Please wait a minute...
Journal of Arid Land
Journal of Arid Land  2021, Vol. 13 Issue (5): 487-499    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-021-0098-x
Research article     
Gross nitrogen transformations and N2O emission sources in sandy loam and silt loam soils
LANG Man1,2, LI Ping1,2,*(), WEI Wei1,2
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
2Department of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Download: HTML     PDF(401KB)
Export: BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      

Abstract  

The soil type is a key factor influencing N (nitrogen) cycling in soil; however, gross N transformations and N2O emission sources are still poorly understood. In this study, a laboratory 15N tracing experiment was carried out at 60% WHC (water holding capacity) and 25oC to evaluate the gross N transformation rates and N2O emission pathways in sandy loam and silt loam soils in a semi-arid region of Heilongjiang Province, China. The results showed that the gross rates of N mineralization, immobilization, and nitrification were 3.60, 1.90, and 5.63 mg N/(kg·d) in silt loam soil, respectively, which were 3.62, 4.26, and 3.13 times those in sandy loam soil, respectively. The ratios of the gross nitrification rate to the ammonium immobilization rate (n/ia) in sandy loam soil and silt loam soil were all higher than 1.00, whereas the n/ia in sandy loam soil (4.36) was significantly higher than that in silt loam soil (3.08). This result indicated that the ability of sandy loam soil to release and conserve the available N was relatively poor in comparison with silt loam soil, and the relatively strong nitrification rate compared to the immobilization rate may lead to N loss through NO3- leaching. Under aerobic conditions, both nitrification and denitrification made contributions to N2O emissions. Nitrification was the dominant pathway leading to N2O production in soils and was responsible for 82.0% of the total emitted N2O in sandy loam soil, which was significantly higher than that in silt loam soil (71.7%). However, the average contribution of denitrification to total N2O production in sandy loam soil was 17.9%, which was significantly lower than that in silt loam soil (28.3%). These results are valuable for developing reasonable fertilization management and proposing effective greenhouse gas mitigation strategies in different soil types in semiarid regions.

Key words： gross N transformation rates      15N tracing      N2O emission sources      sandy loam      silt loam      semi-arid region     
Received: 28 December 2020      Published: 10 May 2021
Corresponding Authors:
About author: *LI Ping (E-mail: pli@nuist.edu.cn)
Service
E-mail this article
Add to my bookshelf
Add to citation manager
E-mail Alert
RSS
Articles by authors
Man LANG
Ping LI
Wei WEI
Cite this article:

LANG Man, LI Ping, WEI Wei. Gross nitrogen transformations and N2O emission sources in sandy loam and silt loam soils. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(5): 487-499.

URL:

http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-021-0098-x     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2021/V13/I5/487

Property Sandy loam soil Silt loam soil
pH 6.3±0.5a 5.7±0.4a
WHC (%) 39.3±3.2b 55.5±3.9a
SOC (g/kg) 14.6±2.6b 21.4±2.1a
TN (g/kg) 1.1±0.1b 2.1±0.2a
C/N ratio 12.9±2.0a 10.3±1.0a
WSOC (mg C/kg) 154.1±13.0b 257.2±11.3a
WSON (mg N/kg) 16.4±2.1b 28.9±2.3a
Sand (>50 μm) (%) 80.5±4.1a 23.4±1.9b
Silt (2-50 μm) (%) 11.1±0.7b 62.3±2.1a
Clay (<2 μm) (%) 8.4±0.4b 14.3±2.1a
NH4+-N (mg/kg) 1.8±0.1b 5.1±0.3a
NO3--N (mg/kg) 9.7±1.5b 14.8±1.4a
Table 1 Basic physical and chemical properties of the tested soils
Fig. 1 Concentrations of NH4+ and NO3- in sandy loam and silt loam soils over the 7-d incubation time. Since the values of N (nitrogen) were equivalent for the 15N labeled NH4+ and NO3- treatments, the data were pooled together. Vertical bars indicate standard deviations (n=6).
Fig. 2 15N isotopic excess of NH4+, NO3-, and N2O in the studied soils over the 7-d incubation time. (a), 15N isotopic excess of sandy loam soil in the 15NH4NO3 treatment; (b), 15N isotopic excess of silt loam soil in the 15NH4NO3 treatment; (c), 15N isotopic excess of sandy loam soil in the NH415NO3 treatment; (d), 15N isotopic excess of silt loam soil in the NH415NO3 treatment. Vertical bars indicate standard deviations (n=3).
Gross N transformation rate (mg N/(kg·d)) Soil type Time interval
Day 0-1 Day 1-3 Day 3-5 Day 5-7
m Sandy loam 0.133±0.071 0.289±0.051 2.831±0.427 0.289±0.061
Silt loam 6.169±0.776 5.119±0.864 3.340±0.520 1.041±0.433
i Sandy loam 0.980±0.104 0.377±0.107 0.280±0.051 0.412±0.024
Silt loam 5.025±0.863 1.951±0.233 1.985±0.325 0.191±0.062
ia Sandy loam 0.917±0.090 0.350±0.124 0.258±0.063 0.377±0.068
Silt loam 4.927±0.792 1.881±0.290 1.923±0.144 0.134±0.110
in Sandy loam 0.064±0.014 0.027±0.004 0.023±0.014 0.035±0.024
Silt loam 0.098±0.068 0.070±0.014 0.062±0.011 0.057±0.022
n Sandy loam 2.198±0.331 2.089±0.411 2.273±0.313 0.826±0.091
Silt loam 5.093±0.663 6.854±0.950 6.043±0.740 4.270±0.225
Table 2 Gross N transformation rates in sandy loam and silt loam soils at different time intervals
Fig. 3 Time-weighted average gross N transformation rates during day 0-7 in sandy loam and silt loam soils. m, gross N mineralization rate; i, gross N immobilization rate; ia, NH4+ immobilization rate; n, gross nitrification rate. Vertical bars indicate standard deviations (n=3). Different lowercase letters on a pair of columns represent significant differences between the two soils at P<0.05 level.
Fig. 4 N2O flux from sandy loam and silt loam soils over the 7-d incubation time. Since the values of the N2O flux were equivalent for the 15N labeled NH4+ and NO3- treatments, the data were pooled together. Vertical bars indicate the standard deviations (n=6).
Fig. 5 N2O emission fraction derived from the processes of nitrification and denitrification in sandy loam and silt loam soils over the 7-d incubation time
[1]   Aulakh M S, Kuldip S, Bijay S. 1996. Kinetics of nitrification under upland and flooded soils of varying texture. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 27(9-10):2079-2089.
doi: 10.1080/00103629609369689
[2]   Bateman E J, Baggs E M. 2005. Contributions of nitrification and denitrification to N2O emissions from soils at different water-filled pore space. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 41(6):379-388.
doi: 10.1007/s00374-005-0858-3
[3]   Burford J R, Bremner J M. 1975. Relationships between the denitrification capacities of soils and total water soluble and readily decomposable soil organic matter. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 7(6):389-394.
doi: 10.1016/0038-0717(75)90055-3
[4]   Byrnes B H. 1990. Environmental effects of N fertilizer use-an overview. Fertilizer Research, 26:209-215.
doi: 10.1007/BF01048758
[5]   Castellano-Hinojosa A, Charteris A F, Müller C, et al. 2020. Occurrence and 15N-quantification of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in N-fertilized soils incubated under oxygen-limiting conditions. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 143:107757, doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107757.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107757
[6]   Cookson W R, Osman M, Marschner P, et al. 2007. Controls on soil nitrogen cycling and microbial community composition across land use and incubation temperature. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 39(3):744-756.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2006.09.022
[7]   Dobbie K E, Smith K A. 2001. The effects of temperature, water-filled pore space and land use on N2O emissions from an imperfectly drained gleysol. European Journal of Soil Science, 52(4):667-673.
doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2389.2001.00395.x
[8]   Du M G, Li Y F, Qiu Z Y, et al. 1994. The improvement approaches and utilization of sand-drift soil in semiarid area in the west part of Heilongjiang Province. Agricultural Research in the Arid Areas, 12(1):68-73. (in Chinese)
[9]   Elrys A S, Raza S, Elnahal A S M, et al. 2020. Do soil property variations affect dicyandiamide efficiency in inhibiting nitrification and minimizing carbon dioxide emissions? Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 202:110875, doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110875.
doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110875
[10]   Fierer N, Schimel J P. 2002. Effects of drying-rewetting frequency on soil carbon and nitrogen transformations. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 34(6):777-787.
doi: 10.1016/S0038-0717(02)00007-X
[11]   Garrido F, Hénault C, Gaillard H, et al. 2002. N2O and NO emissions by agricultural soils with low hydraulic potentials. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 34(5):559-575.
doi: 10.1016/S0038-0717(01)00172-9
[12]   Gibbs P, Barraclough D. 1998. Gross mineralisation of nitrogen during the decomposition of leaf protein I (ribulose 1, 5-diphosphate carboxylase) in the presence or absence of sucrose. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 30(13):1821-1827.
doi: 10.1016/S0038-0717(98)00056-X
[13]   Grünzweig J M, Sparrow S D, Chapin F S. 2003. Impact of forest conversion to agriculture on carbon and nitrogen mineralization in subarctic Alaska. Biogeochemistry, 64:271-296.
doi: 10.1023/A:1024976713243
[14]   Hart S C, Nason G E, Myrold D D, et al. 1994. Dynamics of gross nitrogen transformations in an old-growth forest: the carbon connection. Ecology, 75(4):880-891.
doi: 10.2307/1939413
[15]   Hosny L. 1979. Biological oxidation of ammoniacal fertilizers as affected by the physical properties of soil. Zentralbl Bakteriol Naturwiss, 134(6):513-527.
[16]   Hoyle F C, Murphy D V, Fillery I R P. 2006. Temperature and stubble management influence microbial CO2-C evolution and gross N transformation rates. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 38(1):71-80.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2005.04.020
[17]   Jiang H T, Liu W H, Fang Y F, et al. 2014. Study on soil types and utilization in Qiqihar City. Protection Forest Science and Technology, 5:95-96. (in Chinese)
[18]   Khalil K, Mary B, Renault P. 2004. Nitrous oxide production by nitrification and denitrification in soil aggregates as affected by O2 concentration. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 36(4):687-699.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2004.01.004
[19]   Kroeze C, Mosier A, Bouwman L. 1999. Closing the global N2O budget: A retrospective analysis 1500-1994. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 13(1):1-8.
doi: 10.1029/1998GB900020
[20]   Kuroiwa M, Koba K, Isobe K, et al. 2011. Gross nitrification rates in four Japanese forest soils: heterotrophic versus autotrophic and the regulation factors for the nitrification. Journal of Forest Research, 16(5):363-373.
doi: 10.1007/s10310-011-0287-0
[21]   Lam S K, Sutera H, Daviesb R, et al. 2018. Direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from two intensive vegetable farms applied with a nitrification inhibitor. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 116:48-51.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.008
[22]   Lan T, Han Y, Roelcke M, et al. 2013. Processes leading to N2O and NO emissions from two different Chinese soils under different soil moisture contents. Plant and Soil, 371(1-2):611-627.
doi: 10.1007/s11104-013-1721-1
[23]   Lan T, Han Y, Roelcke M, et al. 2014. Sources of nitrous and nitric oxides in paddy soils: Nitrification and denitrification. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 26(3):581-592.
doi: 10.1016/S1001-0742(13)60453-2
[24]   Lang M, Cai Z C, Mary B, et al. 2010. Land-use type and temperature affect gross nitrogen transformation rates in Chinese and Canadian soils. Plant and Soil, 334:377-389.
doi: 10.1007/s11104-010-0389-z
[25]   Lang M, Cai Z C, Chang S X. 2011. Effects of land use type and incubation temperature on greenhouse gas emissions from Chinese and Canadian soils. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 11(1):15-24.
doi: 10.1007/s11368-010-0260-0
[26]   Laughlin R J, Stevens R J. 2002. Evidence for fungal dominance of denitrification and code nitrification in grassland soil. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 66(5):1540-1548.
doi: 10.2136/sssaj2002.1540
[27]   Li P, Lang M. 2014. Gross nitrogen transformations and related N2O emissions in uncultivated and cultivated black soil. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 50(2):197-206.
doi: 10.1007/s00374-013-0848-9
[28]   Li X X, Sørensen P, Olesen J E, et al. 2016. Evidence for denitrification as main source of N2O emission from residue-amended soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 92:153-160.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.10.008
[29]   Li Z G, Xia S J, Zhang R H, et al. 2020. N2O emissions and product ratios of nitrification and denitrification are altered by K fertilizer in acidic agricultural soils. Environmental Pollution, 265:115065, doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115065.
doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115065
[30]   Mary B, Recous S, Robin D. 1998. A model for calculating nitrogen fluxes in soil using 15N tracing. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 30(14):1963-1979.
doi: 10.1016/S0038-0717(98)00068-6
[31]   Müller C, Rütting T, Kattge J, et al. 2007. Estimation of parameters in complex 15N tracing models by Monte Carlo sampling. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 39(3):715-726.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2006.09.021
[32]   Murphy D V, Recous S, Stockdale E A, et al. 2003. Gross nitrogen fluxes in soil: theory, measurement and application of 15N pool dilution techniques. Advances in Agronomy, 79:69-118.
[33]   Pereira e Silva M C, Poly F, Guillaumaud N, et al. 2012. Fluctuations in ammonia oxidizing communities across agricultural soils are driven by soil structure and pH. Frontiers in Microbiology, 3:1-22.
[34]   Pihlatie M, Syväsalo E, Simojoki A, et al. 2004. Contribution of nitrification and denitrification to N2O production in peat, clay and loamy sand soils under different soil moisture conditions. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 70:135-141.
doi: 10.1023/B:FRES.0000048475.81211.3c
[35]   Renault P, Stengel P. 1994. Modeling oxygen diffusion in aggregated soils: I. Anaerobiosis inside the aggregates. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 58(4):1017-1023.
doi: 10.2136/sssaj1994.03615995005800040004x
[36]   Simojoki A, Jaakkola A. 2000. Effect of nitrogen fertilization, cropping and irrigation on soil air composition and nitrous oxide emission in a loamy clay. European Journal of Soil Science, 51(3):413-424.
doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2389.2000.00308.x
[37]   Smith K A. 1980. A model of the extent of anaerobic zones in aggregated soils, and its potential application to estimates of denitrification. Journal of Soil Science, 31(2):263-277.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1980.tb02080.x
[38]   Stevens R J, Laughlin R J, Burns L C, et al. 1997. Measuring the contributions of nitrification and denitrification to the flux of nitrous oxide from soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 29(2):139-151.
doi: 10.1016/S0038-0717(96)00303-3
[39]   Stockdale E A, Hatch D J, Murphy D V, et al. 2002. Verifying the nitrification to immobilisation ratio (N/I) as a key determinant of potential nitrate loss in grassland and arable soils. Agronomie, 22:831-838.
doi: 10.1051/agro:2002060
[40]   Syväsalo E, Regina K, Pihlatie M, et al. 2004. Emissions of nitrous oxide from boreal agricultural clay and sandy loam soils. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 69:155-165.
doi: 10.1023/B:FRES.0000029675.24465.fc
[41]   Tripathi N, Singh R S. 2009. Influence of different land uses on soil nitrogen transformations after conversion from an Indian dry tropical forest. Catena, 77(3):216-223.
doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2009.01.002
[42]   Wang M X, Zhang Y X. 2013. Effects of different tillage measures on maize growth and yield in aeolian sandy soil area in Heilongjiang province. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 33:59-63. (in Chinese)
[43]   Well R, Flessa H, Lu X, et al. 2008. Isotopologue ratios of N2O emitted from microcosms with NH4+ fertilized arable soils under conditions favoring nitrification. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 40(9):2416-2426.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.06.003
[44]   Wolf I, Russow R. 2000. Different pathways of formation of N2O, N2 and NO in black earth soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 32(2):229-239.
doi: 10.1016/S0038-0717(99)00151-0
[45]   Yang L L, Zhang F S, Gao Q, et al. 2010. Impact of land-use types on soil nitrogen net mineralization in the sandstorm and water source area of Beijing, China. CATENA, 82(1):15-22.
doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2010.04.004
[46]   Zhang J B, Cai Z C, Zhu T B. 2011. N2O production pathways in the subtropical acid forest soils in China. Environmental Research, 111(5):643-649.
doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2011.04.005
[47]   Zhang J B, Zhu T B, Meng T Z, et al. 2013. Agricultural land use affects nitrate production and conservation in humid subtropical soils in China. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 62:107-114.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.03.006
[48]   Zhang Y, Wang J, Dai S Y, et al. 2019. Temperature effects on N2O production pathways in temperate forest soils. Science of the Total Environment, 691:1127-1136.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.208
[49]   Zhu G D, Song X T, Ju X T, et al. 2019. Gross N transformation rates and related N2O emissions in Chinese and UK agricultural soils. Science of the Total Environment, 666:176-186.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.241
[50]   Zhu T B, Zhang J B, Cai Z C. 2011. The contribution of nitrogen transformation processes to total N2O emissions from soils used for intensive vegetable cultivation. Plant and Soil, 343:313-327.
doi: 10.1007/s11104-011-0720-3
[1] WANG Kun, WANG Xiaoxia, FEI Hongyan, WAN Chuanyu, HAN Fengpeng. Changes in diversity, composition and assembly processes of soil microbial communities during Robinia pseudoacacia L. restoration on the Loess Plateau, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(5): 561-575.
[2] André L CARVALHO, Renato A ARAÚJO-NETO, Guilherme B LYRA, Carlos E P CERRI, Stoécio M F MAIA. Impact of rainfed and irrigated agriculture systems on soil carbon stock under different climate scenarios in the semi-arid region of Brazil[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(4): 359-373.
[3] Halimeh PIRI, Amir NASERIN, Ammar A ALBALASMEH. Interactive effects of deficit irrigation and vermicompost on yield, quality, and irrigation water use efficiency of greenhouse cucumber[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(11): 1274-1292.
[4] WU Jun, DENG Guoning, ZHOU Dongmei, ZHU Xiaoyan, MA Jing, CEN Guozhang, JIN Yinli, ZHANG Jun. Effects of climate change and land-use changes on spatiotemporal distributions of blue water and green water in Ningxia, Northwest China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(7): 674-687.
[5] JIA Wuhui, YIN Lihe, ZHANG Maosheng, ZHANG Xinxin, ZHANG Jun, TANG Xiaoping, DONG Jiaqiu. Quantification of groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration along a semi-arid wetland transect using diurnal water table fluctuations[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(5): 455-469.
[6] Mahsa MIRDASHTVAN, Mohsen MOHSENI SARAVI. Influence of non-stationarity and auto-correlation of climatic records on spatio-temporal trend and seasonality analysis in a region with prevailing arid and semi-arid climate, Iran[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2020, 12(6): 964-983.
[7] FENG Jian, ZHAO Lingdi, ZHANG Yibo, SUN Lingxiao, YU Xiang, YU Yang. Can climate change influence agricultural GTFP in arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China?[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2020, 12(5): 837-853.
[8] LYU Changhe, XU Zhiyuan. Crop production changes and the impact of Grain for Green program in the Loess Plateau of China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2020, 12(1): 18-28.
[9] BELALA Fahima, HIRCHE Azziz, D MULLER Serge, TOURKI Mahmoud, SALAMANI Mostefa, GRANDI Mohamed, AIT HAMOUDA Tahar, BOUGHANI Madjid. Rainfall patterns of Algerian steppes and the impacts on natural vegetation in the 20th century[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2018, 10(4): 561-573.
[10] Ling NAN, Zhibao DONG, Weiqiang XIAO, Chao LI, Nan XIAO, Shaopeng SONG, Fengjun XIAO, Lingtong DU. A field investigation of wind erosion in the farming-pastoral ecotone of northern China using a portable wind tunnel: a case study in Yanchi County[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2018, 10(1): 27-38.
[11] Di KANG, Jian DENG, Xiaowei QIN, Fei HAO, Shujuan GUO, Xinhui HAN, Gaihe YANG. Effect of competition on spatial patterns of oak forests on the Chinese Loess Plateau[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2017, 9(1): 122-131.
[12] NING Like, XIA Jun, ZHAN Chesheng, ZHANG Yongyong. Runoff of arid and semi-arid regions simulated and projected by CLM-DTVGM and its multi-scale fluctuations as revealed by EEMD analysis[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2016, 8(4): 506-520.