Abstract
Nitrogen is an important and limiting nutrient for crop production, but its role as a soil health indicator relating to most soil properties and crop production needs further exploration. Our objectives were to examine the sensitivity of soil N fractions to management practices and their relationships to 60 soil physical, chemical, biological, and biochemical properties and mean crop yields in two long-term (14- and 36-year-old) experiments under dryland cropping systems in the northern Great Plains, USA. Nitrogen fractions were soil total N (STN), potential N mineralization (PNM), water-extractable N (WEN), autoclaved citrate-extractable protein (ACEP), NH4-N, and NO3-N. Management practices were no-till and tilled crop rotations of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.), and fallow with and without N fertilization. Soil properties were analyzed from samples collected before farm operations in April 2019 and crop yields determined. Nitrogen fractions, except NH4-N and NO3-N, were greater with continuous cropping than crop-fallow. A principal component analysis (PCA) showed that PNM and ACEP were associated with most soil properties, followed by STN, WEN, NO3-N, and NH4-N. PNM, ACEP, and STN were more strongly related to mean crop yields across years in coarse- than medium-textured soil and other N fractions were weakly related. Because of its sensitivity to management practices, stronger relationships to most soil properties and crop yields, and rapid measurement, ACEP may be used as a promising N indicator of soil health in coarse- than medium-textured soil in dryland cropping systems in semiarid regions.
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Abbreviations
- ACEP:
-
Autoclaved citrate-extractable protein
- AS:
-
Aggregate stability
- ASA:
-
Average slake aggregate
- AST:
-
Arylsulfatase
- BD:
-
Bulk density
- BP:
-
Buffer pH
- BG:
-
β-Glucosidase
- CTWF:
-
Barley-fallow (2006–2011) replaced by spring wheat-fallow (2012–2019)
- DASI:
-
Dry aggregate stability index
- EC:
-
Electrical conductivity
- FSTCW:
-
Continuous spring wheat
- IAWHC:
-
Intact core available water holding capacity
- IP:
-
Inorganic P
- MAC:
-
Microbially active C
- MAP:
-
Macroporosity
- MEP:
-
Mesoporosity
- NAG:
-
N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase
- OP:
-
Organic P
- PCM:
-
Potential C mineralization
- PLFA:
-
Phospholipid-derived fatty acid
- PME:
-
Phosphomonoesterase
- POXC:
-
KMnO4-extractable C
- NTCW1:
-
Continuous spring wheat
- NTCW2:
-
Continuous barley (2006–2011) replaced by continuous spring wheat (2012–2019)
- NTWF:
-
Barley-fallow (2006–2011) replaced by spring wheat-fallow (2012–2019)
- NTWP1:
-
Spring wheat-barley (1984–1999) replaced by spring wheat-pea (2000–2019)
- NTWP2:
-
Barley-pea (2006–2011) replaced by spring wheat-pea (2012–2019)
- PNM:
-
Potential N mineralization
- RAWHC:
-
Repacked core available water holding capacity
- SAR:
-
Na-absorption ratio
- SC:
-
Stone content
- SIC:
-
Soil inorganic C
- SOC:
-
Soil organic C
- STN:
-
Soil total N
- STWF:
-
Spring wheat-fallow
- TS:
-
Total shrinkage
- VWC:
-
Volumetric water content
- VWCFM:
-
Volumetric water content in the field-moist soil
- VWCFS:
-
Volumetric water content at water saturation
- WASI:
-
Wet aggregate stability index
- WEC:
-
Water-extractable C
- WEN:
-
Water-extractable N
- WSA:
-
Water-stable aggregation
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Acknowledgements
This is a collaborative study between USDA-ARS, Sidney, MT and Soil Health Institute, Morrisville, NC. We sincerely thank Chloe Turner-Messervy and Rob Schlothauer for their help in collecting soil samples and data in the field and sample preparation for analysis and Michael Johnson and Rene France for farm operations and plot management. We acknowledge the funding for this project from the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (Grant no. 423926), General Mills, and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. The content of this publication is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, General Mills, or the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by USDA. The USDA is an equal opportunity employer.
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Sainju, U.M., Liptzin, D. & Stevens, W.B. Autoclaved citrate-extractable protein as a soil health indicator relates to soil properties and crop production. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 124, 315–333 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-022-10230-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-022-10230-4