Nitrogen cycling and environmental impacts in upland agricultural soils in North China： A review

The upland agricultural soils in North China are distributed north of a line between the Kunlun Mountains, the Qinling Mountains and the Huaihe River. They occur in arid, semi-arid and semi-humid regions and crop production often depends on rain-fed or irrigation to supplement rainfall. This paper summarizes the characteristics of gross nitrogen（N） transformation, the fate of N fertilizer and soil N as well as the N loss pathway, and makes suggestions for proper N management in the region. The soils of the region are characterized by strong N mineralization and nitrification, and weak immobilization and denitrification ability, which lead to the production and accumulation of nitrate in the soil profile. Large amounts of accumulated nitrate have been observed in the vadose-zone in soils due to excess N fertilization in the past three decades, and this nitrate is subject to occasional leaching which leads to groundwater nitrate contamination. Under farmer＇s conventional high N fertilization practice in the winter wheat-summer maize rotation system（N application rate was approximately 600 kg ha–1 yr–1）, crop N uptake, soil residual N, NH_3 volatilization, NO_3~– leaching, and denitrification loss accounted for around 27, 30, 23, 18 and 2% of the applied fertilizer N, respectively. NH_3 volatilization and NO_3~– leaching were the most important N loss pathways while soil residual N was an important fate of N fertilizer for replenishing soil N depletion from crop production. The upland agricultural soils in North China are a large source of N_2O and total emissions in this region make up a large proportion（approximately 54%） of Chinese cropland N_2O emissions. The “non-coupled strong ammonia oxidation” process is an important mechanism of N_2O production. Slowing down ammonia oxidation after ammonium-N fertilizer or urea application and avoiding transient high soil NH4＋ concentrations are key measures for reducing N_2O emissions in this region. Further N management should aim to minimize N losses from crop and livestock production, and increase the recycling of manure and straw back to cropland. We also recommend adoption of the 4 R（Right soure, Right rate, Right time, Right place） fertilization techniques to realize proper N fertilizer management, and improving application methods or modifying fertilizer types to reduce NH_3 volatilization, improving water management to reduce NO_3~– leaching, and controlling the strong ammonia oxidation process to abate N_2O emission. Future research should focus on the study of the trade-off effects among different N loss pathways under different N application methods or fertilizer products.

Biochar Effectively Reduces Ammonia Volatilization From Nitrogen-Applied Soils in Tea and Bamboo Plantations

Intensive practices in forest soils result in dramatic nitrogen(N)losses,particularly ammonia(NH_(3))volatilization,to adjacent environmental areas.A soil column experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of bamboo biochar on NH_(3) volatilization from tea garden and bamboo forest soils.The results showed that biochar amendment effectively reduced NH_(3) volatilization from tea garden and bamboo forest soil by 79.2%and 75.5%,respectively.The soil pH values increased by 0.53-0.61 units after biochar application.The NH_(4)^(+)-N and total N of both soils were 13.8-29.7%and 34.0-41.9%higher under the biochar treatments than under the control treatment,respectively.In addition,the soil water contents of the two biochar-amended soils were significantly higher(P<0.05),by 10.7-12.5%,than that of the soils without biochar amendment.Therefore,biochar mitigates NH_(3) volatilization from the tested forest soils,which was due to the increases in soil NH_(4)^(+)-N,total N and water contents after biochar amendment.Our main findings suggest that biochar addition is an effective management option for sustainable forest management.

Natural^(15)N abundance in soils and plants in relation to N cycling in a rangeland in Inner Mongolia

Aims Natural 15N abundance provides integrated information about nitrogen(N)input,transformation and output,indirectly reflecting N cycling traits within terrestrial ecosystems.However,relationships between natural 15N abundance and N cycling processes are poorly understood in China.Here,our primary objectives were to(i)examine the effects of grazing at varying levels of intensity on d15N of soils and plants in a semi-arid grassland;(ii)detect the relationships between d15N of soils and four major N cycling processes(i.e.mineralization,nitrification,denitrification and ammonia volatilization);and(iii)determine whether d15N of soils can be used as an indicator of N cycling in this semi-arid grassland.Methods The field experiment was conducted within the long-term(17-year)grazing enclosures in a semi-arid grassland in Inner Mongolia.Five grazing intensities(0.00,1.33,2.67,4.00 and 5.33 sheep ha
1)were designed.d15N values of topsoils(0–10 cm),surface soils(0–2 cm)and plants were measured in 2006.Differences in d15N of soils and plants between the five grazing intensities were examined.Rates of four soil N cycling processes were measured periodically during the 2005 and 2006 growing seasons.The d15N values of topsoils were linked to the four N cycling processes to investigate their relationships.Important Findings The d15N values of topsoils(5.20–5.96&)were substantially higher than the d15N values of plants(2.51–2.93&)and surface soils(1.44–2.92&)regardless of grazing intensities.The 15N-depleted N losses during microbial decomposition of organic matter in concert with the downward movement of residual substrate over time are the possible causes of higher d15N values in topsoils than in surface soils.In addition,the d15N values of topsoils were positively correlated with the d15N values of both plants and surface soils.Grazing,especially the high-intensity grazing(5.33 sheep ha
1),resulted in a significant decrease in d15N of surface soils.However,no statistically significant variations in d15N of topsoils and plants were found in response to grazing.The d15N values of topsoils exhibited significant dependence on the cumulative rates of NH3 volatilization,net nitrification and denitrification in 2005 but not in 2006.

N_2O and NH_3 emissions from a bioreactor landfill operated under limited aerobic degradation conditions

The combination of leachate recirculation and aeration to landfill may be an efficient way for in-situ nitrogen removal.However,nitrogenous substances contained in the landfill layer are concomitantly transformed into N2O and NH3,leading to increased emissions into the atmosphere.In the present study,the emissions of N2O and NH3 were measured under conditions of fresh or partially stabilized refuse with or without leachate recirculation or intermittent aeration.The results showed that the largest N2O emission（12.4 mg-N/L of the column） was observed in the aerated column loaded with partially stabilized refuse and recycled with the leachate of low C/N ratio;while less than 0.33 mg-N/L of the column was produced in the other columns.N2O production was positively correlated with the prolonged aerobic time and negatively related with the C/N ratio in the recycled leachate.NH3 volatilization increased with enhanced gas flow and concentration of free ammonia in the leachate,and the highest cumulative volatilization quantity was 1.7 mg-N/L of the column.

Effects of deep placement of fertilizer on periphytic biofilm development and nitrogen cycling in paddy systems

Periphytic biofilms are commonly presented at the water-soil interface in paddy fields. Different fertilization methods can affect the concentration and distribution of nutrients in paddy fields and thus affect the development of periphytic biofilms. In this study, the roles of periphytic biofilms in nitrogen(N) cycling in paddy systems and how they are affected by different fertilization methods were studied using microcosm experiments. Microcosms were prepared using soil samples from a paddy field and treated with surface and deep fertilization under light and dark conditions. Surface fertilization under light condition promoted the development of periphytic biofilms, while deep fertilization under dark condition inhibited their development. The development of periphytic biofilms increased the pH and dissolved oxygen levels in the overlying water. Surface fertilization resulted in high N concentrations in the overlying water and the topsoil layers, which enhanced NH3 volatilization and nitrification-denitrification but inhibited N fixation. The development of periphytic biofilms reduced NH3 volatilization loss but increased nitrification-denitrification loss and the overall N loss in the paddy system. The results from this work suggest that the presence of periphytic biofilms in paddy fields could increase N loss by 3.10%–7.11%. Deep fertilization is an effective method to retard the development of periphytic biofilms in the paddy system and can potentially increase the overall N use efficiency.