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Nitrogen mineralization in a pecan (Carya illinoensis K. Koch)–cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) alley cropping system in the southern United States

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Abstract

Information on temporal and spatial patterns of N mineralization is critical in designing tree-crop mixed systems that could maximize N uptake while minimizing N loss. We quantified N mineralization rates in a pecan (Carya illinoensis K. Koch)–cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) alley cropping system in northwestern Florida with (non-barrier) and without tree-crop belowground interactions (barrier separating the root systems of pecan and cotton). Monthly rates of mineralization were estimated using buried bag incubations over a 15-month period. In addition, seasonal mineralization rates and cotton lint yield on soils supplied with two sources of N—inorganic fertilizer and organic poultry litter—were assessed. Results indicated that temporal variations in net NH4 and NO3 accumulation and mineralization rates were driven primarily by environmental factors and to a lesser degree by initial soil NH4 and NO3 levels. Mineralization varied by belowground interaction treatment during the initial growing season, when the non-barrier treatment exhibited a higher mineralization rate than the barrier treatment, likely due to reduced nutrient uptake by cotton in the non-barrier or a higher degree of immobilization in the barrier treatment. Mineralization during the second growing season was similar for both treatments. Source of N had no effects on N transformation in the soil. Lint yield reductions were observed in the non-barrier treatment during both years compared to the barrier treatment, likely due to interspecific competition for water. Yield differences between treatments in the second growing season were likely compounded by a diminishing pre-study fallow effect. Source of N was found to have a significant effect on cotton yield, with inorganic fertilizer resulting in 39% higher lint compared to poultry litter in the barrier treatment.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank H. Adegbidi, C. Allen, S. Claypool, B. Hahr, C. Hardin, D. Hatfield, K. Lee, J. Liddle, L. McCue, S. Merritt, J. Nelson, L. White and D. Zamora, for their help with data collection and sample preparation. This study was funded in part by two grants from the USDA Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (nos. GS01-009 and LS02-136), and by a grant from USDA-IFAFS (no. 00-52103-9702) through the Center for Subtropical Agroforestry at the University of Florida. Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series no. R-09610.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Milton, FL, 32583, USA

    Samuel C. Allen, Shibu Jose & Craig L. Ramsey

  2. School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    P. K. R. Nair

  3. Department of Agronomy, University of Florida, Milton, FL, 32583, USA

    Barry J. Brecke

  4. Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Vimala D. Nair & Donald A. Graetz

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  1. Samuel C. Allen
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  2. Shibu Jose
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  3. P. K. R. Nair
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  4. Barry J. Brecke
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  5. Vimala D. Nair
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  6. Donald A. Graetz
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  7. Craig L. Ramsey
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Correspondence to Shibu Jose.

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Allen, S.C., Jose, S., Nair, P.K.R. et al. Nitrogen mineralization in a pecan (Carya illinoensis K. Koch)–cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) alley cropping system in the southern United States. Biol Fertil Soils 41, 28–37 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-004-0799-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-004-0799-2

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