releases compared to the commonly known leguminous agroforestry shrubs and trees indicated above. Although the above mentioned organic sources can contribute to the soil nutrients supply, the quantities potentially available on farm are generally small. The only solution is to supplement these organic sources with other organic sources (compost, organic household waste), chemical fertilizers and mineral amendments (lime) to achieve Integrated Soil

Practice makes perfect: participatory innovation in soil fertility management to improve rural livelihoods in East Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jager, de A.

2007-01-01

Keywords: soil nutrient balances, soil fertility degradation, East Africa , participatory innovation, experiential learning, farmer field schools, smallholder agriculture

Maintaining and improving soil fertility is crucial for Africa to attain the Millennium Development Goals. Fertile

Effects of fertilizers, fungicides and herbicides on the fate of 14C-parathion and 14C-fonofos in soils and crops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lichtenstein, E.P.; Ferris, I.; Liang, T.T.; Koeppe, M.

1983-01-01

The fate of 14 C-parathion and 14 C-fonofos in soil is significantly affected by the presence of organic and inorganic fertilizers, fungicides and herbicides, possibly via the effect of soil microflora. Soil microorganisms are responsible for the oxidative as well as the reductive degradation of the insecticide. Using 14 carbon, the authors studied the effects of selected fungicides (benlate, captafol and manzate) herbicides (2,4-D parathion) and fertilizers ((NH 4 ) 6 SO 4 , KNO 3 , urea) on pesticides in Cromberry soils. Results of the study stress the importance of investigating the environmental fate of a particular pesticide in relation to the presence of the agricultural chemicals

Compaction and soil fertility after eucalyptus harvesting using Feller Buncher and Skidder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Lúcia Piedade Sodero Martins Pincelli

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This study analyzed, the impact of Feller Buncher and Skidder traffic in harvesting areas of eucalyptus in Mogi Guaçu, considering the compaction and fertilization effects in the range of soil next to the carrier during the cycle of forest growth. An increase in soil compaction, caused by machinery traffic in topsoil (0-10 cm, was observed in the area recently harvested. The soils of the study areas, with eucalyptus 1.4 and 6.0 years old, showed good fertility conditions, especially the older area, where decomposition of forest residues possibly contributed to such fertility.

Grounded in the landscape: Eliciting farmers' understanding of soil and soil fertility, Mali (West Africa)

OpenAIRE

Crane, T.

2002-01-01

In order to develop convincing messages and sustainable interventions, it is necessary to understand how farmers themselves perceive soil conditions and how these perceptions influence their soil management and land use decisions. This brief illustrates an ethno-scientific methodology for eliciting farmers' conceptualization of soil and soil fertility.

Optimizing Available Phosphorus in Calcareous Soils Fertilized with Diammonium Phosphate and Phosphoric Acid Using Freundlich Adsorption Isotherm

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Asif Naeem

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In calcareous soils, phosphorus (P retention and immobilization take place due to precipitation and adsorption. Since soil pH is considered a major soil variable affecting the P sorption, an acidic P fertilizer could result in low P adsorption compared to alkaline one. Therefore, P adsorption from DAP and phosphoric acid (PA required to produce desired soil solution P concentration was estimated using Freundlich sorption isotherms. Two soils from Faisalabad and T. T. Singh districts were spiked with 0, 10, and 20 % for 15 days. Freundlich adsorption isotherms ( were constructed, and theoretical doses of PA and DAP to develop a desired soil solution P level (i.e., 0.20 mg L−1 were calculated. It was observed that P adsorption in soil increased with . Moreover, at all the levels of , P adsorption from PA was lower compared to that from DAP in both the soils. Consequently, lesser quantity of PA was required to produce desired solution P, 0.2 mg L−1, compared to DAP. However, extrapolating the developed relationship between soil contents and quantity of fertilizer to other similar textured soils needs confirmation.

Effect of fertilizer and irradiation sterilization on the degradation of lindane in soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennaceur, M.; Ghezal, F.

1992-10-01

The effect of fertilizer and sterelization using irradiation were studied on the fate of lindane degradation in two soils under laboratory conditions. Degradation of lindane is higher in organic matter rich soil. Half life of product is respectively about one week and one month for both rich soil and poor soil. Fertilizer used decreases PH of soils and irradiation dose of 1 mrad seems to be insufficient to sterilize completely the soils. Ammonium nitrate stimulates slightly the degradations of lindane in soil (not sterilized) after two months

Practice makes perfect: participatory innovation in soil fertility management to improve rural livelihoods in East Africa

OpenAIRE

Jager, de, A.

2007-01-01

Keywords: soil nutrient balances, soil fertility degradation, East Africa , participatory innovation, experiential learning, farmer field schools, smallholder agriculture Maintaining and improving soil fertility is crucial for Africa to attain the Millennium Development Goals. Fertile soil and balanced soil nutrient management are major foundations for sustainable food production, contribute to a sound management of natural resources and assist in controlling environmental degradation such ...

Biochar affects soil organic matter cycling and microbial functions but does not alter microbial community structure in a paddy soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Jing; Wang, Jingyuan; Dippold, Michaela; Gao, Yang; Blagodatskaya, Evgenia; Kuzyakov, Yakov

2016-06-15

The application of biochar (BC) in conjunction with mineral fertilizers is one of the most promising management practices recommended to improve soil quality. However, the interactive mechanisms of BC and mineral fertilizer addition affecting microbial communities and functions associated with soil organic matter (SOM) cycling are poorly understood. We investigated the SOM in physical and chemical fractions, microbial community structure (using phospholipid fatty acid analysis, PLFA) and functions (by analyzing enzymes involved in C and N cycling and Biolog) in a 6-year field experiment with BC and NPK amendment. BC application increased total soil C and particulate organic C for 47.4-50.4% and 63.7-74.6%, respectively. The effects of BC on the microbial community and C-cycling enzymes were dependent on fertilization. Addition of BC alone did not change the microbial community compared with the control, but altered the microbial community structure in conjunction with NPK fertilization. SOM fractions accounted for 55% of the variance in the PLFA-related microbial community structure. The particulate organic N explained the largest variation in the microbial community structure. Microbial metabolic activity strongly increased after BC addition, particularly the utilization of amino acids and amines due to an increase in the activity of proteolytic (l-leucine aminopeptidase) enzymes. These results indicate that microorganisms start to mine N from the SOM to compensate for high C:N ratios after BC application, which consequently accelerate cycling of stable N. Concluding, BC in combination with NPK fertilizer application strongly affected microbial community composition and functions, which consequently influenced SOM cycling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soil respiration, microbial biomass and exoenzyme activity in switchgrass stands under nitrogen fertilization management and climate warming.

Science.gov (United States)

Jian, S.; Li, J.; de Koff, J.; Celada, S.; Mayes, M. A.; Wang, G.; Guo, C.

2016-12-01

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), as a model bioenergy crop, received nitrogen fertilizers for increasing its biomass yields. Studies rarely investigate the interactive effects of nitrogen fertilization and climate warming on soil microbial activity and carbon cycling in switchgrass cropping systems. Enhanced nitrogen availability under fertilization can alter rates of soil organic matter decomposition and soil carbon emissions to the atmosphere and thus have an effect on climate change. Here, we assess soil CO2 emission, microbial biomass and exoenzyme activities in two switchgrass stands with no fertilizer and 60 lbs N / acre. Soils were incubated at 15 ºC and 20 ºC for 180-day. Dry switchgrass plant materials were added to incubation jars and the 13C stable isotopic probing technique was used to monitor soil CO2 respiration derived from relatively labile litter and indigenous soil. Measurements of respiration, δ13C of respiration, microbial biomass carbon and exoenzyme activity were performed on days 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180. Soil respiration rate was greater in the samples incubated at 20 ºC as compared to those incubated at 15 ºC. Exoenzyme activities were significantly altered by warming, litter addition and nitrogen fertilization. There was a significant interactive effect of nitrogen fertilization and warming on the proportion of CO2 respired from soils such that nitrogen fertilization enhanced warming-induced increase by 12.0% (Pmineralization. Fertilization increased soil microbial biomass carbon at both temperatures (9.0% at 15 ºC and 14.5% at 20 ºC). Our preliminary analysis suggested that warming effects on enhanced soil respiration can be further increased with elevated fertilizer input via greater microbial biomass and exoenzyme activity. In addition to greater biomass yield under N fertilization, this study informs potential soil carbon loss from stimulated soil respiration under nitrogen fertilization and warming in

Effect of organic and inorganic fertilizer applied together on N and P absorption and soil fertility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Kuibo; Yu Meiyan; Shen Xiuzhen; Wang Tongyan; Chen Xueliu; Wang Zhifen

1994-01-01

15 N trace experiments show that organic and inorganic fertilizer applied together promotes organic N mineralization and absorption. Base fertilizer is mainly for nutrition organs and spring fertilizer for reproduction organs. Organic and inorganic fertilizer applied together obtained the highest production efficiency of total N. Total P amount in wheat plant is slightly higher than that of inorganic N applied only, but P distribution in nutrition organs was slightly lower than that of inorganic N applied only. Organic and inorganic fertilizer applied together, not only promoted the production but also increased fertility of soil, so it is an important measure for wheat to obtain high production continuously

Spring nitrogen fertilization of ryegrass-bermudagrass for phytoremediation of phosphorus-enriched soils

Science.gov (United States)

Nitrogen fertilization of forage grasses is critical for optimizing biomass and utilization of manure soil nutrients. Field studies were conducted in 2007-09 to determine the effects of spring N fertilization on amelioration of high soil P when cool-season, annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) is...

[Effects of mechanical transplanting of rice with controlled release bulk blending fertilizer on rice yield and soil fertility].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xuan; Ding, Jun-Shan; Liu, Yan-Ling; Gu, Yan; Han, Ke-Feng; Wu, Liang-Huan

2014-03-01

Abstract: A 2-year field experiment with a yellow-clay paddy soil in Zhejiang Province was conducted to study the effects of different planting measures combined with different fertilization practices on rice yield, soil nutrients, microbial biomass C and N and activities of urease, phosphatase, sucrase and hydrogen peroxidase at the maturity stage. Results showed that mechanical transplanting of rice with controlled release bulk blending (BB) fertilizer (BBMT) could achieve a significantly higher mean yield than traditional manual transplanting with traditional fertilizer (TFTM) and direct seeding with controlled release BB fertilizer (BBDS) by 16.3% and 27.0%, respectively. The yield by BBMT was similar to that by traditional manual transplanting with controlled release BB fertilizer (BBTM). Compared with TFTM, BBMT increased the contents of soil total-N, available N, available P and microbial biomass C, and the activities of urease, sucrase and hydrogen peroxidase by 21.5%, 13.6%, 41.2%, 27.1%, 50.0%, 22.5% and 46.2%, respectively. Therefore, BBMT, a simple high-efficiency rice cultivation method with use of a light-weighted mechanical transplanter, should be widely promoted and adopted.

Influence of soil fertility on waterlogging tolerance of two Brachiaria grasses

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Juan de la Cruz Jiménez

2015-04-01

Full Text Available As a consequence of global warming, rainfall is expected to increase in several regions around the world. This, together with poor soil drainage, will result in waterlogged soil conditions. Brachiaria grasses are widely sown in the tropics and, these grasses confront seasonal waterlogged conditions. Several studies have indicated that an increase in nutrient availability could reduce the negative impact of waterlogging. Therefore, an outdoor study was conducted to evaluate the responses of two Brachiaria sp. grasses with contrasting tolerances to waterlogging, B. ruziziensis (sensitive and B. humidicola (tolerant, with two soil fertility levels. The genotypes were grown with two different soil fertilization levels (high and low and under well-drained or waterlogged soil conditions for 15 days. The biomass production, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic efficiency, and macro- (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S and micronutrient (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn and B contents in the shoot tissue were determined. Significant differences in the nutrient content of the genotypes and treatments were found. An increase of redoximorphic elements (Fe and Mn in the soil solution occurred with the waterlogging. The greater tolerance of B. humidicola to waterlogged conditions might be due to an efficient root system that is able to acquire nutrients (N, P, K and potentially exclude phytotoxic elements (Fe and Mn under waterlogged conditions. A high nutrient availability in the waterlogged soils did not result in an improved tolerance for B. ruziziensis. The greater growth impairment seen in the B. ruziziensis with high soil fertility and waterlogging (as opposed to low soil fertility and waterlogging was possibly due to an increased concentration of redoximorphic elements under these conditions.

Long-term fertilization alters chemically-separated soil organic carbon pools: Based on stable C isotope analyses

Science.gov (United States)

Dou, Xiaolin; He, Ping; Cheng, Xiaoli; Zhou, Wei

2016-01-01

Quantification of dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools under the influence of long-term fertilization is essential for predicting carbon (C) sequestration. We combined soil chemical fractionation with stable C isotope analyses to investigate the C dynamics of the various SOC pools after 25 years of fertilization. Five types of soil samples (0-20, 20-40 cm) including the initial level (CK) and four fertilization treatments (inorganic nitrogen fertilizer, IN; balanced inorganic fertilizer, NPK; inorganic fertilizer plus farmyard manure, MNPK; inorganic fertilizer plus corn straw residue, SNPK) were separated into recalcitrant and labile fractions, and the fractions were analysed for C content, C:N ratios, δ13C values, soil C and N recalcitrance indexes (RIC and RIN). Chemical fractionation showed long-term MNPK fertilization strongly increased the SOC storage in both soil layers (0-20 cm = 1492.4 gC m2 and 20-40 cm = 1770.6 gC m2) because of enhanced recalcitrant C (RC) and labile C (LC). The 25 years of inorganic fertilizer treatment did not increase the SOC storage mainly because of the offsetting effects of enhanced RC and decreased LC, whereas no clear SOC increases under the SNPK fertilization resulted from the fast decay rates of soil C.

Long-term Fertilization Structures Bacterial and Archaeal Communities along Soil Depth Gradient in a Paddy Soil

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Yunfu Gu

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Soil microbes provide important ecosystem services. Though the effects of changes in nutrient availability due to fertilization on the soil microbial communities in the topsoil (tilled layer, 0–20 cm have been extensively explored, the effects on communities and their associations with soil nutrients in the subsoil (below 20 cm which is rarely impacted by tillage are still unclear. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was used to investigate bacterial and archaeal communities in a Pup-Calric-Entisol soil treated for 32 years with chemical fertilizer (CF and CF combined with farmyard manure (CFM, and to reveal links between soil properties and specific bacterial and archaeal taxa in both the top- and subsoil. The results showed that both CF and CFM treatments increased soil organic carbon (SOC, soil moisture (MO and total nitrogen (TN while decreased the nitrate_N content through the profile. Fertilizer applications also increased Olsen phosphorus (OP content in most soil layers. Microbial communities in the topsoil were significantly different from those in subsoil. Compared to the CF treatment, taxa such as Nitrososphaera, Nitrospira, and several members of Acidobacteria in topsoil and Subdivision 3 genera incertae sedis, Leptolinea, and Bellilinea in subsoil were substantially more abundant in CFM. A co-occurrence based network analysis demonstrated that SOC and OP were the most important soil parameters that positively correlated with specific bacterial and archaeal taxa in topsoil and subsoil, respectively. Hydrogenophaga was identified as the keystone genus in the topsoil, while genera Phenylobacterium and Steroidobacter were identified as the keystone taxa in subsoil. The taxa identified above are involved in the decomposition of complex organic compounds and soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus transformations. This study revealed that the spatial variability of soil properties due to long-term fertilization strongly shapes the bacterial

Initial growth of Schizolobium parahybae in Brazilian Cerrado soil under liming and mineral fertilization

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Ademilson Coneglian

Full Text Available ABSTRACT High prices and the scarcity of hardwoods require the use of alternative wood sources, such as the Guapuruvu (Schizolobium parahybae, an arboreal species native to the Atlantic Forest, which has fast growth and high market potential. However, there is no information on its cultivation in the Brazilian Cerrado. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the contribution of mineral fertilization and liming in a Cerrado soil on the initial growth of Schizolobium parahybae. The experiment was set in a randomized block design, with 4 treatments (Cerrado soil; soil + liming; soil + fertilizer; and soil + fertilizer + liming and 15 replicates. The following variables were analyzed: plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, total, shoot, leaf, root and stem dry matter, and root/shoot ratio. The obtained data were subjected to the analysis of variance, Tukey test and regression analysis. During the initial growth, Schizolobium parahybae can be cultivated in a Brazilian Cerrado soil only under mineral fertilization, with no need for soil liming.

Contrasting responses of bacterial and fungal communities to aggregate-size fractions and long-term fertilizations in soils of northeastern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Hao; Zhang, Yuchen; Zuo, Qinyan; Du, Binbin; Chen, Wenli; Wei, Dan; Huang, Qiaoyun

2018-04-20

Soils, with non-uniform distribution of nutrients across different aggregate-size fractions, provide spatially heterogeneous microhabitats for microorganisms. However, very limited information is available on microbial distributions and their response to fertilizations across aggregate-size fractions in agricultural soils. Here, we examined the structures of bacterial and fungal communities across different aggregate-size fractions (2000-250 μm, 250-53 μm and fractions (>53 μm), especially 250-53 μm aggregates, which contain more soil C and N, are associated with greater microbial biomass and higher fungi/bacteria ratio. We firstly reported the fungal community composition in different aggregate-size fractions by HTS technology and found more Ascomycota but less Zygomycota in larger fractions with higher C content across all fertilization regimes. Fertilization and aggregate-size fractions significantly affect the compositions of bacterial and fungal communities although their effects are different. The bacterial community is mainly driven by fertilization, especially chemical fertilizers, and is closely related to the shifts of soil P (phosphorus). The fungal community is preferentially impacted by different aggregate-size fractions and is more associated with the changes of soil C and N. The distinct responses of microbial communities suggest different mechanisms controlling the assembly of soil bacterial and fungal communities at aggregate scale. The investigations of both bacterial and fungal communities could provide a better understanding on nutrient cycling across aggregate-size fractions. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cadmium in fertilizers, soil, crops and foods - the Swedish situation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hellstrand, S; Landner, L [Swedish Environmental Research Group (MFG)

1998-03-01

The aim of this report is to review available information on the fluxes of cadmium (Cd) to agricultural soils and crops in Sweden from phosphorus fertilizers (P-fertilizer) and other sources, and to discuss how the content of Cd in soil, crops and human food may be influenced by the specific environmental conditions in Sweden, as well as by the agricultural practices used in the country 62 refs, 15 figs, 18 tabs. With 5 page summary in Swedish

Pyrolytic Treatment and Fertility Enhancement of Soils Contaminated with Heavy Hydrocarbons.

Science.gov (United States)

Vidonish, Julia E; Zygourakis, Kyriacos; Masiello, Caroline A; Gao, Xiaodong; Mathieu, Jacques; Alvarez, Pedro J J

2016-03-01

Pyrolysis of contaminated soils at 420 °C converted recalcitrant heavy hydrocarbons into "char" (a carbonaceous material similar to petroleum coke) and enhanced soil fertility. Pyrolytic treatment reduced total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) to below regulatory standards (typically hydrocarbons (PAHs) was not observed, with post-pyrolysis levels well below applicable standards. Plant growth studies showed a higher biomass production of Arabidopsis thaliana and Lactuca sativa (Simpson black-seeded lettuce) (80-900% heavier) in pyrolyzed soils than in contaminated or incinerated soils. Elemental analysis showed that pyrolyzed soils contained more carbon than incinerated soils (1.4-3.2% versus 0.3-0.4%). The stark color differences between pyrolyzed and incinerated soils suggest that the carbonaceous material produced via pyrolysis was dispersed in the form of a layer coating the soil particles. Overall, these results suggest that soil pyrolysis could be a viable thermal treatment to quickly remediate soils impacted by weathered oil while improving soil fertility, potentially enhancing revegetation.

Tomato nitrogen accumulation and fertilizer use efficiency on a sandy soil, as affected by nitrogen rate and irrigation scheduling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zotarelli, L.; Dukes, M.D.; Scholberg, J.M.S.; Munoz-Carpena, R.; Icerman, J.

2009-01-01

Tomato production systems in Florida are typically intensively managed with high inputs of fertilizer and irrigation and on sandy soils with low inherent water and nutrient retention capacities; potential nutrient leaching losses undermine the sustainability of such systems. The objectives of this

[Effects of long-term fertilization on enzyme activities in black soil of Northeast China].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shu-Qi; Han, Xiao-Zeng; Qiao, Yun-Fa; Wang, Shou-Yu

2008-03-01

In this paper, black soil samples at the depths of 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm were collected from the Hailun Agricultural Ecology Station of Chinese Academy of Sciences to study the effects of long-term fertilization on their urease, invertase, phosphatase and catalase activities and total C and N contents. The results showed that long-term application of chemical fertilizers and organic manure increased the activities of urease, invertase and phosphatase in 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm soil layers in different degree, and the combined application of them increased the activities of the three enzymes significantly, with an increment of 43.6%-113.2%, 25.9%-79.5% and 14.7%-134.4% in 0-20 cm soil layer and 56.1%-127.2%, 14.5%-113.8% and 16.2%-207.2% in 20-40 cm soil layer, respectively. However, long-term application of chemical fertilizers without organic manure had little effects on catalase activity. The activities of urease, invertase and phosphatase decreased with increasing soil depth. Long-term application of N fertilizer increased urease activity, and P fertilization had obvious positive effect on phosphatase activity. Long-term fertilization also had obvious effects on the soil total C and N contents and C/N ratio.

Use of dolomite phosphate rock (DPR) fertilizers to reduce phosphorus leaching from sandy soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, G.C.; He, Z.L.; Stoffella, P.J.; Yang, X.E.; Yu, S.; Calvert, D.

2006-01-01

There is increasing concern over P leaching from sandy soils applied with water-soluble P fertilizers. Laboratory column leaching experiments were conducted to evaluate P leaching from a typical acidic sandy soil in Florida amended with DPR fertilizers developed from dolomite phosphate rock (DPR) and N-Viro soil. Ten leaching events were carried out at an interval of 7 days, with a total leaching volume of 1183 mm equivalent to the mean annual rainfall of this region during the period of 2001-2003. Leachates were collected and analyzed for total P and inorganic P. Phosphorus in the leachate was dominantly reactive, accounting for 67.7-99.9% of total P leached. Phosphorus leaching loss mainly occurred in the first three leaching events, accounting for 62.0-98.8% of the total P leached over the whole period. The percentage of P leached (in the total P added) from the soil amended with water-soluble P fertilizer was higher than those receiving the DPR fertilizers. The former was up to 96.6%, whereas the latter ranged from 0.3% to 3.8%. These results indicate that the use of N-Viro-based DPR fertilizers can reduce P leaching from sandy soils. - Fertilizers developed from dolomite phosphate rock (DPR) reduce phosphorus leaching from sandy soil

Verrucomicrobial community structure and abundance as indicators for changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility.

Science.gov (United States)

Navarrete, Acacio Aparecido; Soares, Tielle; Rossetto, Raffaella; van Veen, Johannes Antonie; Tsai, Siu Mui; Kuramae, Eiko Eurya

2015-09-01

Here we show that verrucomicrobial community structure and abundance are extremely sensitive to changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism fingerprint and real-time quantitative PCR assay were used to analyze changes in verrucomicrobial communities associated with contrasting soil nutrient conditions in tropical regions. In case study Model I ("Slash-and-burn deforestation") the verrucomicrobial community structures revealed disparate patterns in nutrient-enriched soils after slash-and-burn deforestation and natural nutrient-poor soils under an adjacent primary forest in the Amazonia (R = 0.819, P = 0.002). The relative proportion of Verrucomicrobia declined in response to increased soil fertility after slash-and-burn deforestation, accounting on average, for 4 and 2 % of the total bacterial signal, in natural nutrient-poor forest soils and nutrient-enriched deforested soils, respectively. In case study Model II ("Management practices for sugarcane") disparate patterns were revealed in sugarcane rhizosphere sampled on optimal and deficient soil fertility for sugarcane (R = 0.786, P = 0.002). Verrucomicrobial community abundance in sugarcane rhizosphere was negatively correlated with soil fertility, accounting for 2 and 5 % of the total bacterial signal, under optimal and deficient soil fertility conditions for sugarcane, respectively. In nutrient-enriched soils, verrucomicrobial community structures were related to soil factors linked to soil fertility, such as total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sum of bases, i.e., the sum of calcium, magnesium and potassium contents. We conclude that community structure and abundance represent important ecological aspects in soil verrucomicrobial communities for tracking the changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility under tropical environmental conditions.

Phosphorus isotopic evaluation of a Red Ferralitic soil under various fertilization systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodríguez Guzmán, Ricardo M.

2017-01-01

Soil samples from a red ferralitic soil from the 'Juan Tomas Roig' Experimental Station, belonging to Ciego de Avila University were analyzed under two crop rotations and four phosphoric fertilization systems. The objective was to evaluate, through the 32 P isotopic dilution, phosphor (P) static parameters in a soil that has received P fertilizer through two placement methods (banding and broadcasting) for several years. A radiochemical laboratory method using a free-carrier solution as a tracer based on isotopic exchange between solid phase and soil solution phosphate ions was used. Soil samples were analyzed at the CEA Department laboratories, in Francia. Quantity (), as isotopic exchangeable P at one minute, intensity (Cp), as P concentration in soil solution, and capacity, as (/Cp), factors were determined. 32 P isotopic evaluation indicated that the soil needs high banding P application to reach adequate and Cp values for crop nutrition. A cumulative P effect in the soil through banding fertilization after three crop rotation cycles was obtained, which allows to increase plant P availability. The capacity factor was very high in all soil samples, indicating that soil maintains a P reserve that is difficult to exchange with the phosphor present in the soil solution. (author)

Precision of commercial soil testing practice for phosphorus fertilizer recommendations in Finland

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T. PELTOVUORI

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Implementation of the Agri-Environmental Program in 1995 has emphasized the role of advisory soil testing in phosphorus (P input planning and markedly expanded the market for commercial soil testing in Finland. A small precision experiment (5 laboratories and a simulation study on soil sampling were conducted to evaluate the current precision of the soil testing practice for P. The observed values of reproducibility (95% probability of soil P determination were 42-61% of the mean P concentration for three soils. This approximately corresponds to a maximum error of one P class in a seven-step classification system. Soil texture and organic matter content are used as secondary variables in P fertilization planning. In commercial soil testing these are both determined by finger assessment and the results have significant errors in most laboratories. Erroneous texture determinations are more likely to lead to errors in P fertilizer recommendations than soil P analysis itself. In this study the largest deviation from a correct P fertilization recommendation was +10 kg ha-1. In soil sampling simulation, stratified random sampling in areas of differing texture gave the most consistent results with geostatistical analysis of the soil test data, as compared with random, systematic, and judgment sampling strategies.;

Abundant and stable char residues in soils: Implications for soil fertility and carbon sequestration

Science.gov (United States)

Large-scale soil application of biochar might enhance soil fertility and increase crop production, while also sequestering atmospheric carbon. Reaching these outcomes requires an undertanding of the chemical structure of biochar. Using advanced solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy...

Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer on Combined Forms and Transformation of Fluorine in Tea Garden Soil

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ZHANG Yong-li

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In order to investigate the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on combined forms and transformation of fluorine in tea garden soil, soil pot experiment was carried out. The research object was red-yellow soil in Shizipu tea plantation in the south of Anhui Province. Five treatments were N0P0K0 (CK, N0P1K1 (N0, N1P1K1 (N1, N2P1K1 (N2, N3P1K1 (N3. Water-soluble fluorine content, exchangeable fluorine content, Fe/Mn oxide-bound fluorine content, organic matter-bound fluorine content, ammonium nitrogen content and soil pH value in 0~15 cm soil layer were analyzed in 10, 20, 30, 50, 70, 90 days after fertilization. The results showed that compared with CK, in the short term (10 or 20 days after applying NPK, the content of water-soluble fluorine in 0~15 cm soil layer was decreased and the content of exchangeable fluorine, Fe/Mn oxide-bound fluorine and organic matter-bound fluorine were increased. After 20 days, the content of soil water-soluble fluorine was increased and the content of soil exchangeable fluorine, Fe/Mn oxide-bound fluorine and organic matter-bound fluorine were reduced. The effect on water-soluble fluorine and exchangeable fluorine increased with time and the application rate of nitrogen. The content of water-soluble fluorine in tea garden soil had a moderately positive correlation with the application rate of nitrogen while the content of exchangeable fluorine had a moderately or highly negative correlation with the application rate of nitrogen. The content of water-soluble fluorine had a quite highly negative correlation with the soil pH (P<0.01, but the content of exchangeable fluorine had a moderately or highly negative correlation with the soil pH (P<0.01. Therefore, nitrogen fertilizer changed the soil pH during its form transformation and thus affected the transformation and the availability of fluorine in soil.

The Effects of Soil Amendments and Bio-fertilizers Inoculation on Morphological Characteristics and Yield of Echium amoenum

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M.B. Amiri

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: In recent years, the effect of ecological inputs on soil properties and plant growth characteristics has received renewed attention. Although the utilization of mineral fertilizers could be viewed as the best solution in plant productivity, this approach is often inefficient in the long-term in many ecosystems due to the limited ability of low-activity clay soils to retain nutrients. Intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural systems is also known to have irreversible effects on soil and water resources. Maintenance of soil fertility as a permanent bed for continuous production of agricultural products is one of the most important issues affecting the sustainability of food production. In order to achieve healthy food production, application of ecological inputs such as soil amendments and bio-fertilizers is inevitable. Humic substances are a group of heterogeneous molecules that are bonded together by weak forces; therefore, they have a high chemical stability. This material included 65 to 80 percent of total soil organic matter. Application of bio-fertilizers is an appropriate alternative of chemical fertilizers to enhance soil fertility. In fact, bio-fertilizers include different types of free living organisms that convert unavailable nutrients to available forms and enhance root development and better seed germination. Mycorrhiza arbuscular fungi are coexist microorganisms that improve soil fertility, nutrients cycling and agroecosystem health. Mycorrhizal fungi are the most abundant organisms in agricultural soils. Many researchers have pointed to the positive roles of mycorrhizal fungi on plants growth characteristics. Echium amoenum is a perennial plant belongs to Boraginaceae family. This plant is native of North of Iran. Petal extract of E. amoenum have sedative, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory and anti-depressant effects. These plants are wild perennial herbs and known in Iran as oxtongue. It is

Pasture soils contaminated with fertilizer-derived cadmium and fluorine: livestock effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Loganathan, Paripurnanda; Hedley, Mike J; Grace, Neville D

2008-01-01

Fertilizers are indispensable for ensuring sustainability of agricultural production, thereby achieving food and fiber security. Nitrogen, sulfur, and potassium fertilizers are relatively free of impurities, but phosphorus (P) fertilizers, the main fertilizer input for the economic production of legume-based pastures, contain several contaminants, of which F and Cd are considered to be of most concern because they have potentially harmful effects on soil quality, livestock health, and food safety. Incidences of fluorosis in grazing livestock, and accumulation of Cd in the edible offal products of livestock, above the maximum permissible concentration set by food authorities have been reported in many countries. The majority of Cd and F applied to pastures in many countries continues to accumulate in the biologically active topsoil due to strong adsorption to soil constituents. However, the rate of Cd accumulation in the last decade has slowed as a result of selective use of low-Cd fertilizers. Cd and F adsorption in soils increase with increased contents of iron and aluminium oxides, layer silicates and allophane in soils, and increased soil pH. Cadmium adsorption also increases with increased Mn oxides and organic matter in soil. However, some Cd will be released during decomposition of plant and animal remains and organic matter. In most pastoral soils the majority of Cd and F added in fertilizers remains in the topsoil and little moves below 20-30 cm, and therefore these are unlikely to contaminate groundwater. However, F may pose a risk to shallow groundwater in very acidic low-P-fixing soils, and Cd may pose a risk in very acidic soils containing low organic matter and clay contents, or in soils with high chloride concentrations. Research is required both to test whether groundwater beneath farms with long histories of P fertilizer use is contaminated by these elements and also to examine their mechanisms of movement. Cd intake by grazing livestock occurs

Amendment of Tephrosia Improved Fallows with Inorganic Fertilizers Improves Soil Chemical Properties, N Uptake, and Maize Yield in Malawi

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Maggie G. Munthali

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Maize production in Malawi is limited mainly by low soil N and P. Improved fallows of N-fixing legumes such as Tephrosia and Sesbania offer options for improving soil fertility particularly N supply. The interactions of Tephrosia fallows and inorganic fertilizers on soil properties, N uptake, and maize yields were evaluated at Chitedze Research Station in Malawi. The results indicated that the level of organic matter and pH increased in all the treatments except for the control. Total N remained almost unchanged while available P decreased in all plots amended with T. vogelii but increased in T. candida plots where inorganic P was applied. Exchangeable K increased in all the plots irrespective of the type of amendment. The interaction of N and P fertilizers with T. vogelii fallows significantly increased the grain yield. The treatment that received 45 kg N ha−1 and 20 kg P ha−1 produced significantly higher grain yields (6.8 t ha−1 than all the other treatments except where 68 kg N ha−1 and 30 kg P ha−1 were applied which gave 6.5 t ha−1 of maize grain. T. candida fallows alone or in combination with N and P fertilizers did not significantly affect grain yield. However, T. candida fallows alone can raise maize grain yield by 300% over the no-input control. Based on these results we conclude that high quality residues such as T. candida and T. vogelii can be used as sources of nutrients to improve crop yields and soil fertility in N-limited soils. However, inorganic P fertilizer is needed due to the low soil available P levels.

Fertilizer regime impacts on abundance and diversity of soil fauna across a poplar plantation chronosequence in coastal Eastern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shaojun; Chen, Han Y H; Tan, Yan; Fan, Huan; Ruan, Honghua

2016-02-09

Soil fauna are critical for ecosystem function and sensitive to the changes of soil fertility. The effects of fertilization on soil fauna communities, however, remain poorly understood. We examined the effects of fertilization form and quantity on the abundance, diversity and composition of soil fauna across an age-sequence of poplar plantations (i.e., 4-, 9- and 20-yr-old) in the coastal region of eastern China. We found that the effects of fertilization on faunal abundance, diversity, and composition differed among stand ages. Organic fertilizers increased the total abundance of soil fauna, whereas low level inorganic fertilizers imparted increases only in the 4- and 9-yr-old stands. The number of faunal groups did not change with fertilization, but Shannon's and Margalef diversity indices increased under low level organic fertilization, and decreased under inorganic fertilization in the 9- and 20-yr-old stands. Community composition of soil fauna differed strongly with fertilization and stand age. The changes in soil fauna were strongly associated with the changes in microbial biomass carbon, dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen, and available phosphorus and potassium. Our findings suggest that the responses of soil fauna to fertilization may be mediated through the fertilization effects on soil nutrient availability.

Hexachlorobenzene dechlorination as affected by organic fertilizer and urea applications in two rice planted paddy soils in a pot experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, C.Y.; Jiang, X.; Yang, X.L.; Song, Y.

2010-01-01

Reductive dechlorination is a crucial pathway for HCB degradation, the applications of organic materials and nitrogen can alter microbial activity and redox potential of soils, thus probably influence HCB dechlorination. To evaluate hexachlorobenzene (HCB) dechlorination as affected by organic fertilizer (OF) and urea applications in planted paddy soils, a pot experiment was conducted in two types of soils, Hydragric Acrisols (Ac) and Gleyi-Stagnic Anthrosols (An). After 18 weeks of experiment, HCB residues decreased by 28.2-37.5% of the initial amounts in Ac, and 42.1-70.9% in An. The amounts of HCB metabolites showed that dechlorination rates in An were higher than in Ac, which was mainly attributed to the higher pH and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content of An. Both in Ac and An, the additions of 1% and 2% OF had negative effect on HCB dechlorination, which was probably because excessive nitrogen in OF decreased degraders' activity and the degradation of organic carbon in OF accepted electrons. The application of 0.03% urea could enhance HCB dechlorination rates slightly, while 0.06% urea accelerated HCB dechlorination significantly both in Ac and An. It could be assumed that urea served as an electron donor and stimulated degraders to dechlorinate HCB. In addition, the methanogenic bacteria were involved in dechlorination process, and reductive dechlorination in planted paddy soil might be impeded for the aerenchyma and O 2 supply into the rhizosphere. Results indicated that soil types, rice root system, methanogenic bacteria, OF and urea applications all had great effects on dechlorination process.

Application of sheep manure and potassium fertilizer to contaminated soil and its effect on zinc, cadmium and lead accumulation by alfalfa plants

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Zouheir Elouear

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In Jebel Ressas mining area (Southern of Tunisia, the dispersion of particles that contain Pb, Zn and Cd results in the contamination of the surrounding agricultural soils. These soils have high concentrations of Pb (970 mg kg−1, Zn (9641 mg kg−1 and Cd (53 mg kg−1. This glasshouse study examined the effect of application of fertilizers, i.e., organic fertilizer as local sheep manure and inorganic fertilizer as potassium chloride (KCl, on the growth, uptake and translocation of Cd, Pb, and Zn of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. grown on a contaminated soil. Obtained results showed that alfalfa could tolerate high Cd, Pb, and Zn concentrations in soil and had very good growth performance. Regarding to biomass generation it was observed, in every case, that plant growth is not affected in the treated soil compared with blanks sown in an untreated control soil; improvement ranged from 80% for the KCl to 97% for sheep manure. Application of sheep manure increased electrical conductivity and reduced DTPA-extractable metal concentrations in the soils. But KCl fertilizer favored their accumulation in plants. So, KCl could be a useful amendment for phytoextraction of metals by accumulator species, while sheep manure can be very useful for phytostabilisation.

Zinc transformations in neutral soil and zinc efficiency in maize fertilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez, Jose M; Gonzalez, Demetrio

2006-12-13

The effect of six Zn sources (Zn-phenolate, Zn-EDDHA, Zn-EDTA, Zn-lignosulfonate, Zn-polyflavonoid, and Zn-glucoheptonate) was studied by applying different Zn levels to a representative Calcic Haploxeralf neutral soil (the predominant clay is montmorillonite) in incubation and greenhouse experiments. Zinc soil behavior was evaluated by sequential DTPA and Mehlich-3 extraction procedures. In the incubation experiment, the highest percentage recovery values of Zn applied to soil occurred in the water-soluble plus exchangeable fraction (29%) in fertilization with 20 mg of Zn kg(-1) of Zn-EDTA fertilizer. In the greenhouse experiment with maize (Zea mays L.), a comparison of different Zn carriers showed that the application of six fertilizers did not significantly increase the plant dry matter yield among fertilizer treatments. The highest yield occurred when 20 mg of Zn kg(-1) was applied as Zn-EDDHA fertilizer (79.4 g per pot). The relative effectiveness of the Zn sources in increasing Zn concentration in plants was in the following order: Zn-EDTA (20 mg kg(-1)) > Zn-EDDHA (20 mg kg(-1)) approximately Zn-EDTA (10 mg kg(-1)) > Zn-EDDHA (10 mg kg(-1)) approximately Zn-phenolate (both rates) approximately Zn-polyflavonoid (both rates) approximately Zn-lignosulfonate (both rates) approximately Zn-glucoheptonate (both rates) > untreated Zn. The highest amounts of Zn taken up by the plants occurred when Zn was applied as Zn-EDTA fertilizer (20 mg kg(-1), 7.44 mg of Zn per pot; 10 mg kg(-1) Zn rate, 3.93 mg of Zn per pot) and when Zn was applied as Zn-EDDHA fertilizer (20 mg kg(-1) Zn rate, 4.66 mg Zn per pot). After the maize crop was harvested, sufficient quantities of available Zn remained in the soil (DTPA- or Mehlich-3-extractable Zn) for another harvest.

Effect of different fertilization measures on soil CO2 emissions of spring corn in Northeast China

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Shicai; Qiao, Shaoqing

2018-04-01

To research the sustainability of efficient utilization approaches and modes of nitrogen in spring corns. Taking different fertilization measures to research the influence on soil respiration and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen; the experiment takes the spring corns and black soil of Harbin in Northeast China as research objects. It researches the influence of 4 different fertilization measures by using field long-term located experiment on soil respiration of the spring corns and analyzes the yield. The four measures are as follows: farmer's fertilization practice FP; Tl mode of decreasing 20% of nitrogenous fertilizer on the basis of FP; T2 mode of 20% of Tl nitrogenous fertilizer replaced by organic fertilizer and other 20% replaced by slow-release nitrogen fertilizer; T3 mode of adding 2t/hm2 of corn stalk carbon on the basis of T2. There are significant differences of CO2 emission flux in spring corn soil with four fertilization measures (PTl>T2>FP and the yield rank of spring corns is: T3>T2>Tl>FP. (1) The rational nitrogen-decrease fertilization measure has no obvious influence on spring corn yield and the replacement of organic fertilizer and slow-release nitrogen fertilizer and the addition of active carbon can improve the spring corn yield. (2) Utilization of organic fertilizer can accelerate the emission of CO2 from the soil. (3) Addition of biological carbon can promote the emission of CO2 from soil during the growing period of spring corns.

Long-term application of bioorganic fertilizers improved soil biochemical properties and microbial communities of an apple orchard soil

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Wang Lei

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Soil biochemical properties and microbial communities are usually considered as important indicators of soil health because of their association with plant nutrition. In this study, we investigated the impact of long-term application of bioorganic fertilizer (BOF on soil biochemical properties and microbial communities in the apple orchard soil of the Loess Plateau. The experiment included three treatments: (1 control without fertilization (CK; (2 chemical fertilizer application (CF; and (3 bioorganic fertilizer application (BOF. The high throughput sequencing was used to examine the bacterial and fungal communities in apple orchard soil. The results showed that the BOF treatment significantly increased the apple yield during the experimental time (2009-2015. The application of BOF significantly increased the activities of catalase and invertase compared to those in CK and CF treatments. The high throughput sequencing data showed that the application of BOF changed the microbial community composition of all soil depths considered (0-20cm, 20-40cm, and 40-60cm, e.g., the relative abundance of bio-control bacteria (Xanthomonadales, Lysobacter, Pseudomonas and Bacillus, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Ohtaekwangia, Ilyonectria and Lecanicillium was increased while that of Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gp4, Gp6 and Sphaerobacter was decreased. The increase in apple yield after the application of BOF might be due to increase in organic matter, total nitrogen and catalase and invertase activities of soil and change in the bacterial community composition by enriching Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Lysobacter and Ohtaekwangia. These results further enhance the understanding on how BOFs alter soil microbial community composition to stimulate soil productivity.

Associations between soil bacterial community structure and nutrient cycling functions in long-term organic farm soils following cover crop and organic fertilizer amendment.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Adria L; Sheaffer, Craig C; Wyse, Donald L; Staley, Christopher; Gould, Trevor J; Sadowsky, Michael J

2016-10-01

Agricultural management practices can produce changes in soil microbial populations whose functions are crucial to crop production and may be detectable using high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA. To apply sequencing-derived bacterial community structure data to on-farm decision-making will require a better understanding of the complex associations between soil microbial community structure and soil function. Here 16S rRNA sequencing was used to profile soil bacterial communities following application of cover crops and organic fertilizer treatments in certified organic field cropping systems. Amendment treatments were hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), winter rye (Secale cereale), oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), beef manure, pelleted poultry manure, Sustane(®) 8-2-4, and a no-amendment control. Enzyme activities, net N mineralization, soil respiration, and soil physicochemical properties including nutrient levels, organic matter (OM) and pH were measured. Relationships between these functional and physicochemical parameters and soil bacterial community structure were assessed using multivariate methods including redundancy analysis, discriminant analysis, and Bayesian inference. Several cover crops and fertilizers affected soil functions including N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase and β-glucosidase activity. Effects, however, were not consistent across locations and sampling timepoints. Correlations were observed among functional parameters and relative abundances of individual bacterial families and phyla. Bayesian analysis inferred no directional relationships between functional activities, bacterial families, and physicochemical parameters. Soil functional profiles were more strongly predicted by location than by treatment, and differences were largely explained by soil physicochemical parameters. Composition of soil bacterial communities was predictive of soil functional profiles. Differences in soil function were

Optimizing Available Phosphorus in Calcareous Soils Fertilized with Diammonium Phosphate and Phosphoric Acid Using Freundlich Adsorption Isotherm

Science.gov (United States)

Akhtar, Muhammad

2013-01-01

In calcareous soils, phosphorus (P) retention and immobilization take place due to precipitation and adsorption. Since soil pH is considered a major soil variable affecting the P sorption, an acidic P fertilizer could result in low P adsorption compared to alkaline one. Therefore, P adsorption from DAP and phosphoric acid (PA) required to produce desired soil solution P concentration was estimated using Freundlich sorption isotherms. Two soils from Faisalabad and T. T. Singh districts were spiked with 0, 10, and 20 % CaCO3 for 15 days. Freundlich adsorption isotherms (P = aC b/a) were constructed, and theoretical doses of PA and DAP to develop a desired soil solution P level (i.e., 0.20 mg L−1) were calculated. It was observed that P adsorption in soil increased with CaCO3. Moreover, at all the levels of CaCO3, P adsorption from PA was lower compared to that from DAP in both the soils. Consequently, lesser quantity of PA was required to produce desired solution P, 0.2 mg L−1, compared to DAP. However, extrapolating the developed relationship between soil CaCO3 contents and quantity of fertilizer to other similar textured soils needs confirmation. PMID:24307878

Understanding cassava yield response to soil and fertilizer nutrient supply in West Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ezui, K.S.; Franke, A.C.; Ahiabor, B.D.K.; Tetteh, F.M.; Sogbedji, J.; Janssen, B.H.; Mando, A.; Giller, K.E.

2017-01-01

Background and aims: Enhanced understanding of plant and nutrient interactions is key to improving yields. We adapted the model for QUantitative Evaluation of the Fertility of Tropical Soils (QUEFTS) to assess cassava yield response to soil and fertilizer nutrients in West Africa. Methods: Data

Evaluation of fertilization-to-planting and fertilization-to-harvest intervals for safe use of noncomposted bovine manure in Wisconsin vegetable production.

Science.gov (United States)

Ingham, Steven C; Fanslau, Melody A; Engel, Rebecca A; Breuer, Jeffry R; Breuer, Jane E; Wright, Thomas H; Reith-Rozelle, Judith K; Zhu, Jun

2005-06-01

Fresh bovine manure was mechanically incorporated into loamy sand and silty clay loam Wisconsin soils in April 2004. At varying fertilization-to-planting intervals, radish, lettuce, and carrot seeds were planted; crops were harvested 90, 100, 110 or 111, and 120 days after manure application. As an indicator of potential contamination with fecal pathogens, levels of Escherichia coli in the manure-fertilized soil and presence of E. coli on harvested vegetables were monitored. From initial levels of 4.0 to 4.2 log CFU/g, E. coli levels in both manure-fertilized soils decreased by 2.4 to 2.5 log CFU/g during the first 7 weeks. However, E. coli was consistently detected from enriched soil samples through week 17, perhaps as a result of contamination by birds and other wildlife. In the higher clay silty clay loam soil, the fertilization-to-planting interval affected the prevalence of E. coli on lettuce but not on radishes and carrots. Root crop contamination was consistent across different fertilization-to-harvest intervals in silty clay loam, including the National Organic Program minimum fertilization-to-harvest interval of 120 days. However, lettuce contamination in silty clay loam was significantly (P < 0.10) affected by fertilization-to-harvest interval. Increasing the fertilization-to-planting interval in the lower clay loamy sand soil decreased the prevalence of E. coli on root crops. The fertilization-to-harvest interval had no clear effect on vegetable contamination in loamy sand. Overall, these results do not provide grounds for reducing the National Organic Program minimum fertilization-to-harvest interval from the current 120-day standard.

The Effect of Soil Fertilizers on Yield and Growth Traits of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R Kamaei

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction Since the use of chemical fertilizers causes environmental pollution and ecological damage, so application of biological fertilizers and selection the effective and compatible species in an special area, could be beneficial for sustainability of agroecosystems there. Nowadays, attention to the interrelation of plant-organism tended to interrelations between plant-organism-organism. Such nutritional relations, have ecological importance and important application in agriculture. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of chemical, organic and bio fertilizers on sorghum performance. Materials and Methods A field experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental treatments include three kinds of biofertilizers and their integrations and vermicompost and chemical fertilizer as follow: 1- mycorhhiza arbuscular (G.mosseae + vermicompost 2- mycorhhiza+ Nitroxine® (included bacteria Azospirillum sp. and Azotobacter sp. 3- mycorhhiza arbuscular+ Rhizobium (Rhizobium sp. 4-mycorhhiza arbuscular + Chemical fertilizer NPK 5- mycorhhiza arbuscular 6-control. Mycorhhiza and chemical fertilizer were mixed with soil at the depth of 30 cm before planting. Seeds were inoculated with bio fertilizers and dried at shadow. First irrigation applied immediately after planting. In order to improve seedling emergence second irrigation was performed after 4 days and other irrigation was applied at regular intervals of 10 days. Studied traits were: height and percentage of root colonization, specific root length, seed yield, number of seeds in panicle, thousands seeds weight. To determine the specific root length (root length in a certain volume of soil at the end of the growing season, plants in each plot were sampled. Then the length of root of each sample was determined. Results and Discussion The results showed that although the treatments did not affect the height of stem significantly

Effects of different mechanized soil fertilization methods on corn nutrient accumulation and yield

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Qingwen; Bai, Chunming; Wang, Huixin; Wu, Di; Song, Qiaobo; Dong, Zengqi; Gao, Depeng; Dong, Qiping; Cheng, Xin; Zhang, Yahao; Mu, Jiahui; Chen, Qinghong; Liao, Wenqing; Qu, Tianru; Zhang, Chunling; Zhang, Xinyu; Liu, Yifei; Han, Xiaori

2017-05-01

Aim: Experiments for mechanized corn soil fertilization were conducted in Faku demonstration zone. On this basis, we studied effects on corn nutrient accumulation and yield traits at brown soil regions due to different mechanized soil fertilization measures. We also evaluated and optimized the regulation effects of mechanized soil fertilization for the purpose of crop yield increase and production efficiency improvement. Method: Based on the survey of soil background value in the demonstration zone, we collected plant samples during different corn growth periods to determine and make statistical analysis. Conclusions: Decomposed cow dung, when under mechanical broadcasting, was able to remarkably increase nitrogen and potassium accumulation content of corns at their ripe stage. Crushed stalk returning combined with deep tillage would remarkably increase phosphorus accumulation content of corn plants. When compared with top application, crushed stalk returning combined with deep tillage would remarkably increase corn thousand kernel weight (TKW). Mechanized broadcasting of granular organic fertilizer and crushed stalk returning combined with deep tillage, when compared with surface application, were able to boost corn yield in the in the demonstration zone.

Soil and water nitrate levels in relation to fertilizer utilization in Yugoslavia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filipovic, R.; Stevanovic, D.

1980-01-01

The results of a number of field experiments and monitoring of drainage canals close to intensive agricultural production involving the application of mineral fertilizers are reported. The object was to determine whether the pollution potential of underground and derived surface waters by nitrates and phosphates could be expressed as a function of the applied doses of fertilizer, method of application, climate, soil, etc. Analytical data indicated that, in surface waters adjacent to fertilized land, nitrate levels were higher than those of surface waters adjacent to unfertilized land. Preliminary results on the distribution of NO 3 down the soil profile following the application of 15 N-labelled ammonium nitrate to maize indicated downward movement of the labelled nitrate below the 100-cm depth. Application of organic matter with the fertilizer apparently retarded the leaching process. Soil-surface drainage water was characterized by high P/N ratios. (author)

SEWAGE SLUDGE AS AN INGREDIENT IN FERTILIZERS AND SOIL SUBSTITUTES

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Anna Grobelak

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In Poland, sludge management especially in medium and small sewage treatment plants is still a significant problem. According to data from the Central Statistical Office and the report on the implementation of the National Urban Wastewater Treatment Program (in polish KPOŚK land application of sewage sludge remains one of the main methods, although there has been considerable interest known: 'application for other purposes ", where the preparation of composts and fertilizers is included. The use of fertilizer produced from sewage sludge (compost, granules, organic and mineral fertilizers, is regulated by the Act on fertilizers and fertilization, and the relevant implementing rules. For example, they define the test procedure (concerning the quality of fertilizers to enable appropriate permissions to market this type of fertilizers. There is still only several technologies existing on the Polish market dedicated to production of fertilizers in advanced technologies of sewage sludge treatment. Usually the treatment plants are trying to obtain the necessary certificates for generated fertilizers (including composts, or soils substitutes. The advantages of these technologies should be no doubt: the loss of waste status, ability to store the fertilizer and unlimited transportation between areas, sanitization of the product (as a result of the use of calcium or sulfur compounds or temperature should be an alternative for drying technology. While the disadvantages are primarily the investment costs and time consuming certification procedures. However, these solutions enable to maintain the organic matter and phosphorus as well as greater control over possible pollution introduced into the soil.

One strategy for estimating the potential soil carbon storage due to CO2 fertilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrison, K.G.; Bonani, G.

1994-01-01

Soil radiocarbon measurements can be used to estimate soil carbon turnover rates and inventories. A labile component of soil carbon has the potential to respond to perturbations such as CO 2 fertilization, changing climate, and changing land use. Soil carbon has influenced past and present atmospheric CO 2 levels and will influence future levels. A model is used to calculate the amount of additional carbon stored in soil because of CO 2 fertilization

Soil fertility and growth of Eucalyptus grandis in Brazil under ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Silvicultural operations such as soil preparation, logging residue management and application of fertilisers can influence soil fertility, and hence nutrient uptake and tree growth. This paper reports the effect of site management practices of minimum and intensive cultivation of the soil on the growth of a stand of Eucalyptus ...

Effect of Phosphorus Fertilizer Application on Some Soil Chemical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Research was conducted during the 2004, 2005 and 2006 cropping seasons to study the effect of phosphorus fertilizer on some soil chemical properties and nitrogen fixation of legumes at Bauchi, northeastern Nigeria. Composite soil samples were collected from sites before planting and after harvesting at the depths of ...

Some long term effects on land application of sewage sludge on soil fertility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGrath, S.P.; Chaudri, A.M.; Giller, K.E.

1997-01-01

Metals may affect the growth of plants, soil microbial activity, and soil fertility in the long term. Less is known of the adverse long-term effects of metals on soil microorganisms than on crop yields, since the effects of metals added to soils in sewage sludge are difficult to assess, and few long-term experiments exist. This paper reviews evidence from controlled long-term field experiments with sewage sludges in the UK, Sweden, Germany and the USA. Adverse effects on microbial activity and populations of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii, mycorrhiza, and total microbial biomass have been detected, in some cases below the European Community's maximum allowable concentration limits for metals in sludge-treated soils. For example, N 2 -fixation by free- living heterotrophic bacteria was found to be inhibited at concentrations (mg kg -1 ) of 127 Zn, 37 Cu, 21 Ni, 3.4 Cd, 52 Cr and 71 Pb. Fixation by free-living cyanobacteria was reduced by 50% at concentrations (mg kg -1 ) of 114 Zn, 33 Cu, 17 Ni, 2.9 Cd, 80 Cr and 40 Pb. Numbers of Rhizobium Leguminosarum bv. trifolii were decreased by several orders of magnitude at metal concentrations (mg kg -1 ) of 130-200 Zn, 27-48 Cu, 11-15 Ni, and 0.8-1.0 Cd. Important factors influencing the severity of toxicity are soil texture and pH; higher pH and clay and organic C contents decrease metal toxicity considerably. The evidence presented in this review of long-term field experiments suggests that adverse effects on microbial parameters occur at modest concentrations of metals in soils. It is concluded that prevention of adverse effects on soil microbial processes, and ultimately on soil fertility, should be a factor that influences soil-protection legislation. (author)

Studies of phosphorus-containing fertilizer uptake in soils by 32P isotope labelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fueleky, Gyoergy; Osztoics, Andrasne; Papne Kranitz, Erzsebet

1983-01-01

Breeding experiments were carried out with rye-grass (Lolium perenne L.) on two soil types to determine the plant uptake of phosphorus from naturally occuring element and from that added to the soil by superphosphate fertilizers. 32 P isotope labelling and radiometric measuring method were applied. In addition to the determination of phosphorus uptake, the phosphorus contents of the soil from its natural stock and from the fertilizer for both soil types can be determined by this method. (A.L.)

Efficiency of soil and fertilizer nitrogen in relation to variety and application time, using N-15 labelled fertilizer. Part of a coordinated programme on agricultural nitrogen residues with particular reference to their conservation as fertilizers and behaviour as potential pollutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, H.

1979-12-01

A series of experiments with flooded rice were carried out on 36 locations to study the influence of rice variety, fertilizer source, frequency of fertilizer application and soil conditions on the uptake of fertilizer N and grain yield. 15 N-labelled fertilizer was used in this study. The results show that (i) urea is a better source of N than ammonium sulphate on saline soils and also for the leading local rice variety (Milyang 15). The new variety Tongil utilized ammonium sulphate more efficiently; (ii) Fertilizer was more efficiently utilized on high organic matter soils; (iii) Varieties differed in fertilizer use efficiency; (iv) Hybrid Tongil lines gave higher grain yields than the local varieties, and made better use of fertilizer N, especially on saline soil, when applied at transplanting; (v) Sulphur-coated urea gave higher yield than urea on saline soils (27-39%), virgin soils (20%) and unmatured soils (10%)

Unexpected results in Chernozem soil respiration while measuring the effect of a bio-fertilizer on soil microbial activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Bautista, Gabriela; Mátyás, Bence; Carpio, Isabel; Vilches, Richard; Pazmino, Karina

2017-01-01

The number of studies investigating the effect of bio-fertilizers is increasing because of their importance in sustainable agriculture and environmental quality. In our experiments, we measured the effect of different fertilizers on soil respiration. In the present study, we were looking for the cause of unexpected changes in CO2 values while examining Chernozem soil samples. We concluded that CO2 oxidizing microbes or methanotrophs may be present in the soil that periodically consume CO2 . This is unusual for a sample taken from the upper layer of well-ventilated Chernozem soil with optimal moisture content.

Remediation of Biological Organic Fertilizer and Biochar in Paddy Soil Contaminated by Cd and Pb

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MA Tie-zheng

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The effect of application of biological organic fertilizer and biochar on the immobilized remediation of paddy soil contaminated by Cd and Pb was studied under the field experiment. The results showed that biological organic fertilizer and biochar increased the soil pH and soil nutrient contents, and reduced the soil available Cd and Pb concentrations significantly. The soil pH had significantly negative correla-tion with the soil available Cd and Pb contents. The application of biological organic fertilizer and biochar decreased Cd and Pb concentration in all parts of the rice plant, with Cd concentration in brown rice decrease by 22.00% and 18.34% and Pb decease in brown rice by 33.46% and 12.31%. The concentration of Cd and Pb in brown rice had significant positive correlation with the soil available Cd and Pb concentra-tions. It was observed that both biological organic fertilizer and biochar had a positive effect on the remediation of paddy soil contaminated by Cd and Pb.

Influence of fertilizers on the NORM content in agricultural cultivated soils of Villupuram district, Tamilnadu India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Punniyakotti, J.; Lakshmi, K.S.; Meenakshisundaram, V.

2017-01-01

Natural radioactivity content is determined in ten different types of fertilizers and influence of these, if any, in fertilized agricultural cultivated soil samples is investigated and compared with virgin soil samples. Higher amount of "2"3"8U and "4"0K are observed in single super phosphate and potash fertilizers respectively. In all the fertilizers, "2"3"2Th activity was found to be BDL excepting single super phosphate. The average values of radioactivity content of all the three radionuclides are found to be higher in cultivated soils using fertilizers than in the virgin soil samples. However, all the three radionuclides in both virgin and cultivated soil samples are far lesser than the world average value of 33, 45 and 420 Bq.kg"-"1 for "2"3"8U, "2"3"2Th and "4"0K respectively. (author)

Phosphorus Sorption Capacity of Gray Forest Soil as Dependent on Fertilization System

Science.gov (United States)

Rogova, O. B.; Kolobova, N. A.; Ivanov, A. L.

2018-05-01

In this paper, the results of the study of changes in the phosphorus sorption capacity of gray forest soils of Vladimir opolie under the impact of different fertilization systems are discussed. The quantitative parameters of the potential buffer capacity of soils for phosphorus (PBCP) and Langmuir sorption isotherms have been calculated. It is shown that the application of organic fertilizers results in a stronger decrease in PBCP than the application of mineral fertilizers. The portion of phosphorus of mineral compounds considerably increases, and the high content of available phosphates is maintained. In the variants with application of mineral phosphorus in combination with manure, the portions of organic and mineral phosphorus are at the level typical of unfertilized soils. The energy of phosphate bonds with the soil is minimal upon the application of a double rate of mineral phosphorus at the maximum capacity in relation to phosphate ions.

Potential of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and chemical fertilizers on soil enzymes and plant growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nosheen, A.; Bano, A.

2014-01-01

The present investigation deals with the role of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria and chemical fertilizers alone or in combination on urease, invertase and phosphatase activities of rhizospheric soil and also on general impact on growth of safflower cvv. Thori and Saif-32. The PGPR (Azospirillum brasilense and Azotobacter vinelandii) were applied at 10/sup 6/ cells/mL as seed inoculation prior to sowing. Chemical fertilizers were applied at full (Urea 60 Kg ha/sup -1/ and Diammonium phosphate (DAP) 30 Kg ha/sup -1/), half (Urea 30 Kg ha/sup -1/ and DAP 15 Kg ha/sup -1/) and quarter doses (Urea 15 Kg ha-1 and DAP 7.5 Kg ha/sup -1/) during sowing. The chemical fertilizers and PGPR enhanced urease and invertase activities of soil. Presence of PGPR in combination with quarter and half doses of chemical fertilizers further augmented their effect on soil enzymes activities. The soil phosphatase activity was greater in Azospirillum and Azotobacter in combination with half dose of chemical fertilizers. Maximum increase in leaf melondialdehyde content was recorded in full dose of chemical fertilizers whereas coinoculation treatment exhibited significant reduction in cv. Thori. Half and quarter dose of chemical fertilizers increased the shoot length of safflower whereas maximum increase in leaf protein was recorded in Azotobacter in combination with full dose of chemical fertilizers. Root length was improved by Azospirillum and Azotobacter in combination with quarter dose of chemical fertilizers. Leaf area and chlorophyll contents were significantly improved by Azotobacter in combination with half dose of chemical fertilizers. It is inferred that PGPR can supplement 50 % chemical fertilizers for better plant growth and soil health. (author)

Phosphorus migration analysis using synchrotron radiation in soil treated with Brazilian granular fertilizers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro, Robson C. de; Melo Benites, Vinícius de; César Teixeira, Paulo; Anjos, Marcelino José dos; Oliveira, Luis Fernando de

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the phosphorus (P) mobility in a tropical Brazilian soil type red Oxisol treated with three different forms of granular fertilizer. Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence (TXRF) was applied to determine the concentration of P at different distances from granular fertilizer application point. The results showed that most of the P from fertilizers tends to concentrate in a region of up to 10 mm around the place of the fertilizer deposition. - Highlights: • Phosphorus (P) mobility in a tropical Brazilian soil. • Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence was applied to determine the concentration of P. • Fertilizers used monoammonium phosphate and polymer coated monoammonium phosphate.

Soil trace gas fluxes along orthogonal precipitation and soil fertility gradients in tropical lowland forests of Panama

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. L. Matson

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Tropical lowland forest soils are significant sources and sinks of trace gases. In order to model soil trace gas flux for future climate scenarios, it is necessary to be able to predict changes in soil trace gas fluxes along natural gradients of soil fertility and climatic characteristics. We quantified trace gas fluxes in lowland forest soils at five locations in Panama, which encompassed orthogonal precipitation and soil fertility gradients. Soil trace gas fluxes were measured monthly for 1 (NO or 2 (CO2, CH4, N2O years (2010–2012 using vented dynamic (for NO only or static chambers with permanent bases. Across the five sites, annual fluxes ranged from 8.0 to 10.2 Mg CO2-C, −2.0 to −0.3 kg CH4-C, 0.4 to 1.3 kg N2O-N and −0.82 to −0.03 kg NO-N ha−1 yr−1. Soil CO2 emissions did not differ across sites, but they did exhibit clear seasonal differences and a parabolic pattern with soil moisture across sites. All sites were CH4 sinks; within-site fluxes were largely controlled by soil moisture, whereas fluxes across sites were positively correlated with an integrated index of soil fertility. Soil N2O fluxes were low throughout the measurement years, but the highest emissions occurred at a mid-precipitation site with high soil N availability. Net negative NO fluxes at the soil surface occurred at all sites, with the most negative fluxes at the low-precipitation site closest to Panama City; this was likely due to high ambient NO concentrations from anthropogenic sources. Our study highlights the importance of both short-term (climatic and long-term (soil and site characteristics factors in predicting soil trace gas fluxes.

Distribution of uranium in soil components of agricultural fields after long-term application of phosphate fertilizers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, N.; Kawasaki, A.; Iiyama, I.

2009-01-01

Long-term application of phosphate fertilizers causes accumulation of U in the surface soil of agricultural fields. We investigated the soil constituents that contribute to the accumulation of U by using chemical extraction methods. Surface soil samples were obtained from upland fields, pastures, and paddy fields cultivated without any phosphate fertilizer (control site), with NPK fertilizer (NPK site), and with both NPK fertilizer and compost (NPK + compost site) for more than 20 years. In addition to the total U (U t ) concentration in soil, the concentrations of pyrophosphate- and acid oxalate-extractable U were determined as a measure of U associated with soil organic matter and poorly crystalline Fe/Al minerals in soil, respectively. The total, pyrophosphate-extractable, and acid oxalate-extractable U concentrations were higher in the soil obtained from the NPK and NPK + compost sites than in that obtained from the control site. The difference in the U concentrations between the NPK or NPK + compost site and the control site corresponded with the increased U concentration observed after the application of the phosphate fertilizer or both the fertilizer and compost. In the upland field and pasture soil, the increase in pyrophosphate-extractable U was 83-94% of that in U t . On the other hand, the increase in acid oxalate-extractable U was 44-58% of that in U t in the upland field and pasture soil, but it was almost equivalent to the increase in U t in the paddy soil with NPK. In conclusion, most of the phosphate fertilizer-derived U was either incorporated into the soil organic matter or poorly crystalline Fe/Al minerals in the surface soil of agricultural fields. Thus, soil organic matter is an important pool of U in upland field and pasture soil, whereas poorly crystalline Fe/Al minerals are important pools of U in paddy soil experiencing alternating changes in redox conditions

The effects of soil water conditions on nitrogen fertilization use efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Lingyun

1996-01-01

Concerning with applied nitrogen fertilizer, the uptake as well as loss of nitrogen is mainly related to soil water content. The effects of soil water condition in wheat field on the uptake, leach and loss of nitrogen fertilizer were studied using 15 N tracing technique. The results showed that within certain range of soil water supply, from 180 to 360 mm of available water storage, the loss of nitrogen was in direct proportion to the amount of fertilizer application and the nitrogen use efficiency decreased with the increase of nitrogen application. In other words, the nitrogen use efficiency descended with the nitrogen application increased in an order of 75 kgN/ha, 150 kgN/ha, 225 kgN/ha. One interesting result was that the nitrogen use efficiencies ranged from 17.0% to 30.5% for the treatments receiving the same application rate of 75 kgN/ha

Understanding cropping systems in the semi-arid environments of Zimbabwe: options for soil fertility management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ncube, B.

2007-01-01

African smallholder farmers face perennial food shortages due to low crop yields. The major cause of poor crop yields is soil fertility decline. The diversity of sites and soils between African farming systems isgreat,therefore strategies to solve soil fertility problems

Evaluating the effectiveness of phosphate fertilizers in some Venezuelan soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casanova, E.; Salas, A.M.; Toro, M.

2002-01-01

In Venezuela, 70% of the soils are acid with low natural fertility where phosphorus is the most limiting element together with nitrogen and potassium for plant growth. The efficiency of phosphate fertilization is low. Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of natural and modified rock phosphate using conventional and isotopic techniques. An incubation experiment was done to measure changes in available P on application of different phosphate fertilizers at a constant rate of 100 mg P/kg in ten acid soils of agricultural importance in Venezuela. In the greenhouse, two experiments were conducted to relate P fixation to soil P availability and the response of an index plant (Agrostis sp.). A high variability in P fixing capacity of the soils (r1/Ro = 0.02-0.76) was observed with the same level of available P. This fixation index is defined as the proportion of the added radioactivity ( 32 P) remaining in the soil solution after 1 min of exchange and a low fixing capacity is indicated by the values close to 1. The proportion of the total soil P that can possibly enter the soil solution and therefore is potentially available for plant uptake was measured using the traditional method (Bray I) and the isotopic method (E value). The high variability was also apparent in available P extracted by Bray I showing a range of 10 to 88% of the total P removed by the extracting solution. The incubation studies showed that the effectiveness of the P source for available P in the soil solution was related to their reactivity and the soil P fixing properties. The increase in the fixing capacity of the soils used caused a significant reduction in the E value, independent of the source of P used. A high positive and significant correlation between Bray I extracted P and the E value (r = 0.95) obtained from the different treatments, showed the relationship of the extractant for some forms of available P in soils where rock phosphate was applied. In

Role of Pigeonpea Cultivation on Soil Fertility and Farming System Sustainability in Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Adjei-Nsiah

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The productivity of the smallholder farming system in Ghana is under threat due to soil fertility decline. Mineral fertilizer is sparingly being used by smallholder farmers because of prohibitive cost. Grain legumes such as pigeonpea can play a complementary or alternative role as a source of organic fertilizer due to its ability to enhance soil fertility. Despite its importance, the potential of pigeonpea as a soil fertility improvement crop has not been exploited to any appreciable extent and the amount of land cultivated to pigeonpea in Ghana is vey negligible. This paper synthesizes recent studies that have been carried out on pigeonpea in Ghana and discusses the role of pigeonpea cultivation in soil fertility management and its implication for farming system sustainability. The paper shows that recent field studies conducted in both the semi-deciduous forest and the forest/savanna transitional agro-ecological zones of Ghana indicate that pigeonpea/maize rotations can increase maize yield by 75–200%. Barrier to widespread adoption of pigeonpea include land tenure, market, and accessibility to early maturing and high yielding varieties. The paper concludes among other things that in order to promote the cultivation of pigeonpea in Ghana, there is the need to introduce varieties that combine early maturity with high yields and other desirable traits based on farmers preferences.

Isotope derived criteria for the measurement of soil and fertilizer micronutrient availability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiller, K.G.

1975-01-01

Field experiments on long-lived gamma-emitting isotopes such as zinc-65 are unlikely to be acceptable because of health hazards, costs, and long-term losses of experimental field sites after completion of the trials. The use of glasshouse experiments for the assessment, by isotopic dilution procedures, of the efficiencies of different fertilizer formulations and their agronomic use is more advantageous. The measurement of nutrient absorbed from the fertilizer need not be restricted to the use of radioactively labelled fertilizers with its attendant technological problems in manufacture, transport, etc. Efficiency of locally available fertilizers, farm and industrial byproducts, could be related to the labelled native soil source of zinc. The dose rate of carrier-free zinc required can be minimized by limiting pot size and restricting fertilizer rates to realistic levels. Radioisotope derived criteria, while clearly valuable in rice micronutrient studies, require complementary field studies involving soil and plant analysis and fertilizer evaluation under conditions of local farm management

Soil fertility and soil loss constraints on crop residue removal for energy production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flaim, S.

1979-07-01

A summary of the methodologies used to estimate the soil fertility and soil loss constraints on crop residue removal for energy production is presented. Estimates of excess residue are developed for wheat in north-central Oklahoma and for corn and soybeans in central Iowa. These sample farming situations are analyzed in other research in the Analysis Division of the Solar Energy Research Institute.

[Effects of enhanced CO2 fertilization on phytoremediation of DEHP-polluted soil].

Science.gov (United States)

Diao, Xiao-Jun; Wang, Shu-Guang; Mu, Nan

2013-03-01

Low efficiency of remediation is one of the key issues to be solved in phytoremediation technology. Based on the necessity of reducing CO2 emission in China and the significance of CO2 in plant photosynthesis, this paper studied the effects of enhanced CO2 fertilization on the phytoremediation of polluted soil, selecting the C3 plant mung bean (Vigna radiate) and the C4 plant maize (Zea mays) as test plants for phytoremediation and the DEHP as the target pollutant. DEHP pollution had negative effects on the growth and rhizosphere micro-environment of the two plants. After enhanced CO2 fertilization, the aboveground dry mass of the two plants and the alkaline phosphatase activity in the rhizosphere soils of the two plants increased, the COD activity in the leaves of the two plants decreased, the microbial community in the rhizosphere soils shifted, and the numbers of the microbes with DEHP-tolerance in the rhizosphere soils increased. These changes indicated that enhanced CO2 fertilization could promote the plant growth and the plant tolerance to DEHP stress, and improve the rhizosphere micro-environment. Enhanced CO2 fertilization also increased the DEHP uptake by the two plants, especially their underground parts. All these effects induced the residual DEHP concentration in the rhizospheres of the two plants, especially that of mung bean, decreased obviously, and the phytoremediation efficiency increased. Overall, enhanced CO2 fertilization produced greater effects on C3 plant than on C4 plant. It was suggested that enhanced CO2 fertilization could be a useful measure to enhance the efficiency of phytoremediation.

Metagenomic analysis of soil and freshwater from zoo agricultural area with organic fertilization.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aylan K Meneghine

Full Text Available Microbial communities drive biogeochemical cycles in agricultural areas by decomposing organic materials and converting essential nutrients. Organic amendments improve soil quality by increasing the load of essential nutrients and enhancing the productivity. Additionally, fresh water used for irrigation can affect soil quality of agricultural soils, mainly due to the presence of microbial contaminants and pathogens. In this study, we investigated how microbial communities in irrigation water might contribute to the microbial diversity and function of soil. Whole-metagenomic sequencing approaches were used to investigate the taxonomic and the functional profiles of microbial communities present in fresh water used for irrigation, and in soil from a vegetable crop, which received fertilization with organic compost made from animal carcasses. The taxonomic analysis revealed that the most abundant genera were Polynucleobacter (~8% relative abundance and Bacillus (~10% in fresh water and soil from the vegetable crop, respectively. Low abundance (0.38% of cyanobacterial groups were identified. Based on functional gene prediction, denitrification appears to be an important process in the soil community analysed here. Conversely, genes for nitrogen fixation were abundant in freshwater, indicating that the N-fixation plays a crucial role in this particular ecosystem. Moreover, pathogenicity islands, antibiotic resistance and potential virulence related genes were identified in both samples, but no toxigenic genes were detected. This study provides a better understanding of the community structure of an area under strong agricultural activity with regular irrigation and fertilization with an organic compost made from animal carcasses. Additionally, the use of a metagenomic approach to investigate fresh water quality proved to be a relevant method to evaluate its use in an agricultural ecosystem.

Metagenomic analysis of soil and freshwater from zoo agricultural area with organic fertilization

Science.gov (United States)

Meneghine, Aylan K.; Nielsen, Shaun; Thomas, Torsten; Carareto Alves, Lucia Maria

2017-01-01

Microbial communities drive biogeochemical cycles in agricultural areas by decomposing organic materials and converting essential nutrients. Organic amendments improve soil quality by increasing the load of essential nutrients and enhancing the productivity. Additionally, fresh water used for irrigation can affect soil quality of agricultural soils, mainly due to the presence of microbial contaminants and pathogens. In this study, we investigated how microbial communities in irrigation water might contribute to the microbial diversity and function of soil. Whole-metagenomic sequencing approaches were used to investigate the taxonomic and the functional profiles of microbial communities present in fresh water used for irrigation, and in soil from a vegetable crop, which received fertilization with organic compost made from animal carcasses. The taxonomic analysis revealed that the most abundant genera were Polynucleobacter (~8% relative abundance) and Bacillus (~10%) in fresh water and soil from the vegetable crop, respectively. Low abundance (0.38%) of cyanobacterial groups were identified. Based on functional gene prediction, denitrification appears to be an important process in the soil community analysed here. Conversely, genes for nitrogen fixation were abundant in freshwater, indicating that the N-fixation plays a crucial role in this particular ecosystem. Moreover, pathogenicity islands, antibiotic resistance and potential virulence related genes were identified in both samples, but no toxigenic genes were detected. This study provides a better understanding of the community structure of an area under strong agricultural activity with regular irrigation and fertilization with an organic compost made from animal carcasses. Additionally, the use of a metagenomic approach to investigate fresh water quality proved to be a relevant method to evaluate its use in an agricultural ecosystem. PMID:29267397

Assessment of soil fertility status of Agriculture Research Station, Belachapi, Dhanusha, Nepal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dinesh Khadka

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Soil test-based fertility management is important for sustainable soil management. This study was carried out to determine the soil fertility status of the Agriculture Research Station, Belachapi, Dhanusha, Nepal. Using soil sampling auger 25 soil samples were collected randomly from a depth of 0-20 cm. Soil sampling points were identified using GPS device. Following standard methods adopted by Soil Science Division laboratory, Khumaltar, the collected soil samples were analyzed to find out their texture, pH, N, P2O5, K2O, Ca, Mg, S, B, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn and organic matter status. The soil fertility status maps were made using Arc-GIS 10.1 software. The observed data revealed that soil was grayish brown in colour and sub-angular blocky in structure. The sand, silt and clay content were 36.03±3.66%, 50.32±2.52% and 25.42±2.25%, respectively and categorized as eight different classes of texture. The soil was acidic in pH (5.61±0.14. The available sulphur (0.73±0.09 ppm status was very low, whereas organic matter (1.34±0.07%, available boron (0.56±0.10 ppm, available zinc (0.54±0.22 ppm and available copper (0.30±0.01 ppm were low in status. The extractable potassium (95.52±13.37 ppm and extractable calcium (1264.8±92.80ppm exhibited medium in status. In addition, available phosphorus (33.25±6.97 ppm, available magnesium (223.20±23.65 ppm and available manganese (20.50±2.43 ppm were high in status. Furthermore, available iron (55.80±8.89 ppm status was very high. To improve the potentiality of crops (maize, rice, wheat etc. for studied area, future research strategy should be made based on its soil fertility status.

Effects of Diatomite Organic Fertilizer on Cd and Zn Forms and Availability of Cd-Zn Polluted Soil

OpenAIRE

LIN Ji; CHENG Chen; HAN Ming-qiang; LI Song-xing; MA Xiao-rui; LI Yan

2014-01-01

An indoor soil cultivation experiment was carried out to study the effects of diatomite organic fertilizer on the forms and the avail-ability of Cd, Zn in soil. The results showed that the soil pH increased, the soil available Cd and Zn reduced after diatomite organic fertilizer application in contaminated soil. Diatomite organic fertilizer application decreased the contents of exchangeable form and weakly-bound-to organic form of Cd and Zn significantly, but increased the contents of strongl...

EFFECT OF ORGANIC AND CHEMICAL SOIL FERTILIZERS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH FOLIAR FERTILIZER ON SOME VEGETATIVE GROWTH OF FENUGREEK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali H. JASIM

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The experiment was conducted on the extension experiments farm in Babylon during the growing season 2013 - 2014 to study the effect of 5 soil fertilization treatments [control, 200 kg.ha-1 of NPK (18-18-0 , 4 and 8 t.ha-1 of compost of poultry], and its interaction with 4 treatments of foliar fertilizers [control, spray urea 1 g / liter, spraying humic acid 2 ml.l-1 and spray polimet 2 ml.l-1] on growth and yield of fenugreek. Randomized complete block design (RCBD with three replications was used. Seeds are sown on lines (30 cm apart in 21.10.2013 and the experimental unit contained 6 lines. After a week of germination the seedlings were thinned to 10 cm apart. Soil fertilizers were added as side dressing and the foliar fertilizers were added twice in 15/1 and 01/02/2014. The results showed that chemical fertilizer was superior significantly compared to other treatment in plant height, number of leaves, leaf area and wet and dry weight, while poultry (8 t.ha-1 was superior compared to control in branches number and wet weight. Urea spray was superior in plant height, leaves no. and soft weight. Polimet spray was superior compared to control in branches.plant-1. The interaction between the soil and spraying fertilizers had a significant effect in increasing plant height, branches no., leaves no., leaf area and wet and dry weight.

Evaluation of soil fertility status of Regional Agricultural Research Station, Tarahara, Sunsari, Nepal

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Dinesh Khadka

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Soil fertility evaluation of an area or region is most basic decision making tool for the sustainable soil nutrient management. In order to evaluate the soil fertility status of the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS, Tarahara, Susari, Nepal. Using soil sampling auger 81 soil samples (0-20 cm were collected based on the variability of land. The collected samples were analyzed for their texture, structure, colour, pH, OM, N, P2O5, K2O, Ca, Mg, S, B, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn status. The Arc-GIS 10.1 software was used for the preparation of soil fertility maps. The soil structure was granular to sub-angular blocky and varied between brown- dark grayish brown and dark gray in colour. The sand, silt and clay content were 30.32±1.4%, 48.92±0.89% and 20.76±0.92%, respectively and categorized as loam, clay loam, sandy loam, silt loam and silty clay loam in texture. The soil was moderately acidic in pH (5.98±0.08. The available sulphur (2.15±0.21 ppm, available boron (0.08±0.01 ppm and available zinc (0.35±0.03 ppm status were very low, whereas extractable magnesium (44.33±6.03 ppm showed low status. Similarly, organic matter (2.80±0.07%, total nitrogen (0.09±0.004 %, extractable calcium (1827.90±45.80 ppm and available copper (1.15±0.04 ppm were medium in content. The available phosphorus (39.77±5.27 ppm, extractable potassium (134.12±4.91 ppm, and available manganese (18.15±1.15 ppm exhibits high status, while available iron (244.7±19.70 ppm was very high. The fertilizer recommendation can be done based on determined soil fertility status to economize crop production. Furthermore, research farm should develop future research strategy accordance with the prepared soil data base.

[Study on mechanism of SOM stabilization of paddy soils under long-term fertilizations].

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Lu; Zhou, Ping; Tong, Cheng-Li; Shi, Hui; Wu, Jin-Shui; Huang, Tie-Ping

2013-02-01

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was applied to study the structure of soil organic matter (SOM) of paddy soils under long-term different fertilization treatments. The aim was to clarify the different distribution of SOM between different fertilization methods and between topsoil and subsoil, and to explore the stability mechanism of SOM under different fertilization treatments. The results showed that the content of topsoil organic carbon (SOC) was the highest under organic-inorganic fertilizations, with the increment of SOC by 18.5%, 12.9% and 18.4% under high organic manure (HOM), low organic manure (LOM) and straw returning (STW) respectively compared with no fertilization treatment (CK). The long-term fertilizations also changed the chemical structure of SOM. As compared with CK, different fertilization treatments increased the functional group absorbing intensity of chemical resistance compounds (aliphatic, aromaticity), carbohydrate and organo-silicon compounds, which was the most distinctive under treatments of HOM, LOM and STW. For example, the absorbing intensity of alkyl was 0.30, 0.25 and 0.29 under HOM, LOM and STW, respectively. These values were increased by 87% , 56% and 81% as compared with that under CK treatment. The functional group absorbing intensity of SOM in the topsoil was stronger than that in the subsoil, with the most distinctive difference under HOM, LOM and STW treatments. The present research indicated that the enhanced chemical resistance of functional group of SOM may contribute to the high contents of SOC in the paddy soils under long-term organic-inorganic fertilizations, which also suggested a chemical stabilization mechanism of SOM in the paddy soils.

Application of Bioorganic Fertilizer Significantly Increased Apple Yields and Shaped Bacterial Community Structure in Orchard Soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lei; Li, Jing; Yang, Fang; E, Yaoyao; Raza, Waseem; Huang, Qiwei; Shen, Qirong

2017-02-01

Application of bioorganic fertilizers has been reported to improve crop yields and change soil bacterial community structure; however, little work has been done in apple orchard soils where the biological properties of the soils are being degraded due to long-term application of chemical fertilizers. In this study, we used Illumina-based sequencing approach to characterize the bacterial community in the 0-60-cm soil profile under different fertilizer regimes in the Loess Plateau. The experiment includes three treatments: (1) control without fertilization (CK); (2) application of chemical fertilizer (CF); and (3) application of bioorganic fertilizer and organic-inorganic mixed fertilizer (BOF). The results showed that the treatment BOF increased the apple yields by 114 and 67 % compared to the CK and CF treatments, respectively. The treatment BOF also increased the soil organic matter (SOM) by 22 and 16 % compared to the CK and CF treatments, respectively. The Illumina-based sequencing showed that Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria were the predominant phyla and Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were the most abundant classes in the soil profile. The bacterial richness for ACE was increased after the addition of BOF. Compared to CK and CF treatments, BOF-treated soil revealed higher abundance of Proteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, Rhizobiales, and Xanthomonadales while Acidobacteria, Gp7, Gp17, and Sphaerobacter were found in lower abundance throughout the soil profile. Bacterial community structure varied with soil depth under different fertilizer treatments, e.g., the bacterial richness, diversity, and the relative abundance of Verruccomicrobia, Candidatus Brocadiales, and Skermanella were decreased with the soil depth in all three treatments. Permutational multivariate analysis showed that the fertilizer regime was the major factor than soil depth in the variations of the bacterial community composition. Two groups, Lysobacter

Millet response to water and soil fertility management in the Sahelian Niger : experiments and modeling

OpenAIRE

Akponikpe, Pierre

2008-01-01

In the 400-600 mm annual rainfall zone of the Sahel, soil fertility is the main determinant of yield in rainfed millet cropping systems in all but the driest years. Numerous on-farm and on-station experiments have addressed the issue of improving soil fertility. Yet the widespread use of the experimental results is restricted by the highly site specific millet response to fertility management practices due to high spatially variable soil properties as well as high intra- and inter-annual rain...

Effects of Fertilization on Tomato Growth and Soil Enzyme Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Mu, Zhen; Hu, Xue-Feng; Cheng, Chang; Luo, Zhi-qing

2015-04-01

To study the effects of different fertilizer applications on soil enzyme activity, tomato plant growth and tomato yield and quality, a field experiment on tomato cultivation was carried out in the suburb of Shanghai. Three fertilizer treatments, chemical fertilizer (CF) (N, 260 g/kg; P, 25.71g/kg; K, 83.00g/kg), rapeseed cake manure (CM) (N, 37.4 g/kg; P, 9.0 g/kg; K, 8.46 g/kg), crop-leaf fermenting manure (FM) (N, 23.67 g/kg; P, 6.39 g/kg; K 44.32 g/kg), and a control without using any fertilizers (CK), were designed. The total amounts of fertilizer application to each plot for the CF, CM, FM and CK were 0.6 kg, 1.35 kg, 3.75 kg and 0 kg, respectively, 50% of which were applied as base fertilizer, and another 50% were applied after the first fruit picking as top dressing. Each experimental plot was 9 m2 (1 m × 9 m) in area. Each treatment was replicated for three times. No any pesticides and herbicides were applied during the entire period of tomato growth to prevent their disturbance to soil microbial activities. Soil enzyme activities at each plot were constantly tested during the growing period; the tomato fruit quality was also constantly analyzed and the tomato yield was calculated after the final harvesting. The results were as follows: (1) Urease activity in the soils treated with the CF, CM and FM increased quickly after applying base fertilizer. That with the CF reached the highest level. Sucrase activity was inhibited by the CF and CM to some extent, which was 32.4% and 11.2% lower than that with the CK, respectively; while that with the FM was 15.7% higher than that with the CK. Likewise, catalase activity with the CF increased by 12.3% - 28.6%; that with the CM increased by 87.8% - 95.1%; that with the FM increased by 86.4% - 93.0%. Phosphatase activity with the CF increased rapidly and reached a maximum 44 days after base fertilizer application, and then declined quickly. In comparison, that with the CM and FM increased slowly and reached a maximum

Inorganic phosphorus fertilizer ameliorates maize growth by reducing metal uptake, improving soil enzyme activity and microbial community structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Wencheng; Wu, Jiahui; Liu, Xiaowen; Chen, Xianbin; Wu, Yingxin; Yu, Shixiao

2017-09-01

Recently, several studies have showed that both organic and inorganic fertilizers are effective in immobilizing heavy metals at low cost, in comparison to other remediation strategies for heavy metal-contaminated farmlands. A pot trial was conducted in this study to examine the effects of inorganic P fertilizer and organic fertilizer, in single application or in combination, on growth of maize, heavy metal availabilities, enzyme activities, and microbial community structure in metal-contaminated soils from an electronic waste recycling region. Results showed that biomass of maize shoot and root from the inorganic P fertilizer treatments were respectively 17.8 and 10.0 folds higher than the un-amended treatments (CK), while the biomass in the organic fertilizer treatments was only comparable to the CK. In addition, there were decreases of 85.0% in Cd, 74.3% in Pb, 66.3% in Cu, and 91.9% in Zn concentrations in the roots of maize grown in inorganic P fertilizer amended soil. Consistently, urease and catalase activities in the inorganic P fertilizer amended soil were 3.3 and 2.0 times higher than the CK, whereas no enhancement was observed in the organic fertilizer amended soil. Moreover, microbial community structure was improved by the application of inorganic P fertilizer, but not by organic fertilizer; the beneficial microbial groups such as Kaistobacter and Koribacter were most frequently detected in the inorganic P fertilizer amended soil. The negligible effect from the organic fertilizer might be ascribed to the decreased pH value in soils. The results suggest that the application of inorganic P fertilizer (or in combination with organic fertilizer) might be a promising strategy for the remediation of heavy metals contaminated soils in electronic waste recycling region. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Determinants of the adoption of integrated soil fertility management ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development ... focused approach to achieve sustainable soil fertility management among smallholder farmers. ... entry points that can help in developing innovative ISFM technologies.

Exploring the immediate and long-term impact on bacterial communities in soil amended with animal and urban organic waste fertilizers using pyrosequencing and screening for horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riber, Leise; Poulsen, Pernille H. B.; Al-Soud, Waleed A.

2014-01-01

We investigated immediate and long-term effects on bacterial populations of soil amended with cattle manure, sewage sludge or municipal solid waste compost in an ongoing agricultural field trial. Soils were sampled in weeks 0, 3, 9 and 29 after fertilizer application. Pseudomonas isolates were...... time. Seasonal changes seemed to prevail with decreasing bacterial richness in week 9 followed by a significant increase in week 29 (springtime). The Pseudomonas population richness seemed temporarily affected by fertilizer treatments, especially in sludge- and compost-amended soils. To explain...... these changes, prevalence of antibiotic- and mercury-resistant pseudomonads was investigated. Fertilizer amendment had a transient impact on the resistance profile of the soil community; abundance of resistant isolates decreased with time after fertilizer application, but persistent strains appeared...

Effects of biochar, waste water irrigation and fertilization on soil properties in West African urban agriculture.

Science.gov (United States)

Häring, Volker; Manka'abusi, Delphine; Akoto-Danso, Edmund K; Werner, Steffen; Atiah, Kofi; Steiner, Christoph; Lompo, Désiré J P; Adiku, Samuel; Buerkert, Andreas; Marschner, Bernd

2017-09-06

In large areas of sub-Saharan Africa crop production must cope with low soil fertility. To increase soil fertility, the application of biochar (charred biomass) has been suggested. In urban areas, untreated waste water is widely used for irrigation because it is a nutrient-rich year-round water source. Uncertainty exists regarding the interactions between soil properties, biochar, waste water and fertilization over time. The aims of this study were to determine these interactions in two typical sandy, soil organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient depleted soils under urban vegetable production in Tamale (Ghana) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) over two years. The addition of biochar at 2 kg m -2 made from rice husks and corn cobs initially doubled SOC stocks but SOC losses of 35% occurred thereafter. Both biochar types had no effect on soil pH, phosphorous availability and effective cation exchange capacity (CEC) but rice husk biochar retained nitrogen (N). Irrigation with domestic waste water increased soil pH and exchangeable sodium over time. Inorganic fertilization alone acidified soils, increased available phosphorous and decreased base saturation. Organic fertilization increased SOC, N and CEC. The results from both locations demonstrate that the effects of biochar and waste water were less pronounced than reported elsewhere.

Sand-RAPG combination simulating fertile clayey soil (Part I to IV)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azzam, R.; El-Hady, O.A.; Lotfy, A.A.; Hegela, M.

1983-01-01

I. Radiation Preparation of RAPG. Sites of co-ordination and reinforcement are dominated in reclaimer ameliorator polymeric gel (RAPG). It is a modified acrylonitrile base multifunction polymer grafted upon a binder of worthless cellulosic agricultural discard. It varies chemically from non-ionic through anionic and cationic to ampholite. The hydroproperty of the gel is similarly controlled. Thus, RAPG can be tailored for any soil texture under various climatic conditions. II. Structure Stability and Maintenance. Sinai dune sand is treated with non-ionic and anionic RAPGs at rates varying from 0.05 to 0.2 wt.%. The stability increased with RAPG anionicity and application rate. The structure formed maintained three cycles of complete destruction and re-formation without significant changes in erosion index. The resistance of sand-RAPG combination to breakdown by tillage, as well as to wind and water erosion, is practically proved. This is in addition to the beneficial changes in bulk density, void ratio and microporosity, which were also achieved. III. Water Preservation. Inshas sandy soil treated by RAPG is compared with fertile clayey soil. The water-holding capacity and retention at different suctions are increased. The available water to plants in treated sand has reached 15 times that of the control, and even exceeded clay by 11%. Water losses by evaporation and leaching as well as deep percolation are all reduced to a minimum. IV. Plantation and Nutritional Status. Pepper seed germination, growth and dry matter are increased in the sand-RAPG combination relative to fertile clayey soil. The optimum rate and anionicity of RAPG are determined. This increases water-use efficiency to twice that of the fertile clayey soil. Macro- and micro-nutrient uptake have also increased. Thus, fertilizer use efficiency is increased by almost three times over that of clay. These factors lead convincingly to the conclusion that RAPG furnishes adequate conditions for sandy soil

Nitrogen (15 N) fertilizer use in subsistence culture in the semi-arid soil of Northeast-Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sampaio, Everardo V.S.B.; Antonino, Antonio C.D.; Salcedo, Ignacio H.; Tiessen, Holm

1997-01-01

Productivity in the semi-arid area of Northeast Brazil is limited by nitrogen deficiency but fertilizers are not used due to the risk of this investment, usually calculated considering the year of application. Part of the fertilizer accumulates in the soil and can be used in subsequent crops. To provide information on accumulation, an experiment was established at Coxixola, city Pernambuco state consisting of combinations of single and intercropped corn and beans, with and without nitrogen fertilization (16 Kg.ha-1). Planting was done in holes, 1,1 x 1,0 m apart and 15N ammonium nitrate was applied in the there central holes of the plots. At harvest, plants in these hole were analysed separately and the soil was sampled at threre depths and five distances from the point of application of the fertilizer. Productivities were low, without differences between fertilized and non fertilized treatments for grain but with differences for straw. Single corn absorbed more (34%) and retained more of the N fertilizer in the soil (50%) than single beans (16 e 28%) and intercrop (corn 15% beans 11% soil 48%). Part of the unrecovered fertilizer may have migrated out of the sampled volume. This migration and the losses in beans indicate that only a small effect is expected for the accumulated N in the soil. (author). 31 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs

Nitrogen Fertilizer Sources and Application Timing Affects Wheat and Inter-Seeded Red Clover Yields on Claypan Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelly A. Nelson

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Controlled-release N fertilizer, such as polymer-coated urea (PCU, may be a fall N management option for wheat (Triticum aestivum L. grown in poorly-drained claypan soils. Field research evaluated (1 urea release from fall-applied PCU in 2006 and 2007; (2 broadcast fall-spring split (25%:75% of N sources; and (3 a single fall (100% application of PCU, urea, urea plus NBPT (N-(n-butyl thiophosphoric triamide] (U + NBPT, ammonium nitrate (AN, or urea ammonium nitrate (UAN at 0, 56, 84, and 112 kg·N·ha−1 on wheat yield, wheat biomass, N uptake by wheat, and frost-seeded red clover (FSC (Trifolium pratense L. forage yield (2004–2007. PCU applied in fall released less than 30% urea by February. Urea released from PCU by harvest was 60% and 85% in 2006 and 2007, respectively. In poorly-drained soils, wheat yields ranked PCU > AN > U + NBPT > urea ≥ UAN over the rates evaluated for fall-only application. PCU was a viable fall-applied N source, with yields similar to or greater than urea or U + NBPT split-applied. Split-N applications of AN, urea, UAN, and U + NBPT generally resulted in greater wheat yields than a fall application. Enhanced efficiency fertilizers provide farmers with flexible options for maintaining high yielding production systems.

Evaluation of the Fertility Status and Suitability of some Soils for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Evaluation of the Fertility Status and Suitability of some Soils for Arable Cropping In the ... Nigerian Journal of Soil Science ... cropping in the newly established Teaching and Research Farm of the Federal University of Technology, Minna.

Short-Term Changes in Fertility Attributes and Soil Organic Matter Caused by the Addition of EM Bokashis in Two Tropical Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Eduardo Pacheco Lima

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The present work aimed to evaluate the behavior of ten fertility attributes of soil organic matter physical fractions and total organic carbon upon addition of three EM Bokashis to a Rhodic Ferralsol (FRr and a Dystric Cambisol (CMd. An experiment was carried out in greenhouse in which the soils were placed into plastic trays and cultivated with tomato. A completely randomized design was used with four repetitions and factorial scheme of 2 × 3 + 2, consisting of two soils (FRr and CMd, three EM Bokashis (Poultry Manure Bokashi (BPM; CNPH Bokashi (BC; and Cattle Manure Bokashi (BCM, and two controls (both soils without addition of Bokashi. The following fertility attributes were evaluated: pH, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, P, SB, H + Al, CEC, and V. Particulate organic carbon (POC and mineral-associated organic carbon (MOC and total organic carbon (TOC were also investigated. Finally, the Principal Component Analysis was conducted in order to identify possible patterns related to soils when fertilized with EM Bokashi. The addition of EM Bokashi increased the soil fertility and contents of POC. Different EM Bokashi presents distinguished effects on each soil. The PCA suggests that BPM presents higher capacity to modify the analyzed chemical attributes.

Soil Fertility Status, Nutrient Uptake, and Maize (Zea mays L.) Yield Following Organic Matters and P Fertilizer Application on Andisol

Science.gov (United States)

Minardi, S.; Harieni, S.; Anasrullah, A.; Purwanto, H.

2017-04-01

Objective of this study were to elucidate effects of organic matters and P fertilizer application on soil fertility status, nutrient uptake and maize yield in the Andisol. This experiment consisted of two factors. The first factor comprised of four levels of organic matters input (without organic matter, manure, rice straw, and Gliricidia sepium leaves), with the application dosage 10 t.ha-1 and the second factor comprised of three levels of P fertilizer application (without P addition (control), 50 kg P2O5 ha-1, 100 kg P2O5 ha-1). Results of this study showed that organic matters and P fertilizer application improved soil fertility status, especially pH, soil organic C, cation exchange capacity (CEC), available P which resulted in an increase in P uptake that improve yield of maize. The highest yield of maize (corn cob) was obtained through application Gliricida sepium (8.40 t.ha-1), followed by manure (6.02 t.ha-1) and rice straw (5.87 t.ha-1). Application of 50 kg P2O5 Ha-1 yield was (5.76 t.ha-1) and application of 100 Kg P2O5 Ha-1 yield was (6.12 t.ha-1).

Ameliorating effects of designer biochars in a hard-setting subsoil layer: soil fertility and plant biomass

Science.gov (United States)

Soils in the southeastern U.S. Coastal Plain region have meager soil fertility and frequently have compacted subsoil layers (E horizon). Designer biochar has gained global interest as an amendment to improve the fertility, chemical, and physical properties of degraded agricultural soils. We hypothes...

Moving methodologies : learning about integrated soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa

OpenAIRE

Defoer, T.

2000-01-01

Soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa is complex, diverse and dynamic. Farmers' investments are determined by a wide variety of factors, including bio-physical characteristics of the environment, access to resources and the institutional, and socio-economic context of farming and livelihood making. Within this context, defining soil fertility problems in general terms is not meaningful and proposing a limited number of standard interventions, aimed at the 'average' farmer i...

The soil acidity as restrictive factor of the use of nitrogen fertilizer by spring barley

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hejnak, V.; Lippold, H.

1999-01-01

In two - year micro - plot trials was studied the effect of soil pH value (pH > 6,5 and pH 15 N in first year and no enriched in second year, rates of 0, 85, 170 and 255 mg N per pot, i.e. 0, 30, 60 and 90 kg N.ha -1 ) on the spring barley productivity and on the use of nitrogen fertilizer by plants in the application year of 15 N and in the following year. The productivity of spring barley is significantly higher in neutral soil than in acid soil. The gradated rates of nitrogen fertilization increased this difference. The total nitrogen uptake by plants was higher in neutral soil. The share of the nitrogen from 'the old soil's supply' in the total uptake by the harvest ranges from 95 to 82 % and is practically identical in studied soils. 'Priming effect' was higher in soil with better fertility (153 - 186 mg N per pot) than in acid soil (to 49 mg N per pot only). The gradated rates of ammonium sulphate increased the uptake nitrogen from fertilizer by harvest of spring barley in the application year of 15 N from 39 mg N to 107 mg N per pot in neutral soil and from 26 mg N to 83 mg N per pot in acid soil and in the following year from 3,05 mg N to 8,15 mg N per pot in neutral soil and from 1,76 mg N to 3,37 mg N per pot in acid soil. The total balance of fertilizer nitrogen ( 15 N) in soil - crop system in two years from application showed that in neutral soil 46 % used by spring barley (42 % in the application year and 4 % in the following year), 16 % rested in soil and loss was 38 % and in acid soil 35 % used by harvest (33 % in first year and 2 % second year), 12 % rested in soil and loss was 53 %. Refs. 5 (author)

Spatial distribution of ammonium and calcium in optimally fertilized pine plantation soils

Science.gov (United States)

Ivan Edwards; Andrew Gillespie; Jennifer Chen; Kurt Johnsen; Ronald Turco

2005-01-01

Commercial timber production is increasingly reliant on long-term fertilization to maximize stand productivity, yet we do not understand the extent to which this practice homogenizes soil properties. The effects of 16 yr of optimal fertilization and optimal fertilization with irrigation (fertigation) on forest floor depth, pH, total organic carbon (TOC) and total...

Potassium fertilization for pineapple: effects on soil chemical properties and plant nutrition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luiz Antonio Junqueira Teixeira

2011-06-01

Full Text Available A field experiment was carried out on an Ultisol located at the city of Agudos (22º30'S; 49º03'W, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in order to determine the effects of rates and sources of potassium fertilizer on nutritional status of 'Smooth Cayenne' pineapple and on some soil chemical properties. The experiment was a complete factorial design with four rates (0, 175, 350, and 700 kg ha-1 of K2O and three combinations of K sources (100% KCl, 100% K2SO4 and 40% K2SO4 + 60% KCl. Soil samples were taken from the depths 0-20 cm, 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm at planting and 14 months after. Nutritional status of pineapple plants was assessed by means of tissue analysis. Soil K availability increased with application of K fertilizer, regardless of K sources. Soil chlorine and Cl concentration in pineapple leaves increased with application of KCl or K2SO4+KCl. Plant uptake of potassium was shaped by soil K availability and by the application rates of K fertilizer, independently of K sources.

Soil Fertility Assessment of The Lugu Main Canal Of Wurno Irrigation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Soil Fertility Assessment of The Lugu Main Canal Of Wurno Irrigation Project, Sokoto State, ... Nigerian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences ... Soil chemical properties such as pH, total N, available P, CEC and exchangeable bases were

Heavy Metal Leaching as Affected by Long-Time Organic Waste Fertilizer Application.

Science.gov (United States)

Lekfeldt, Jonas Duus Stevens; Holm, Peter E; Kjærgaard, Charlotte; Magid, Jakob

2017-07-01

The recycling of urban waste products as fertilizers in agriculture may introduce contaminants such as heavy metals into soil that may leach and contaminate groundwater. In the present study, we investigated the leaching of heavy metals from intact soil cores collected in the long-term agricultural field trial CRUCIAL. At the time of sampling, the equivalent of >100 yr of urban waste fertilizers following Danish legislation had been applied. The leaching of Cu was significantly increased in the treatments receiving organic waste products compared with the unfertilized control but remained below the permissible level following Danish drinking water guidelines. The leaching of Cu was controlled primarily by the topsoil Cu content and by the leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) but at the same time significantly correlated with leaching of colloids in soils that had not received fertilizer or had received an organic fertilizer with a low concentration of Cu. The leaching of Zn, Cd, and Co was not significantly increased in urban waste-fertilized treatments. The leaching of Mo was elevated in accelerated waste treatments (both agricultural and urban), and the leaching of Mo was linked to the leaching of DOC. Since leaching of Cr and Pb was strongly linked to the level of colloid leaching, leaching of these metals was reduced in the urban waste treatments. Overall, the results presented should not raise concern regarding the agricultural use of urban waste products in agriculture as long as the relevant guidelines are followed. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Effects of re-application of nitrogen fertilizer on forest soil-water chemistry, with special reference to cadmium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoegbom, Lars; Nohrstedt, Hans-Oerjan

2000-09-01

A greatly increased concentration of cadmium was found in soil water following the application of nitrogen fertilizer. Our study was conducted at an experimental site in the western part of central Sweden. Prior to this, the area had been used to study the effects of the repeated application of fertilizer, under different regimes, on forest production. In this experiment, we examined the residual effects of previous nitrogen fertilizer application regimes on soil-water chemistry, following a final, additional fertilizer application. Soil water was sampled using suction lysimeters installed at a depth of 50 cm. However, due to the failure of the lysimeters at two of the study plots, the differences between fertilizer regimes could not be evaluated. Instead, we focused on changes in the solubility of cadmium and aluminium caused by soil-water acidification due to the re-application of nitrogen fertilizer. Every fourth or eighth year, between 1981 and 1997, the study plots received 150 kg N ha -1 , in the form of ammonium nitrate (AN) and calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN). The effects of the final fertilizer application (CAN) were studied. Application of nitrogen fertilizer resulted in a rapid increase in NO 3 - concentration in soil-water, and a decrease in pH. The increased soil-water acidity resulted in some metals becoming more soluble and occurring in higher concentrations within the soil water. The increase in concentration of some toxic heavy metals, such as cadmium, was of concern. The highest measured cadmium concentration was 2.7 μg l -1 , compared to the government health limit of 5 μg l -1 for drinking water. The cadmium detected must originate from the soil since it was not present in the nitrogen fertilizer. Cadmium is highly toxic to both animals and plants, and knowledge of its occurrence, in relation to various silvicultural operations, is of great importance

Soil radioactivity and its possible relationship with fertilizers in Araras region, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souza, Jocelyn L. de; Ferreira, Francisco J.F.; Mantovani, Luiz E.; Rocha, Helio O. da

1997-01-01

Fertilizers are widely used in agriculture, particularly in tropical regions, where weathering of soil nutrients is more intense. Uranium is commonly present in phosphate rocks and, consequently, in fertilizers. The exploitation, processing and persistent use of large amounts of phosphate fertilizers lead the environment to be contaminated by U, Th and other trace element resulting from radioactive decay. In the present study, airbone gamma-ray spectrometry, remote sensing, digital imagery and geographic information systems were used to integrate geophysical, geological, topographical pedological and drainage data in order to interpret radiometric (K, U and Th) anomalies in the region of Araras, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. These anomalies occur in soils developed from basic rocks (diabase sills), which are known to normally contain low concentrations of radionuclides. Owing to their high fertility, these soils have been historically used for important crops such as coffee and sugar cane, but an increasing amount of fertilizers has been used there over the last thirty years. The radiometric anomalies (U, Th) are attributed to impurities in phosphates, whereas the 40 K anomalies result both from the use potash and agricultural residues like those from the sugar cane industry, in which up to 0.7 g/l of K 2 O is present. (author). 13 refs., 6 figs

Fertility status of cultivated floodplain soils in the Zambezi Valley, northern Zimbabwe

Science.gov (United States)

Chimweta, M.; Nyakudya, I. W.; Jimu, L.

2018-06-01

Flood-recession cropping improves smallholder farmers' household food security. The objective of this study was to determine the fertility status of cultivated Zambezi Valley floodplain soils, in northern Zimbabwe. The study was conducted at three sites, along tributaries of Musengezi River. Soil samples were taken at 0.20 m depth increments to 0.60 m from hydromorphologically stratified fields, during the cropping season. Sampling points were replicated twice in each stratum at points equidistant from river edges. Relative elevations of sampling points were measured using levelling equipment. Soil was analysed using: core method for bulk density, hydrometer method for texture, loss on ignition for soil organic carbon (SOC), Kjeldahl procedure for total nitrogen (N), 0.01 M CaCl2 for pH, and Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) for Mehlich 3 extractable elements. Data from soil analyses were subjected to One Way Analysis of Variance and Pearson's correlation analysis. Bulk density ranged from 1.2 to 1.4 g cm-3 and it was negatively related to distance from river; and positively related to elevation at two sites. Highest values for SOC and total N were 2.04% and 0.36% respectively. Soil pH ranged from 7.70 to 8.60. Soil organic carbon and N were positively related to distance from river but negatively related to elevation. Threshold concentrations for deficiency: fertilizer microdosing are among possible fertility management options.

How Does Recycling of Livestock Manure in Agroecosystems Affect Crop Productivity, Reactive Nitrogen Losses, and Soil Carbon Balance?

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Longlong; Lam, Shu Kee; Yan, Xiaoyuan; Chen, Deli

2017-07-05

Recycling of livestock manure in agroecosystems to partially substitute synthetic fertilizer nitrogen (N) input is recommended to alleviate the environmental degradation associated with synthetic N fertilization, which may also affect food security and soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, how substituting livestock manure for synthetic N fertilizer affects crop productivity (crop yield; crop N uptake; N use efficiency), reactive N (Nr) losses (ammonia (NH 3 ) emission, N leaching and runoff), GHG (methane, CH 4 ; and nitrous oxide, N 2 O; carbon dioxide) emissions and soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in agroecosystems is not well understood. We conducted a global meta-analysis of 141 studies and found that substituting livestock manure for synthetic N fertilizer (with equivalent N rate) significantly increased crop yield by 4.4% and significantly decreased Nr losses via NH 3 emission by 26.8%, N leaching by 28.9% and N runoff by 26.2%. Moreover, annual SOC sequestration was significantly increased by 699.6 and 401.4 kg C ha -1 yr -1 in upland and paddy fields, respectively; CH 4 emission from paddy field was significantly increased by 41.2%, but no significant change of that was observed from upland field; N 2 O emission was not significantly affected by manure substitution in upland or paddy fields. In terms of net soil carbon balance, substituting manure for fertilizer increased carbon sink in upland field, but increased carbon source in paddy field. These results suggest that recycling of livestock manure in agroecosystems improves crop productivity, reduces Nr pollution and increases SOC storage. To attenuate the enhanced carbon source in paddy field, appropriate livestock manure management practices should be adopted.

Participatory innovation process for testing new practices for soil fertility management in Chókwè Irrigation Scheme (Mozambique)

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez Reparaz, Maite; de Vente, Joris; Famba, Sebastiao; Rougier, Jean-Emmanuel; Ángel Sánchez-Monedero, Miguel; Barberá, Gonzalo G.

2015-04-01

Integrated water and nutrient management are key factors to increase productivity and to reduce the yield gap in irrigated systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. These two elements are affected by an ensemble of abiotic, biotic, management and socio-economic factors that need to be taken into account to reduce the yield gap, as well as farmers' perceptions and knowledge. In the framework of the project European Union and African Union cooperative research to increase Food production in irrigated farming systems in Africa (EAU4Food project) we are carrying out a participatory innovation process in Chókwè irrigation scheme (Mozambique) based on stakeholders engagement, to test new practices for soil fertility management that can increase yields reducing costs. Through a method combining interviews with three farmers' associations and other relevant stakeholders and soil sampling from the interviewed farmers' plots with the organization of Communities of Practices, we tried to capture how soil fertility is managed by farmers, the constraints they find as well as their perceptions about soil resources. This information was the basis to design and conduct a participatory innovation process where compost made with rice straw and manure is being tested by a farmers' association. Most important limitations of the method are also evaluated. Our results show that socio-economic characteristics of farmers condition how they manage soil fertility and their perceptions. The difficulties they face to adopt new practices for soil fertility management, mainly related to economic resources limitations, labour availability, knowledge time or farm structure, require a systemic understanding that takes into account abiotic, biotic, management and socio-economic factors and their implication as active stakeholders in all phases of the innovation process.

Anaerobic ammonia oxidation in a fertilized paddy soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Guibing; Wang, Shanyun; Wang, Yu

2011-01-01

Evidence for anaerobic ammonium oxidation in a paddy field was obtained in Southern China using an isotope-pairing technique, quantitative PCR assays and 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, along with nutrient profiles of soil cores. A paddy field with a high load of slurry manure as fertilizer...... was selected for this study and was shown to contain a high amount of ammonium (6.2–178.8 mg kg−1). The anaerobic oxidation of ammonium (anammox) rates in this paddy soil ranged between 0.5 and 2.9 nmolN per gram of soil per hour in different depths of the soil core, and the specific cellular anammox activity...

Effects of added fertilizers and carbon source on the persistence of carbaryl in soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirata, R.; Lord, K.A.; Luchini, L.C.; Mesquita, T.B.; Ruegg, E.F.

1980-01-01

The effect of added fertilizers and carbon source on the persistence of carbaryl in two types of soils was investigated using the technique of liquid scintillation counting. In both soils, the addition of fertilzers (NPK) had little effect on the rate of degradation of carbaryl. In contrast, the addition of sucrose, with or without fertilizer increases degradation of carboryl in a yellow red latosol soil poor in organic matter but has little effect on the degradation in a humic gley soil rich in organic mutter. (Author) [pt

Combined Effects of Biochar and Fertilizer on Cadmium Contaminated Soil Remediation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

WANG Qi-kai

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The field experiment was employed to study on the combined effects of biochar and chicken manure and N, P and K compound chemical fertilizer on cadmium contaminated soil remediation, and the immobilization mechanism was elucidated through fractionation of cadmium in the tested soil. Results showed that the addition of these ammendments could significantly reduce the edible Cd accumulation in Lactuca sativa L., decreased from 32.6% to 54.8% compared with the control. The application of these additives could also significantly decrease extractable Cd concentration by 7.04%~21.85%. Biochar could significantly improve soil pH value, promote the inactivation of Cd contaminated soil, while the application of chicken manure significantly decreased soil pH value, which showed the effect of activating Cd in soil. Soil pH value had significant positive correlation with root Cd concentration of tested cultivars, but did not reach the significant effect level with the shoot Cd concentration. The research can provide a theoretical basis for the application of biochar combined with chicken manure and N, P and K compound chemical fertilizer on remediation of sewage irrigated Cd contaminated soil.

Spectroscopic quantification of soil phosphorus forms by 31P-NMR after nine years of organic or mineral fertilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gatiboni, Luciano Colpo; Brunetto, Gustavo; Rheinheimer, Danilo dos Santos; Kaminski, Joao; Flores, Alex Fabiani Claro; Lima, Maria Angelica Silveira; Girotto, Eduardo; Copetti, Andre Carlos Cruz; Pandolfo, Carla Maria; Veiga, Milton

2013-01-01

Long-standing applications of mineral fertilizers or types of organic wastes such as manure can cause phosphorus (P) accumulation and changes in the accumulated P forms in the soil. The objective of this research was to evaluate the forms of P accumulated in soils treated with mineral fertilizer or different types of manure in a long-term experiment. Soil was sampled from the 0-5 cm layer of plots fertilized with five different nutrient sources for nine years: 1) control without fertilizer; 2) mineral fertilizer at recommended rates for local conditions; 3) 5 t ha -1 year -1 of moist poultry litter; 4) 60 m 3 ha -1 year -1 of liquid cattle manure and 5) 40 m 3 ha -1 year -1 of liquid swine manure. The 31 P-NMR spectra of soil extracts detected the following P compounds: orthophosphate, pyrophosphate, inositol phosphate, glycerophosphate, and DNA. The use of organic or mineral fertilizer over nine years did not change the soil P forms but influenced their concentration. Fertilization with mineral or organic fertilizers stimulated P accumulation in inorganic forms. Highest inositol phosphate levels were observed after fertilization with any kind of manure and highest organic P concentration in glycerophosphate form in after mineral or no fertilization. (author)

The Impacts of Soil Fertility and Salinity on Soil Nitrogen Dynamics Mediated by the Soil Microbial Community Beneath the Halophytic Shrub Tamarisk.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwaoka, Chikae; Imada, Shogo; Taniguchi, Takeshi; Du, Sheng; Yamanaka, Norikazu; Tateno, Ryunosuke

2018-05-01

Nitrogen (N) is one of the most common limiting nutrients for primary production in terrestrial ecosystems. Soil microbes transform organic N into inorganic N, which is available to plants, but soil microbe activity in drylands is sometimes critically suppressed by environmental factors, such as low soil substrate availability or high salinity. Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) is a halophytic shrub species that is widely distributed in the drylands of China; it produces litter enriched in nutrients and salts that are thought to increase soil fertility and salinity under its crown. To elucidate the effects of tamarisks on the soil microbial community, and thus N dynamics, by creating "islands of fertility" and "islands of salinity," we collected soil samples from under tamarisk crowns and adjacent barren areas at three habitats in the summer and fall. We analyzed soil physicochemical properties, inorganic N dynamics, and prokaryotic community abundance and composition. In soils sampled beneath tamarisks, the N mineralization rate was significantly higher, and the prokaryotic community structure was significantly different, from soils sampled in barren areas, irrespective of site and season. Tamarisks provided suitable nutrient conditions for one of the important decomposers in the area, Verrucomicrobia, by creating "islands of fertility," but provided unsuitable salinity conditions for other important decomposers, Flavobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Deltaproteobacteria, by mitigating salt accumulation. However, the quantity of these decomposers tended to be higher beneath tamarisks, because they were relatively unaffected by the small salinity gradient created by the tamarisks, which may explain the higher N mineralization rate beneath tamarisks.

The assessment of pollution in the area of Turnu Magurele affected by fertilizer plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oprea, C.D.; Pincovschi, E.

2002-01-01

The fertilizer industry related to the whole chain of production, storage, transport and use causes a potential pollution of air, water, soil and vegetation. A local sampling monitoring network was developed around Turnu Magurele fertilizer plant in Romania. Samples of mosses, soil, tree leaves and crops were analyzed by neutron activation analysis for more than 35 chemical components. This paper reports the distribution of 39 trace elements in the moss-bio monitor Hypnum cuppresiforme used to study atmospheric deposition in the examined area. The results obtained evidence for a local pollution of the area exposed to the emissions of the phosphate fertilizer local industry, following a gradient along the Danube River wind rose profile. The vegetation input of trace elements from soil is compared with inputs from atmospheric deposition, and these inputs were evaluated in relation to the vegetation content. The study established that cadmium, strontium and rare earths are the major elements as regards fertilizer input. (authors)

Biochar amendment improves soil fertility and productivity of mulberry plant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faruque Ahmed

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Biochar has the potential to improve soil fertility and crop productivity. A field experiment was carried out at the experimental field of Bangladesh Sericulture Research and Training Institute (BSRTI, Rajshahi, Bangladesh. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of biochar on soil properties, growth, yield and foliar disease incidence of mulberry plant. The study consisted of 6 treatments: control, basal dose of NPK, rice husk biochar, mineral enriched biochar, basal dose + rice husk biochar and basal dose + mineral enriched biochar. Growth parameters such as node/meter, total branch number/plant, total leaf yield/hectare/year were significantly increased in basal dose + mineral enriched biochar treated plot in second year compared with the other fertilizer treatments. In second year, the total leaf yield/hectare/year were also 142.1% and 115.9% higher in combined application of basal dose + mineral enriched biochar and basal dose + rice husk biochar, respectively, than the control treatment. The soil properties such as organic matter, phosphorus, sulphur and zinc percentage were significantly increased with both the (mineral enriched and rice husk biochar treated soil applied with or without recommended basal dose of NPK than the control and only the recommended basal dose of NPK, respectively. Further, the lowest incidences of tukra (6.4%, powdery mildew (10.4% and leaf spot (7.6% disease were observed in second year under mineral enriched biochar treated plot than the others. The findings revealed that utilization of biochar has positive effect on the improvement of soil fertility and productivity as well as disease suppression of mulberry plant.

Natural radionuclides in phosphatic fertilizer and their behaviour of absoption and accumulation in soils and crops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Jingjian; Zhu Yongyi; Yang Juncheng; Gu Baming

1990-06-01

The systematic data on the radioactivity of U, Th, Ra and 40 K in phosphate rocks, phosphatic fertilizers and soil are given. The radioactive composition and radioactivity in phosphatic fertilizers vary with different kinds of phosphatic fertilizers. The radioactive compositions in the phosphatic fertilizers made from phosphate rock are the same as that in the original phosphate rock, but the radioactivity is only 50∼60% of the original. The natural uranium in the compound fertilizer made from phosphoric acid is several times higher than that in the phosphate rock, and the other radionuclides were separated during the process of forming phosphoric acid. In soil, the radioactivity varies with the soil types. The U content is slightly higher in the south region with red earth and the 40 K is higher in the north region with black earth, but all are in normal level. Usually, the radioactivity of phosphate rock and phosphatic fertilizer is between the natural background of soil and the limitation of radioactive protection, but the radioactivity of 226 Ra in some phosphate rocks and phosphatic fertilizers in Guizhou and Hunan is higher than the permitted limitation set by the government

The application dosage of Azolla pinnata in fresh and powder form as organic fertilizer on soil chemical properties, growth and yield of rice plant

Science.gov (United States)

Setiawati, Mieke Rochimi; Damayani, Maya; Herdiyantoro, Diyan; Suryatmana, Pujawati; Anggraini, Derisfha; Khumairah, Fiqriah Hanum

2018-02-01

The yield of rice plants is strongly influenced by N fertilizer. Nitrogen in rice plants has roles in vegetative growth, tiller formation and increasing yield through rice protein formation. Nitrogen supplied from organic fertilizers is better than inorganic fertilizers that may have environmental problem effects. Organic fertilizers from Azolla pinnata water fern contain higher N than other organic fertilizers. Symbiosis between A. pinnata and the N-fixing cyanobacteria results in high content of nitrogen, 3 to 5%. A. pinnata can be added to the rice field as organic fertilizer in form of fresh biomass or composted. Composted form can be ground into powder which passes through 100 mesh sieve. Preparation of compost powder of A. pinnata is done to reduce the constraints of voluminous application of organic fertilizers and to improve the efficiency of its use. The objective of this research was to compare the effect of the use of fresh A. pinnata and compost powder of A. pinnata on some soil and plant chemical properties and rice yield. The treatments applied were fresh A. pinnata at the dose of 0, 10 and 20 ton ha-1 and A. pinnata compost powder at 12.5 and 25 kg ha-1. The results showed that incorporation of fresh A. pinnata at 20 tons ha-1 and its compost powder at 25 kg ha-1 increased the available P of soil, plant P content and tiller number, but did not affect the content of organic-C, total soil N, plant N content and rice yield. This study suggested the benefits of A. pinnata compost powder technology in organic fertilization of soil to increase the nutrient content of soil and rice plants.

Soil nitrogen as fertilizer or pollutant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

The results of 22 studies and surveys are reported on a global scale on N fertilizer applications and the fate of 15 N-labelled fertilizer in various soils, water and nitrate movement, residues, soil-N transformations in relation to leaching, nitrate pollution, nitrogen balance and related aspects under a variety of climatic conditions and crop cultivation are described. Some studies did not contain actual isotope applications, and have therefore not been entered in INIS as individual items. A 13-page report on research coordination includes background information, common methodology, field lysimeter experiments and their results, and the collection and evaluation of data. In conclusion, variations in the fate and behaviour of N residues are considered as are water pollution, the critical role of models and the need for behaviour prediction, the fate of agricultural N residues, the conservation of useful N residues, and future programmes. The report concludes with 7 recommendations, 20 references, and 3 annexes. Annex 1 lists programme participants by country, chief investigator, basis of collaboration and subject area, Annex 2 the titles and authors of working papers; Annex 3 gives guidelines for 15 N-residue experiment objectives, data presentation, etc. All participants in the Coordination Meeting are listed

Radiological study of soil, fertilizers and foodstuffs in some selected farming communities in the Greater Accra Region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adjirackor, T.

2010-01-01

Radioactivity concentrations of natural radionuclides, namely 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K, in fertilized and non-fertilized soils and vegetables from some agricultural areas were investigated using gamma spectrometry in order to assess the radiological implications of the extended use of phosphate fertilizers in agriculture. The mean activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K in the fertilized soils were 23.84±2.52Bqkg -1 , 43.64±2.19Bqkg -1 and 199.69±3.67Bqkg -1 respectively. For the non-fertilized soils, mean activity concentrations were found to be 14.01 ± 5.90Bqkg -1 for 226 Ra, 29.40 ± 2.03Bqkg -1 for 232 Th and 120.92 ± 4.67Bqkg -1 for 40 K. The study has shown that fertilized soils contain slightly higher concentrations of the three radionuclides than non-fertilized soils. The measured activity concentrations of the five most frequently utilized agricultural fertilizers showed highest levels of 226 Ra (139.37±11.15kg -1 ) and 232 Th (47.58±3.81kg -1 ) were measured in NPK 151515 and the highest level of 40 K (8383.47±6.70) was measured in Super master. It was also found that Sulphate of Ammonia recorded the lowest levels of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K. The average value of 226 Ra cq was 93.32 Bqkg -1 for fertilized soils and 63.30 Bqkg -1 for non-fertilized soil. The calculated mean values of the internal hazard index (H IN ) and external hazard index (H EX ) for all samples were less than unity. The average absorbed dose rate (D γ ) values were 37.55nGyh -1 for fertilized soil and 31.64 nGyh -1 for non -fertilized soils. The calculated mean annual effective dose due to ingestion of vegetables by the general public was 0.67 mSv/y for 226 Ra, 0.28 mSv/y for 232 Th and 3.9mSv/y for 40 K. The result from the study indicates that radiation exposure from consumption of vegetables from the selected farming communities does not pose significant radiological hazard with the exception of 40 K which was above the permissible limit of 1mSv for the general

Effect of long-term combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil nematode communities within aggregates.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiyong; Zhang, Xiaoke; Mahamood, Md; Zhang, Shuiqing; Huang, Shaomin; Liang, Wenju

2016-08-09

A long-term fertilization experiment was conducted to examine the effects of different fertilization practices on nematode community composition within aggregates in a wheat-maize rotation system. The study was a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The experiment involved the following four treatments: no fertilizer, inorganic N, P and K fertilizer (NPK), NPK plus manure (NPKM) and NPK plus maize straw (NPKS). Soil samples were taken at 0-20 cm depth during the wheat harvest stage. Based on our results, NPKS contributed to soil aggregation and moisture retention, with a positive effect on soil total nitrogen accumulation, particularly within small macroaggregates (0.25-1 mm) and microaggregates (fertilizer application effectively improved soil physicochemical properties and were also beneficial for nematode survival within small aggregate size fractions.

Transformation of nitrogenous fertilizers of surface and deep application in calcareous soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuo Dongfeng

1990-01-01

The transformations of 15 N labelled fertilizer N in calcareous soil were studied under greennhouse conditions. The experimental results indicate that the ratio of fixed ammonium is closely related to the methods of fertilizer application to the soil. When fertilizer N applied as deep dressing the fixation of nitrogen by clay minerals and microorganisms may markedly reduce the losses of nitrogen, but the amount of nitrogen fixed by the clay minerals and that by microorganisms showed negative correlation (r = -0.9185 ** ). The more the amount of fixed nitrogen by clay minerals, the less by microorganisms. No obvious interrelation between the residual utilization of urea, ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium sulfate and the ammount of nitrogen fixed by organisms can be observed, but the residual utilization of these fertilizers by the succeeding crop has been related to the total amount of mineral nitrogen

Effect of N fertilization and tillage on nitrous oxide (N2O) loss from soil under wheat production

Science.gov (United States)

Bansal, Sheel; Aberle, Ezra; Teboh, Jasper; Yuja, Szilvia; Liebig, Mark; Meier, Jacob; Boyd, Alec

2017-01-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O-N) is one of the most important gases in the atmosphere because it is 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in its ability to trap heat, and is a key chemical agent of ozone depletion. The amount of N2O-N emitted from agricultural fields can be quite high, depending on the complex interplay between N fertility and residue management, plant N uptake, microbial processes, environmental conditions, and wet-up and dry-down events. High N fertilizer rates generally increase yields, but may disproportionately increase N2O-N losses due to prolonged residence time in soil when not used by the crop, and incomplete decomposition of excess N-compounds by microbes. Tillage could also affect N2O-N losses through changes in soil moisture content. Though nitrogen monoxide (NO) is one form of N lost from the soil, especially under conventional tillage, this study objective was to quantify N2O loss in wheat fields from applied urea on soil under no-till (NT) versus incorporated urea under conventional till (CT).

The self-reinforcing feedback between low soil fertility and chronic poverty

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, Christopher B.; Bevis, Leah E. M.

2015-12-01

Most of the world's extreme poor, surviving on US$1.25 or less per day, live in rural areas and farm for a living. Many suffer chronic poverty that lasts for years or generations, rather than the transitory poverty that dominates developed, urban economies. Such chronic, structural poverty arises when an individual's productive assets -- such as their ability to work or their soils -- and the technologies and markets that transform their assets into food and income are insufficient to attain satisfactory living standards. Research reveals strong links between economic status and soil quality, and these can be self-reinforcing. For example, poor soil constrains agricultural production and household capital, and low household capital constrains investments in improving soils. Price, availability and access to credit can limit farmers' applications of nutrients, which are often the primary constraint on agricultural productivity. Soil micronutrient deficiencies can lead to dietary mineral deficiencies and negative health outcomes that further constrain productivity and household asset accumulation. Soils may also be important for smallholder resilience to stressors and shocks. For example, high-quality soil can reduce vulnerability to drought, and insurance against risk may promote investment in soils. Interventions such as fertilizer subsidies, micronutrient-fortified fertilizer and improved access to information, insurance and credit may all help break the soil-poverty cycle.

Effects of Diatomite Organic Fertilizer on Cd and Zn Forms and Availability of Cd-Zn Polluted Soil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LIN Ji

2014-08-01

Full Text Available An indoor soil cultivation experiment was carried out to study the effects of diatomite organic fertilizer on the forms and the avail-ability of Cd, Zn in soil. The results showed that the soil pH increased, the soil available Cd and Zn reduced after diatomite organic fertilizer application in contaminated soil. Diatomite organic fertilizer application decreased the contents of exchangeable form and weakly-bound-to organic form of Cd and Zn significantly, but increased the contents of strongly-bound-to organic form and residual form of Cd and Zn in con-taminated soil. Statistics analysis showed that the contents of exchangeable and weakly-bound-to organic form of Cd and Zn had highly sig-nificant relation to the content of soil available Cd and Zn(P<0.01. The contents of Mn oxide-occluded Cd had significant relation to the con-tent of soil available Cd(P<0.05. Comparing the treatments of diatomite organic fertilizer with the rate of 5%and 10%soil weight, there was no significant difference in soil pH, the contents of soil available Cd, Zn and the forms of Cd, Zn.