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Effects of copper on nitrous oxide (N2O) reduction in denitrifiers and N2O emissions from agricultural soils

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Abstract

Biochemical reduction of nitrous oxide (N2O) to dinitrogen (N2) by N2O reductase (N2OR) is the only known sink to consume N2O. Copper (Cu) and pH are two key factors determining the activity of the enzyme N2OR. We hypothesized that changes in the Cu level could enhance the reduction of N2O to N2 in denitrifier strains and decrease the N2O emissions from agricultural soils. To test this hypothesis, Cu-modified culture medium was applied to denitrifier strains, and Cu-modified organic fertilizer was applied to both soil microcosms and fields. Of 46 denitrifier strains, 25 showed higher denitrifying activities and 30N2/(46N2O + 30N2) after the addition of Cu under pure culture conditions. Among 10 genera, Azospirillum and Herbaspirillum were the most responsive to the Cu level changes. The N2O flux was significantly reduced 4 or 8 days onwards after the application of 130 mM CuSO4-modified organic fertilizer (vol:wt = 1:1) into Andosol or Fluvisol, respectively, under soil microcosm conditions. In addition, the cumulative N2O emissions were significantly reduced after the application of 130 mM CuSO4-modified organic fertilizer. They were moderately reduced after the application of 130 mM CuSO4-modified organic fertilizer (vol:wt = 1:1) into a Fluvisol field. They were significantly lower in Azospirillum sp. UNPF1-inoculated soils after the application of 130 mM CuSO4-modified organic fertilizer when compared with that in dual non-inoculated and unmodified soils. Soils inoculated with Herbaspirillum sp. UKPF54 showed results similar to non-inoculated Fluvisol fields. These results suggest that Cu may enhance N2O conversion to N2 in denitrifiers and that Cu-modified organic fertilizer may enhance N2O consumption or decrease N2O emissions in agricultural soils.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Shigeto Otsuka for his helpful discussion and Chie Hayakawa for her help with gas sampling in the fields. We also thank the technical staffs from the Niigata Agricultural Research Institute and Institute for Sustainable Agro-ecosystem Services, The University of Tokyo for their assistance with fieldwork.

Funding

This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41771291, 31972503), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science through a Postdoctoral Fellowship (14F04390), JSPS KAKENHI (JP15KT0024), and Science and Technology Research Promotion Program for Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Food Industry (26037B and 27004C), Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, and School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China

    Weishou Shen & Huaiwen Xue

  2. National Engineering Research Center for Biotechnology and School of Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, China

    Nan Gao

  3. Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Nan Gao, Takehiro Kamiya, Toru Fujiwara, Kazuo Isobe & Keishi Senoo

  4. Niigata Agricultural Research Institute, Niigata, 940-0826, Japan

    Yutaka Shiratori

  5. Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Keishi Senoo

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  1. Weishou Shen
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  2. Huaiwen Xue
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Correspondence to Nan Gao.

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Shen, W., Xue, H., Gao, N. et al. Effects of copper on nitrous oxide (N2O) reduction in denitrifiers and N2O emissions from agricultural soils. Biol Fertil Soils 56, 39–51 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-019-01399-y

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