Effects of Soil Nitrate Nitrogen Residues and Leaching for Different Kinds of Slow-release Nitrogen Fertilizers in Tall-fescue Soil

ObjectiveThe aim was to explore the movement of nitrate nitrogen in tall-fescue soils by different kinds of slow release nitrogen fertilizers. MethodBased on infiltration-tanks and test plots, a new and environment friendly fertilizer was explored. ResultThe results show that compared with urea treatment, slow-release nitrogen fertilizer treatments could reduce nitrate nitrogen content and leaching amount in soils. Compared with PCU30 and IU treatments, the PCU60 treatment became more efficient in reducing nitrate content and leaching amount in 0-90 cm soil layer. ConclusionIn summary, slow-release nitrogen fertilizer, which can reduce soil nitrate content and leaching losses, is a kind of novel fertilizer with high environmental benefit and promising application.

Fate of fertilizer nitrogen and residual nitrogen in paddy soil in Northeast China

The relationship between the fate of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and the N application rate in paddy fields in Northeast China is unclear,as is the fate of residual N.To clarify these issues,paddy field and15N microplot experiments were carried out in 2017 and 2018,with N applications at five levels:0,75,105,135 and 165 kg N ha–1(N0,N75,N105,N135 and N165,respectively).15N-labeled urea was applied to the microplots in 2017,and the same amount of unlabeled urea was applied in 2018.Ammonia (NH3) volatilization,leaching,surface runoff,rice yield,the N contents and15N abundances of both plants and soil were analyzed.The results indicated a linear platform model for rice yield and the application rate of N fertilizer,and the optimal rate was 135 kg N ha–1.N uptake increased with an increasing N rate,and the recovery efficiency of applied N (REN) values of the difference subtraction method were 45.23 and 56.98%on average in 2017and 2018,respectively.The RENwas the highest at the N rate of 135 kg ha–1in 2017 and it was insignificantly affected by the N application rate in 2018,while the agronomic efficiency of applied N (AEN) and physiological efficiency of applied N (PEN) decreased significantly when excessive N was applied.N loss through NH3volatilization,leaching and surface runoff was low in the paddy fields in Northeast China.NH3volatilization accounted for 0.81 and 2.99%of the total N application in 2017 and 2018,respectively.On average,the leaching and surface runoff rates were 4.45% and less than 1.05%,respectively,but the apparent denitrification loss was approximately 42.63%.The residual N fertilizer in the soil layer (0–40 cm) was 18.37–31.81 kg N ha–1in 2017,and the residual rate was 19.28–24.50%.Residual15N from fertilizer in the soil increased significantly with increasing N fertilizer,which was mainly concentrated in the 0–10 cm soil layer,accounting for 58.45–83.54% of the total residual N,and decreased with increasing depth.While the ratio of residual N in the 0–10 cm soil layer to that in the 0–40 cm soil layer was decreased with increasing N application.Furthermore,of the residual N,approximately 5.4%was taken up on average in the following season and 50.2%was lost,but 44.4%remained in the soil.Hence,the amount of applied N fertilizer should be reduced appropriately due to the high residual N in paddy fields in Northeast China.The appropriate N fertilizer rate in the northern fields in China was determined to be 105–135 kg N ha–1in order to achieve a balance between rice yield and high N fertilizer uptake.

Evaluating the Effects of Aquaculture Wastewater Irrigation with Fertilizer Reduction on Greenhouse Tomato Production,Economic Benefits and Soil Nitrogen Characteristics

The utilization of aquaculture wastewater as irrigation is an effective way to recycle and reuse water and nitrogen fertilizer resources because it contains numerous nutrients.However,it is still unclear that the pattern of substituting aquaculture wastewater irrigation for fertilizer supplementing is conducive to improving the soil nitrogen status,fruit yield and water-fertilizer use efficiency for tomato production.In this context,the experiment was intended to establish the appropriate irrigation regime of aquaculture wastewater in tomato production for freshwater replacement and fertilizer reduction to ensure good yields.Pot experiments were conducted with treatments as farmers accustomed to irrigation and fertilization used as control(CK),1.75 L aquaculture wastewater with base fertilizer(W1),2 L aquaculture wastewater with base fertilizer;and 2.25 L aquaculture wastewater with base fertilizer(W3).We examined the effects of aquaculture wastewater irrigation on soil nitrogen distribution,Nrelated hydrolases,tomato yield,and economic benefits.The results showed that the control treatment had the highest N input,about 24.68%higher than the W3 treatment,while the yield was only about 7.81%higher than W3.This indicated that the overuse of chemical fertilizer was present in the current tomato production.Although the reduction of fertilizer in aquaculture wastewater irrigation caused a decrease in tomato production,this economic loss can be compensated by cost savings in the wastewater disposal.Among aquaculture wastewater treatments,the W3 treatment had the highest overall benefit,achieving 62.63%freshwater savings,37.50%fertilizer input reduction,and an economic return of approximately 19,466 Yuan per hectare higher than the control.Additionally,increasing the irrigation volume of aquaculture wastewater could provide more available nutrients to the soil,which were more prevalent in the form of organic nitrogen.The lower soil nitrate reductase activities(NR)under aquaculture wastewater treatments after harvesting also proved that this pattern was beneficial to reduce soil nitrate nitrogen residues.Overall,the results demonstrate that aquaculture wastewater irrigation alleviates the soil nitrate residues,improves nutrient availability,and results in more economic returns with water and fertilizer conservation for the greenhouse production of tomatoes.

Significant suppression of residual nitrogen incorporation in diamond film with a novel susceptor geometry employed in MPCVD

This work proposed to change the structure of the sample susceptor of the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition(MPCVD)reaction chamber,that is,to introduce a small hole in the center of the susceptor to study its suppression effect on the incorporation of residual nitrogen in the MPCVD diamond film.By using COMSOL multiphysics software simulation,the plasma characteristics and the concentration of chemical reactants in the cylindrical cavity of MPCVD system were studied,including electric field intensity,electron number density,electron temperature,the concentrations of atomic hydrogen,methyl,and nitrogenous substances,etc.After introducing a small hole in the center of the molybdenum support susceptor,we found that no significant changes were found in the center area of the plasma,but the electron state in the plasma changed greatly on the surface above the susceptor.The electron number density was reduced by about 40%,while the electron temperature was reduced by about 0.02 eV,and the concentration of atomic nitrogen was decreased by about an order of magnitude.Moreover,we found that if a specific lower microwave input power is used,and a susceptor structure without the small hole is introduced,the change results similar to those in the surface area of the susceptor will be obtained,but the spatial distribution of electromagnetic field and reactant concentration will be changed.

Carbon and nitrogen mineralization in soils along a desertification gradient in the semiarid Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China

This experiment was conducted in three sites along a desertification gradient in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China. Soils una-mended and amended with five types of plant residue in a wide range of C：N ratios from 9.9 to 82.2 were incubated for 70 days, during which C and N mineralization were measured. Along the desertification gradient from fixed sand dune to semifixed, and mobile sand dune： cumulative CO2-C produced from the unamended soils was 231.6, 193.3 and 61.9 μg/g, respectively, while net inorganic N was 22.9, 17.6 and 0.9 mg/kg. Soils amended with residues produced more CO2-C than the unamended soils across all sites. During the first 10 days, C mineralization rate of residue-amended soils decreased with the increase of C：N ratio at each site. However, the mineralization rates were poorly correlated with the C：N ratio in subsequent stage of incubation. Soils of mobile sand dune amended with higher C：N ratio （more than 32） residues produced less CO2-C than that of fixed and semifixed sand dune. NO3--N was the predominant form of inorganic N during the mineralization process in sandy soils. Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio （C：N） can be regarded as a predictor of the speed of N mineralization in sandy soil. The more C. microphylla residue with the lowest C：N ratio （9.9） added in soils, the more net inorganic N released. Our results suggest that C. microphylla residue when added to soil would potentially provide short-term plant available N and improve the soil quality in sandy land. The desertification process postponed the release of inorganic N from plant residues.

Origin,characteristics,and suppression of residual nitrogen in MPCVD diamond growth reactor

Unintentional nitrogen incorporation has been observed in a set of microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition(MPCVD)-grown samples.No abnormality has been detected on the apparatus especially the base pressure and feeding gas purity.By a comprehensive investigation including the analysis of the plasma composition,we found that a minor leakage of the system could be significantly magnified by the thermal effect,resulting in a considerable residual nitrogen in the diamond material.Moreover,the doping mechanism of leaked air is different to pure nitrogen doping.The dosage of several ppm of pure nitrogen can lead to efficient nitrogen incorporation in diamond,while at least thousands ppm of leaked air is required for detecting obvious residual nitrogen.The difference of the dosage has been ascribed to the suppression effect of oxygen that consumes nitrogen.As the unintentional impurity is basically detrimental to the controllable fabrication of diamond for electronic application,we have provided an effective way to suppress the residual nitrogen in a slightly leaked system by modifying the susceptor geometry.This study indicates that even if a normal base pressure can be reached,the nitrogen residing in the chamber can be“activated”by the thermal effect and thus be incorporated in diamond material grown by a MPCVD reactor.

Fate of ^(15)N-Labeled Urea Under a Winter Wheat-Summer Maize Rotation on the North China Plain

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the fate of ^15N-labeled urea and its residual effect under the winter wheat （Triticum aestivum L.） and summer maize （Zea mays L.） rotation system on the North China Plain. Compared to a conventional application rate of 360 kg N ha^-1 （N360）, a reduced rate of 120 kg N ha^-1 （N120） led to a significant increase （P 〈 0.05） in wheat yield and no significant differences were found for maize. However, in the 0-100 cm soil profile at harvest, compared with N360, N120 led to significant decreases （P 〈 0.05） of percent residual N and percent unaccounted-for N, which possibly reflected losses from the managed system. Of the residual fertilizer N in the soil profile, 25.6%-44.7% and 20.7%-38.2% for N120 and N360, respectively, were in the organic N pool, whereas 0.3%-3.0% and 11.2%-24.4%, correspondingly, were in the nitrate pool, indicating a higher potential for leaching loss associated with application at the conventional rate. Recovery of residual N in the soil profile by succeeding crops was less than 7.5% of the applied N. For N120, total soil N balance was negative; however, there was still considerable mineral N （NH4^＋-N and NO3^--N） in the soil profile after harvest. Therefore, N120 could be considered ngronomically acceptable in the short run, but for long-term sustainability, the N rate should be recommended based on a soil mineral N test and a plant tissue nitrate test to maintain the soil fertility.

Effects of nitrogen supply methods on fate of nitrogen in maize under alternate partial root-zone irrigation

Partial root-zone irrigation(PRI)has been practiced worldwide,but little information is available on nitrogen(N)supply methods influence on fate of applied N fertilizer for crop production under PRI.A field experiment was conducted to investigate effect of N supply methods on the uptake,residual,and loss of applied N fertilizer in maize(Zea mays L.)under alternate PRI at Wuwei,northwest China in 2014.15N-labeled urea was used as N fertilizer.Two irrigation methods included alternate furrow irrigation(AI)and conventional furrow irrigation(CI).Two N fertilizer supply methods included conventional N supply(CN)and alternate N supply(AN),were applied in combination with each irrigation method.Grain yield,root length density(RLD),N uptake by maize at the maturity stage,and atom%of 15N excess,residual 15N and residual NO3-N in the 0-100 cm soil layer after maize harvest were determined.Results shown that compared to CI coupled with CN,AI coupled with AN or CN significantly increased the grain yield,harvest index,RLD,N uptake by maize,15N accumulation in grain,atom%of 15N excess in the 0-60 cm soil layer,the residual 15N and 15N uptake rates;but significantly decreased the residual NO3-N in the 0-100 cm soil layers and 15N loss rate.Moreover,the synchronized rather than separation supply of N fertilizer and water enhanced the most above parameters under AI.15N uptake rate was positively correlated with RLD in the 0-40 cm soil layer,suggesting that the enhanced RLD contributed to the improved 15N uptake rate.Therefore,alternate furrow irrigation coupled with conventional or alternate nitrogen supply(synchronized supply of N fertilizer and water)could help improve 15N uptake rate and reduce the 15N loss rate.