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Carbon and nitrogen mineralization dynamics in tow amended soils collected from the semi-arid and arid regions of Tunisia

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Abstract

Sustainable agriculture requires the careful optimization of the use of crop residues and organic amendments to improve soil fertility. To understand the events that occur in soils after the addition of different crop residues and organic amendments, we conducted a 90-day laboratory incubation (at 28 °C with humidity fitted to 2/3 of the field capacity) to evaluate carbon and nitrogen mineralization dynamics in silty-clay soil and silty-sandy soil collected from Tunisia after adding crop residues (sulla, rapeseed, faba bean, and wheat) and farmyard manure. The present study aims to better determine the relationship between carbon and nitrogen mineralization, the chemical, biochemical characteristics, and texture of two Tunisians soils amended with crop residues and farmyard manure. The carbon mineralization rates were higher in soil amended with crop residues than that of manure. Soils amended with crop residues of rapeseed released 59.24% TOC for Benikhdech’s soil and 91.51% TOC for Mornag’s soil during the 90-day incubation, more than thrice as much as that released from soils amended with farmyard manure (15.97% TOC for Benikhdech’s soil and 23.91% TOC for Mornag’s soil). At the end of the incubation, the net nitrogen mineralization in farmyard manure-amended soils was 36.84 mg N kg−1 in the soil of silty sandy soil of Benikhdech and 64.59 mg N kg−1 in the silty-clay soil of Mornag, more than twice higher than that in soils amended with residues (rapeseed and wheat). On the other hand, mineral nitrogen rates were also higher in Fabaceae residues-amended soils. The net nitrogen mineralization was 23.01 mg N kg−1 in the soil of silty sandy soil of Benikhdech amended with sulla and 48.06 mg N kg−1 in the silty-clay soil of Mornag amended with sulla. This can be as a result of mineralization being influenced by the source, nature, chemical and biochemical composition of the incorporated crop residues and manure. In addition, soil texture had also positive effects on carbon and nitrogen mineralization evolution. Indeed, the amounts of carbon and nitrogen mineralized in silty-clay soil of Mornag were higher (P <0.05) than those in silty-sandy soil of Benikhdech throughout the incubations. However, the contribution of organic matter showed itself beneficial for both types of soils.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Directorate of Soil Resources, General Directorate of Management and Conservation of Agricultural Land DGACTA, Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries, Ariana, Tunisia

    Khedija Bouajila

  2. Institute of the Dry Regions, Medenine, Tunisia

    Roukaya Chibani & Mohamed Moussa

  3. National Institute of Field Crops, Boussalem, Tunisia

    Mouna Mechri

  4. National Institute of Agronomy, Tunis, Tunisia

    Faysal Ben Jeddi

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  1. Khedija Bouajila
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  2. Roukaya Chibani
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  4. Mohamed Moussa
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  5. Faysal Ben Jeddi
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Correspondence to Khedija Bouajila.

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Bouajila, K., Chibani, R., Mechri, M. et al. Carbon and nitrogen mineralization dynamics in tow amended soils collected from the semi-arid and arid regions of Tunisia. Arab J Geosci 14, 1005 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-07417-4

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