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Effects of slow-release urea fertilizers on urease activity, microbial biomass, and nematode communities in an aquic brown soil

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Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at the Shenyang Experimental Station of Ecology (CAS) in order to study the effects of slow-release urea fertilizers high polymer-coated urea (SRU1), SRU1 mixed with dicyandiamide DCD (SRU2), and SRU1 mixed with calcium carbide CaC2 (SRU3) on urease activity, microbial biomass C and N, and nematode communities in an aquic brown soil during the maize growth period. The results demonstrated that the application of slow-release urea fertilizers inhibits soil urease activity and increases the soil NH4 +-N content. Soil available N increment could promote its immobilization by microorganisms. Determination of soil microbial biomass N indicated that a combined application of coated urea and nitrification inhibitors increased the soil active N pool. The population of predators/omnivores indicated that treatment with SRU2 could provide enough soil NH4 +-N to promote maize growth and increased the food resource for the soil fauna compared with the other treatments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecological Process, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 110016, Shenyang, China

    Jiao Xiaoguang, Wenju Liang, Lijun Chen & Qi Li

  2. Shenyang Experimental Station of Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 110016, Shenyang, China

    Jiao Xiaoguang, Wenju Liang, Lijun Chen, Haijun Zhang, Peng Wang & Dazhong Wen

  3. Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100039, Beijing, China

    Jiao Xiaoguang, Wenju Liang, Haijun Zhang, Qi Li & Dazhong Wen

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  1. Jiao Xiaoguang
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  2. Wenju Liang
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  3. Lijun Chen
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Correspondence to Wenju Liang.

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Jiao, X., Liang, W., Chen, L. et al. Effects of slow-release urea fertilizers on urease activity, microbial biomass, and nematode communities in an aquic brown soil. Sci. China Ser. C.-Life Sci. 48 (Suppl 1), 26–32 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02889798

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02889798

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