Journal
JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE
Volume 182, Issue 3, Pages 441-450Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/jpln.201800513
Keywords
ammonium sorption isotherm; N speciation; nitrification inhibitor; soil nitrogen; urease inhibitor
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The application of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizers is one of the most important management tools to ensure and increase yield in agricultural systems. However, N fertilization can lead to various ecological problems such as nitrate ( NO3 - ) leaching or ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions. The application of N stabilizers (i.e., inhibitors) combined with urea fertilization offers an effective option to reduce or even prevent N losses due to their regulatory effect on ammonium ( NH4 + ) and NO3 - release into the soil. The present field experiment therefore aimed at soil N speciation dynamics after urea spring fertilization (225 kg N ha(-1)) in the presence of a urease inhibitor (UI), a nitrification inhibitor (NI), both inhibitors (UI+NI) or when no inhibitor was applied at all. The study focused on the distribution of N species among soil matrix and soil solution. Plant cultivation was completely omitted in order to avoid masking soil N turnover and speciation by plant N uptake and growth dynamics. Application of UI clearly delayed urea hydrolysis in the top soil, but a complete hydrolysis of urea took place within only 10 days after fertilization (DAF). Nitrification was significantly reduced by NI application, leading to higher NH4 + - N and lower NO3 - - N concentrations in treatments with NI. Due to sorption of NH4 + to the soil matrix a significantly larger fraction of NH4 + was always detected in the soil extracts compared to soil solution. However, while in soil extracts the impact of NI application was less apparent and delayed, in soil solution a quick response to NI application was observed as revealed by significantly increased soil solution concentrations of NH4 + . Because of the asymmetric soil phase distribution soil solution NH4 + was predominant over NO3 - only initially after fertilization even in inhibitor treatments (approximate to 8 to 10 DAF). Nevertheless, inhibitor application tended towards closer ratios of NH4 + to NO3 - concentration in soil solution and hence, might additionally affect concentration dependent processes like plant N uptake and root development. Despite cold spring conditions urea application along with UI and/or NI did not indicate a limited supply of plant available NH4 + and NO3 - .
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