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Response Patterns of Soil Nitrogen Cycling to Crop Residue Addition: A Review

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Abstract

The impact of adding crop residues to soil on nitrogen (N) cycling remains an area of ongoing research, as it is influenced by various mechanisms that differ across studies. Understanding the patterns of soil N cycling in response to crop residue addition and the underlying mechanisms is essential for optimizing crop residue management and sustaining agricultural production. The addition of crop residues can enhance crop N uptake by stimulating microbial N immobilization initially, followed by increased N mineralization and heterotrophic nitrification later in the season. However, it can also lead to increased N losses from the soil-plant system through processes like ammonia (NH3) volatilization, autotrophic nitrification, denitrification, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). On the other hand, crop residue addition can improve N retention in recalcitrant organic matter pools through abiotic N immobilization. The dominant mechanisms responsible for these effects can vary due to a combination of factors, resulting in a wide range of soil N cycling responses. Incorporating the simultaneous occurrence of various N processes with rate-based mechanisms may provide better predictions of soil N cycling response to crop residue addition. To validate these response patterns and quantify the influence of different factors, it is crucial to develop and refine rate-based N cycling models.

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Funding

The present work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 41867017, 41771340, and 31401945); Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of the Causes and Control of Atmospheric Pollution Open Fund (grant number 1412000027); Hainan Province Science and Technology Special Fund (ZDYF2022XDNY211); and Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (321RC625).

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  1. Yansheng Cao and Yajun Xie equaly contributed to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Technology, 330013, Nanchang, China

    Yansheng Cao & Yajun Xie

  2. Institute of Karst Geology, Karst Dynamics Laboratory, CAGS, MLR and Guangxi, 541004, Guilin, China

    Tongbin Zhu

  3. Hainan Key Laboratory of Tropical Eco-circular Agriculture, Institute of Environmental and Plant Protection, National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Environment, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, 571101, Haikou, China

    Fengliang Zhao

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  1. Yansheng Cao
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Cao, Y., Xie, Y., Zhu, T. et al. Response Patterns of Soil Nitrogen Cycling to Crop Residue Addition: A Review. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-024-01769-y

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