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Temporal variations of crop residue effects on soil N transformation depend on soil properties as well as residue qualities

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Abstract

Purple soils (Eutric Regosols) are widely distributed in humid subtropical Southwest China. They are characterized by high nitrification activities, with risks of severe NO3− leaching. Incorporation of crop residues is considered an effective method to reduce NO3− loss. In the present study, we compared the effects of alfalfa, rice straw, and sugarcane bagasse on gross N transformation turnover in a purple soil (purple soil, pH 7.62) compared with those in an acid soil (acid soil, pH 5.26), at 12 h, 3 months, and 6 months after residue incorporation. The gross N transformation rates were determined by 15N tracing. All tested crop residues stimulated the gross N mineralization rates, but reduced the net mineralization rates in both soils at 12 h after residue incorporation; however, the extent of the effect varied with the crop residue qualities, with rice straw having the strongest effects. Crop residues reduced net nitrification rates by depressing gross autotrophic nitrification rates and stimulating NO3− immobilization rates in the purple soil, particularly after rice straw incorporation (net nitrification rate decreased from 16.72 mg N kg−1 d−1 in the control to − 29.42 mg N kg−1 d−1 at 12 h of residue incorporation); however, crop residues did not affect the gross autotrophic nitrification rates in the acid soil. Crop residue effects subsided almost completely within 6 months, with sugarcane bagasse showing the longest lasting effects. The results indicated that crop residues affected the N transformation rates in a temporal manner, dependent on soil properties and residue qualities.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 41330744) and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD) (grant number 164320H116). The study was carried out in association with the IAEA Coordinated Research Project “Minimizing Farming Impacts on Climate Change by Enhancing Carbon and Nitrogen Capture and Storage in Agro-Ecosystems” (D15016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Ying Zhao & Zucong Cai

  2. Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Jinbo Zhang & Zucong Cai

  3. State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Geographical Environment Evolution (Jiangsu Province), Nanjing, 210023, China

    Jinbo Zhang

  4. Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Ministry of Education, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Jinbo Zhang

  5. Department of Plant Ecology (IFZ), Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26, 35392, Giessen, Germany

    Christoph Müller

  6. School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Christoph Müller

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  1. Ying Zhao
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  2. Jinbo Zhang
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  4. Zucong Cai
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Correspondence to Jinbo Zhang.

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Zhao, Y., Zhang, J., Müller, C. et al. Temporal variations of crop residue effects on soil N transformation depend on soil properties as well as residue qualities. Biol Fertil Soils 54, 659–669 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-018-1291-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-018-1291-8

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