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The effects of slope and fertilizer rates on nitrogen losses in runoff from red soil and paddy soil during simulated rainfall

  • Soils, Sec 1 • Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Nutrient Cycling • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Runoff and soil erosion reflect the interactions of soil properties and rainfall. However, few researchers have investigated the forms of nitrogen lost, the first flush, and the relationships between nitrogen losses and rainfall, runoff duration, different slope gradients, and fertilizer rates on red soils and paddy soils.

Materials and methods

This study examined the nitrogen losses (NH4+-N, NO3--N, and TN) in runoff under simulated rainfall conditions with an intensity of 80 mm/h. The slope angles were set at 0°, 5°, and 15° for the red soil, and 0° and 5° for the paddy soil. The fertilizer was applied to the soils at 3 rates, i.e., 60, 180, and 300 kg N/hm2.

Results and discussion

The results showed that the cumulative rainfall required to generate runoff differed significantly for different slope gradients, and the value for the red soil was 46.46 mm at 0°, which was 3.46 and 4.62 times of the rainfalls at 5° and 15°. The value for the paddy soil was 20.09 mm (average of 0° and 5°), which was half of red soil’s value. Of the TN lost in a 90-min event, 57.25 ± 12.62% was lost in the first 20 min of runoff generation, with the losses decreasing as the runoff generation time increased. The NH4+-N/TN and NO3−-N/TN differed significantly at different fertilizer N levels (P < 0.01). As the fertilizer application rate increased, the NH4+-N/TN tended to increase while the NO3−-N/TN tended to decrease. The NH4+-N/TN decreased exponentially, while NO3−-N/TN increased logarithmically, as the runoff duration time increased. A model, which included parameters to predict the initial losses of precipitation, was established to simulate the processes driving TN losses under different conditions. It is useful to analyze the TN losses from different soil types, slope gradients, and fertilizer rates.

Conclusion

The threshold slope gradient, first flush effect, and the TN loss process of the red and paddy soil were determined in this study. This information derived can potentially contribute to developing measures for reducing agricultural diffuse pollution and improving resource allocation.

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers: U20A20114 and 31572208); the Taishan Industry Leading Talents High-Efficiency Agriculture Innovation Project (grant number: LJNY202125).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Ying Li & Baolin Li

  2. Key Laboratory of Nonpoint Source Pollution Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China

    Ying Li, Qiuliang Lei, Tiezhu Yan, Xinzhong Du & Hongbin Liu

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Ying Li & Baolin Li

  4. State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Tibetan Eco⁃Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Xining, 810007, China

    Baolin Li

  5. AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand

    Jiafa Luo & Stuart Lindsey

  6. Centre for Soil and Environmental Research, Lincoln University, PO Box 85084, Lincoln, 7647, New Zealand

    Hongjie Di

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  1. Ying Li
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  2. Baolin Li
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  9. Hongbin Liu
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Correspondence to Qiuliang Lei or Hongbin Liu.

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Li, Y., Li, B., Lei, Q. et al. The effects of slope and fertilizer rates on nitrogen losses in runoff from red soil and paddy soil during simulated rainfall. J Soils Sediments 22, 2354–2364 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03236-6

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