Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research was to quantify the effect of plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) on soil nitrification rate, functional gene abundance of soil ammonia oxidisers, and the concomitant effect on nitrous oxide emissions from urine patches in a shallow, free-draining soil in Canterbury during late autumn/winter season.
Materials and methods
Urine was collected from dairy cows grazing either ryegrass/white clover (RGWC), 30% plantain (P30) mixed in with RGWC or 100% plantain (P100) pasture, and applied at two rates (700 or 450 kg N ha−1) to intact soil blocks growing either RGWC, P30 or P100 pasture.
Results and discussion
Results showed that increased plantain content reduced N-concentration in urine from 7.2 in RGWC urine to 4.5 and 3.7 g N L−1 in P30 and P100 urine, respectively. Total N2O emissions and emission factors (EF3) from urine-treated pastures were low, < 2 kg N ha−1 and < 0.22%, respectively. Urine application at the lower urine N-loading rate of 450 kg N ha−1 (i.e. representative of that in a P30 urine patch) resulted in 30% lower N2O emissions (P < 0.01) and 35% lower soil nitrate concentrations (P < 0.001) compared to those at the higher urine loading rate of 700 kg N ha−1 (i.e. representative of that in a RGWC urine patch). Increasing plantain content in the pasture sward from 0 to 30% and 100% with urine N applied at the same loading rate did not reduce N2O emissions or nitrification compared to the standard ryegrass-white clover pasture. Cow urine derived from the different pasture diets had no effect on N2O emissions, N transformation or ammonia-oxidiser abundance in soil compared to the RGWC urine applied at the same rate.
Conclusions
The main effect of plantain in this study appears to be related to the reduction in urine N-loading rate, rather than factors related to urine properties or plantain-soil interactions.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Marashdeh O, Judson HG, Schetelat S, Pawsey A, Edwards GR (2019) Brief communication: urinary nitrogen excretion and water balance of dairy heifers fed cut plantain or perennial-ryegrass pastures. New Zeal J Animal Sci Production 79:171–173
Box LA, Edwards GR, Bryant RH (2017) Milk production and urinary nitrogen excretion of dairy cows grazing plantain in early and late lactation. New Zeal J Agr Res 60:470–482
Cameron KC, Smith NP, McLay CDA, Fraser PM, McPherson RJ, Harrison DF, Harbottle P (1992) Lysimeters without edge-flow: an improved design and sampling procedure. Soil Sci Soc Am J 56:1625–1628
Cameron KC, Di HJ, Moir JL (2013) Nitrogen losses from the soil/plant system: a review Annal Appl Biol. 162:145–173
Carlton AJ, Cameron KC, Di HJ, Edwards GR, Clough TJ (2019) Nitrate leaching losses are lower from ryegrass/white clover forages containing plantain than from ryegrass/white clover forages under different irrigation. New Zeal J Agr Res 62:150–172
Carulla JE, Kreuzer M, Machmüller A, Hess HD (2005) Supplementation of Acacia mearnsii tannins decreases methanogenesis and urinary nitrogen in forage-fed sheep. Aust J Agric Res 56:961–970
Castillo AR, Kebreab E, Beever DE, France J (2000) A review of efficiency of nitrogen utilisation in lactating dairy cows and its relationship with environmental pollution. J Anim Feed Sci 9:1–32
Cheng L, McCormick J, Hussein AN, Logan C, Pacheco D, Hodge MC, Edwards GR (2017) Live weight gain, urinary nitrogen excretion and urination behaviour of dairy heifers grazing pasture, chicory and plantain. J Agric Sci 155:669–678
Dai Y, Di HJ, Cameron KC, He J-Z (2013) Effects of nitrogen application rate and a nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide on ammonia oxidizers and N2O emissions in a grazed pasture soil. Sci Total Environ 465:125–135
de Klein CAM, Barton L, Sherlock RR, Li Z, Littlejohn RP (2003) Estimating a nitrous oxide emission factor for animal urine from some New Zealand pastoral soils. Soil Res 41:381–399
de Klein CAM, van der Weerden TJ, Luo J, Cameron KC, Di HJ (2019) A review of plant options for mitigating nitrous oxide emissions from pasture-based systems. New Zeal J Agr Res. https://doi.org/10.1080/00288233.2019.1614073
Di H, Cameron K, Sherlock R, Shen J-P, He J-Z, Winefield C (2010) Nitrous oxide emissions from grazed grassland as affected by a nitrification inhibitor, dicyandiamide, and relationships with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea. J Soils Sediments 10:943–954
Di HJ, Cameron KC (2016) Inhibition of nitrification to mitigate nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions in grazed grassland: a review. J Soils Sediments 16:1401–1420
Di HJ, Cameron KC, Podolyan A, Edwards GR, de Klein CAM, Dynes R, Woods R (2016) The potential of using alternative pastures, forage crops and gibberellic acid to mitigate nitrous oxide emissions. J Soils Sediments 16:2252–2262
Di HJ, Cameron KC, Podolyan A, Robinson A (2014) Effect of soil moisture status and a nitrification inhibitor, dicyandiamide, on ammonia oxidizer and denitrifier growth and nitrous oxide emissions in a grassland soil. Soil Biol Biochem 73:59–68
Di HJ, Cameron KC, Shen JP, Winefield CS, O’Callaghan M, Bowatte S, He JZ (2009) Nitrification driven by bacteria and not archaea in nitrogen-rich grassland soils. Nat Geosci 2:621–624
Dietz M, Machill S, Hoffmann HC, Schmidtke K (2013) Inhibitory effects of Plantago lanceolata L. on soil N mineralization. Plant Soil 368:445–458
Edwards GR, Bryant RH, Smith N, Hague H, Ferris A, Farell L (2015) Milk production and urination behaviour of dairy cows grazing diverse and simple pasture. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Dunedin, 07/2015
Francis CA, Roberts KJ, Beman JM, Santoro AE, Oakley BB (2005) Ubiquity and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in water columns and sediments of the ocean. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102:14683–14688
Gardiner CA, Clough TJ, Cameron KC, Di HJ, Edwards GR, de Klein CAM (2016) Potential for forage diet manipulation in New Zealand pasture ecosystems to mitigate ruminant urine derived N2O emissions: a review. New Zeal J Agr Res 59:301–317
Gardiner CA, Clough TJ, Cameron KC, Di HJ, Edwards GR, de Klein CAM (2017) Potential inhibition of urine patch nitrous oxide emissions by Plantago lanceolata and its metabolite aucubin. New Zeal J Agr Res 61:495–503
Haynes RJ, Williams PH (1993)Nutrient cycling and soil fertility in the grazed pasture ecosystemIn: Sparks DL (ed) Advances in Agronomy, vol 49. Academic Press, pp 119-199
Hewitt AE (2010) New Zealand soil classification. Landcare Research science series ; no. 1 (3rd ed.). Manaaki Whenua Press
Hill A-M, Di HJ, Cameron K, Podolyan A (2015a) The effect of animal trampling and DCD on ammonia oxidisers, nitrification, and nitrate leaching under simulated winter forage grazing conditions. J Soils Sediments 15:972–981
Hill AJ, Di HJ, Cameron KC, Podolyan A (2015b) Comparison of dicyandiamide and biochar for reducing nitrate leaching under winter forage grazing in Canterbury, New Zealand. New Zeal J Agr Res 58:121–130
Hornek R, Pommerening-Roser A, Koops HP, Farnleitner AH, Kreuzinger N, Kirschner A, Mach RL (2006) Primers containing universal bases reduce multiple amoA gene specific DGGE band patterns when analysing the diversity of beta-ammonia oxidizers in the environment. J Microbiol Methods 66:147–155
Hutchinson GL, Mosier AR (1981) Improved soil cover method for field measurement of nitrous oxide fluxes. Soil Sci Soc Am J 45:311–316
IPCC (2014) Climate change 2014: synthesis report. Intergovernmental panel on climate change. Switzerland, Geneva
Jia Z, Conrad R (2009) Bacteria rather than Archaea dominate microbial ammonia oxidation in an agricultural soil. Environ Microbiol 11:1658–1671
Luo J, Balvert SF, Wise B, Welten B, Ledgard SF, de Klein CAM, Lindsey S, Judge A (2018) Using alternative forage species to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide from cattle urine deposited onto soil. Sci Total Environ 610-611:1271–1280
MFE (2017) New Zealand’s greenhouse gas inventory (1990–2017). Ministry for the Environment, Wellington
O’Connell CA, Judson HG, Barrell GK (2016) Sustained diuretic effect of plantain when ingested by sheep. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Adelaide, 07/2016
Oenema O, Wrage N, Velthof GL, van Groenigen JW, Dolfing J, Kuikman PJ (2005) Trends in global nitrous oxide emissions from animal production systems. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 72:51–65
Podolyan A, Di HJ, Cameron KC, Clough T, de Klein C, Saggar S (2014) Ammonia oxidising populations and relationships with N2O emissions in three New Zealand soils. New Zeal J Agr Res 57:228–243
Soil Survey Staff (2010) Keys to soil taxonomy, 11th edn. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC
Subbarao G et al (2007) Biological nitrification inhibition (BNI)—is it a widespread phenomenon? Plant Soil 294:5–18
Sutka RL, Ostrom NE, Ostrom PH, Breznak JA, Gandhi H, Pitt AJ, Li F (2006) Distinguishing nitrous oxide production from nitrification and denitrification on the basis of isotopomer abundances. Appl Environ Microbiol 72:638–644
Totty VK, Greenwood SL, Bryant RH, Edwards GR (2013) Nitrogen partitioning and milk production of dairy cows grazing simple and diverse pastures. J Dairy Sci 96:141–149
Treweek G, Di HJ, Cameron KC, Podolyan A (2016a) Effectiveness of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide and biochar to reduce nitrous oxide emissions. New Zeal J Agr Res 59:165–173
Treweek G, Di HJ, Cameron KC, Podolyan A (2016b) Simulated animal trampling of a free-draining stony soil stimulated denitrifier growth and increased nitrous oxide emissions. Soil Use Manag 32:455–464
Waghorn G, Griffin A, Bryant M, Dalley D (2019) Digestion and nitrogen excretion by Holstein-Friesian cows fed grasses with lucerne or lucerne and plantain Animal Production Science. 59:1070–1080
Woods RR, Cameron KC, Edwards GR, Di HJ, Clough Tim J (2018) Reducing nitrogen leaching losses in grazed dairy systems using an Italian ryegrass-plantain-white clover forage mix. Grass Forage Sci 73:878–887
Wrage N, Velthof GL, van Beusichem ML, Oenema O (2001) Role of nitrifier denitrification in the production of nitrous oxide. Soil Biol Biochem 33:1723–1732
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Trevor Hendry, Jie Lei, Roger Atkinson, Nigel Beale, Jeneth Hendry and Shelagh Basset for technical support.
Funding
This work was funded by the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Claudio Colombo
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Podolyan, A., Di, H.J. & Cameron, K.C. Effect of plantain on nitrous oxide emissions and soil nitrification rate in pasture soil under a simulated urine patch in Canterbury, New Zealand. J Soils Sediments 20, 1468–1479 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-019-02505-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-019-02505-1