Impact of biochar on nitrate accumulation in an alkaline soil

Soil Research ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing-Zhong Zhang ◽  
Xia-Hui Wang ◽  
Zhang-Liu Du ◽  
Xin-Ren Liu ◽  
Yi-Ding Wang
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Nitrate ◽  
Alkaline Soil ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Nitrate Accumulation ◽  
Nitrate Retention ◽  
Significant Difference

The effects of biochar on alkaline soils in high-yielding agricultural fields remain poorly understood. Nitrate variation in soils due to biochar application without a change in soil pH, is a great concern relating to both crop yield and nitrate leaching. In this study, we monitored changes in dynamics of soil nitrate accumulation and effects on grain yield due to biochar application in a temperate, high-yielding region. Biochar derived from corncob was applied to an alkaline soil at biochar rates (kg ha–1) of 0 (CK), 2250 (C1), and 4500 (C2) for each of two crop seasons in 2007. A treatment with 750 kg biochar-based fertiliser ha–1 (CN) for each of two crop seasons was also included. Biochar had no significant effect on soil water content to 1 m soil depth. Biochar tended to increase the soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) in the 0–20 cm soil layer and nitrate retention to 1 m soil profile, but there was no significant difference between biochar treatments and CK. Grain yield of C1, C2, and CN was improved by 10.3%, 16.9%, and 15.5% compared with CK, respectively, but only C2 was significantly different from CK. Grain yields of winter wheat with biochar application showed a trend similar to soil CEC and average soil-nitrate retention, suggesting that the increases in grain yield were mainly attributable to improvements in soil CEC and soil nitrate retention due to biochar application in the alkaline soil. In conclusion, the effects of biochar on soil water retention, soil nitrate retention, and grain yield were very limited in alkaline soil in a high-yielding region.

scholarly journals Depth-Dependent C-N-P Stocks and Stoichiometry in Ultisols Resulting from Conversion of Secondary Forests to Plantations and Driving Forces

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1300
Author(s):  
Xiaogang Ding ◽  
Xiaochuan Li ◽  
Ye Qi ◽  
Zhengyong Zhao ◽  
Dongxiao Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Pinus Elliottii ◽  
Slash Pine ◽  
Pine Plantations ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Masson Pine ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Significant Difference

Stocks and stoichiometry of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in ultisols are not well documented for converted forests. In this study, Ultisols were sampled in 175 plots from one type of secondary forest and four plantations of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.), Slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.), Eucalypt (Eucalyptus obliqua L’Hér.), and Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn., 1782) in Yunfu, Guangdong province, South China. Five layers of soil were sampled with a distance of 20 cm between two adjacent layers up to a depth of 100 cm. We did not find interactive effects between forest type and soil layer depth on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations and storages. Storage of SOC was not different between secondary forests and Eucalypt plantations, but SOC of these two forest types were lower than that in Litchi, Masson pine, and Slash pine plantations. Soil C:P was higher in Slash pine plantations than in secondary forests. Soil CNP showed a decreasing trend with the increase of soil depth. Soil TP did not show any significant difference among soil layers. Soil bulk density had a negative contribution to soil C and P stocks, and longitude and elevation were positive drivers for soil C, N, and P stocks. Overall, Litchi plantations are the only type of plantation that obtained enhanced C storage in 0–100 cm soils and diverse N concentrations among soil layers during the conversion from secondary forests to plantations over ultisols.

scholarly journals Effects of different biomass materials as a salt-isolation layer on water and salt migration in coastal saline soil

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11766
Author(s):  
Mao Yang ◽  
Runya Yang ◽  
Yanni Li ◽  
Yinghua Pan ◽  
Junna Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Salt Concentration ◽  
Saline Soil ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Thick Layer ◽  
Peat Layer ◽  
Salt Accumulation

The aim of this study was to find a material suited for the prevention of evaporative water loss and salt accumulation in coastal saline soils. One-dimensional vertical water infiltration and phreatic evaporation experiments were conducted using a silty loam saline soil. A 3-cm-thick layer of corn straw, biochar, and peat was buried at the soil depth of 20 cm, and a 6-cm-thick layer of peat was also buried at the same soil depth for comparison. The presence of the biochar layer increased the upper soil water content, but its ability to inhibit salt accumulation was poor, leading to a high salt concentration in the surface soil. The 3-cm-thick straw and 6-cm-thick peat layers were most effective to inhibit salt accumulation, which reduced the upper soil salt concentration by 96% and 93%, respectively. However, the straw layer strongly inhibited phreatic evaporation and resulted in low water content in the upper soil layer. Compared with the straw layer, the peat layer increased the upper soil water content. Thus, burying a 6-cm-thick peat layer in the coastal saline soil is the optimal strategy to retain water in the upper soil layer and intercept salt in the deeper soil layer.

A regionally explicit, global SWI calibration based on ISMN observations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manolis G. Grillakis
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Water Index ◽  
Soil Moisture Data

<p>Remote sensing has proven to be an irreplaceable tool for monitoring soil moisture. The European Space Agency (ESA), through the Climate Change Initiative (CCI), has provided one of the most substantial contributions in the soil water monitoring, with almost 4 decades of global satellite derived and homogenized soil moisture data for the uppermost soil layer. Yet, due to the inherent limitations of many of the remote sensors, only a limited soil depth can be monitored. To enable the assessment of the deeper soil layer moisture from surface remotely sensed products, the Soil Water Index (SWI) has been established as a convolutive transformation of the surface soil moisture estimation, under the assumption of uniform hydraulic conductivity and the absence of transpiration. The SWI uses a single calibration parameter, the T-value, to modify its response over time.</p><p>Here the Soil Water Index (SWI) is calibrated using ESA CCI soil moisture against in situ observations from the International Soil Moisture Network and then use Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to find the best physical soil, climate, and vegetation descriptors at a global scale to regionalize the calibration of the T-value. The calibration is then used to assess a root zone related soil moisture for the period 2001 – 2018.</p><p>The results are compared against the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, ERA5 Land reanalysis soil moisture dataset, showing a good agreement, mainly over mid-latitudes. The results indicate that there is added value to the results of the machine learning calibration, comparing to the uniform T-value. This work contributes to the exploitation of ESA CCI soil moisture data, while the produced data can support large scale soil moisture related studies.</p>

scholarly journals The Depth of Water Taken up by Walnut Trees during Different Phenological Stages in an Irrigated Arid Hilly Area in the Taihang Mountains

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Liu ◽  
Xuemei Zhang ◽  
Shuang Zhao ◽  
Huabing Ma ◽  
Guohui Qi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Root Water Uptake ◽  
Phenological Stages ◽  
Hilly Area ◽  
Fruit Maturity ◽  
Hydrogen And Oxygen Isotope

Understanding how the soil environment impacts root water uptake location and magnitude is important for better management of plant irrigation. In this study, stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope composition were used to determine seasonal variations in the depth of water taken up by walnut trees during different phenological stages in an irrigated arid hilly area in the Taihang Mountains in China. The contributions of soil water at different depths to the water taken up were quantified by the MixSIAR Bayesian isotope mixing model. The results indicated that water taken up by the walnut trees was sourced mainly from soil water in the 0–20 cm soil layer at the sprouting and leaf expansion stages (62.95%), and the 20–40 cm soil layer at blossoming and fruit-bearing (43.45%), fruit expansion (41.8%), and fruit maturity (39.15%) stages. The mean soil depth of the water taken up by the walnut trees gradually decreased as the phenological stages advanced. The proportions of various soil layer water contributions to the walnut trees differed throughout the phenological stages, and the proportion of deeper soil water contributions gradually increased as the phenological stages of walnut trees advanced. The results of the present study indicated that water sources for walnut trees varied by depth during different phenological stages. In addition to soil moisture, soil temperature may also be an important factor affecting the depth of water taken up by walnut trees. The results also provided scientific implications for water-saving irrigation management.

Relationship between soil nitrate accumulation and in-season corn N nutrition indicators

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noura Ziadi ◽  
Gilles Bélanger ◽  
Annie Claessens
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Soil Nitrate ◽  
Threshold Values ◽  
Nitrate Accumulation ◽  
N Accumulation ◽  
N Content ◽  
N Nutrition ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Data Points

Ziadi, N., Bélanger, G. and Claessens, A. 2012. Relationship between soil nitrate accumulation and in-season corn N nutrition indicators. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 331–339. Nitrogen management tools are required to optimize crop growth and yield while minimizing the likelihood of N losses to the environment. We previously determined that non-limiting N conditions for near maximum corn (Zea mays L.) grain yield are reached with the following threshold values for three in-season plant-based indicators of corn N nutrition determined at approximately the V12 stage of development: N nutrition index (NNI) = 0.88, leaf N (NL) concentration = 32.7 mg N g−1 leaf DM, and relative chlorophyll meter (RCM) values = 0.95. Our objective was to study the relationship between these plant-based indicators and soil NO3-N content in an effort to develop tools to reduce the likelihood of soil NO3-N accumulation without affecting grain yield. This study at 5 site-years in Québec consisted of six N fertilizer rates (20–250 kg N ha−1). The NNI, NL concentrations, RCM values, and soil (0–0.15 m) NO3-N content were measured weekly from July to early August, while soil NO3-N content to a 0.90-m depth was measured in late August and October. During the growing season from July to early August, the proportion of data points above the average soil NO3-N content was greater under non-limiting N conditions (NNI ≥ 0.88, NL concentrations ≥ 32.7 mg N g−1 leaf DM, or RCM values ≥ 0.95) than under limiting N conditions. Furthermore, the mean soil NO3-N content of the data points above the general average was much higher under non limiting than limiting N conditions in late August (167 vs. 78 kg NO3-N ha−1 for NNI and RCM; 166 vs. 112 kg NO3-N ha−1 for NL concentration) and October (68 vs. 49 kg NO3-N ha−1). High soil NO3-N accumulation during the season and at harvest occurs only when in-season plant-based N indicators are greater than their threshold values.

The effect of boron tolerance, deep ripping with gypsum, and water supply on subsoil water extraction of cereals on an alkaline soil

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Nuttall ◽  
R. D. Armstrong ◽  
D. J. Connor
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
High Water ◽  
Water Extraction ◽  
Alkaline Soil ◽  
Multiple Constraints ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Subsoil Water ◽  
High Boron ◽  
Sodium Tolerance

Crop adaptation to edaphic constraints has focussed largely on increasing boron (B) tolerance in cereals, targeted to alkaline soils with high boron content. However, recent studies have implicated several other physicochemical constraints, such as salinity and sodicity, in reduced grain yields of cereals by restricting water extraction in the subsoil. Consequently, the value of B-tolerance may be limited on soils where multiple constraints exist. To test the contribution of B-tolerance where multiple constraints exist, near-isogenic lines of wheat and barley differing in B-tolerance were used, where growth and water extraction by crops in large intact cores, extracted from a Calcarosol profile, were measured. The effect of subsoil disturbance (deep ripping) and growing-season water supply was also investigated. Use of B-tolerant crops did not increase use of subsoil water or grain yield. Wheat and barley extracted soil water down to 0.6 m depth but not below 0.8 m. The soil B concentration of these 2 layers was equivalent (29 ν. 31 mg/kg), whereas salinity [(ECe) 7.2 ν. 8.1 dS/m] and sodicity [(ESP) 22 ν. 29%] both increased significantly with depth, implying that these 2 latter properties had a greater effect than B. Deep ripping with gypsum had no effect on grain yield. Wheat and barley grown under high water supply outyielded their counterparts grown under low water supply, although grain yield per unit of applied water for the crops under low water was 1.5 times that of the crops under high water regime. The results suggest that high salinity and sodicity, rather than B, were exerting the major effects on water extraction of wheat and barley from the deep subsoil, thus negating the effect of crop B-tolerance where multiple constraints exist. This highlights the need to breed cultivars with increased sodium tolerance, pyramided with current B-tolerance, for those crops targeted to many alkaline soils.

Field leaching and degradation of atrazine in a gradationally textured alkaline soil

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 371 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Stork
Keyword(s):  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Residue Level ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Alkaline Soil ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
Water Contents ◽  
Soil Water Contents

The leaching and degradation of atrazine to 40 cm was monitored over a 1-year period, following a spray application in May 1991, at a field site on a highly alkaline sandy loam cropping soil with a soil pH ≥8·5. To account for gradational changes in soil texture and pH with depth, separate dose response curves of an oat bioassay for each 10-cm soil-sampling interval were used, to quantify the soil concentrations of the herbicide. Throughout the trial the movement of atrazine was not observed to exceed beyond 40 cm with total rainfall of 386 mm. The only significant leaching of the herbicide was detected in late winter 1991, when approximately 30·5% of the applied amount leached from the 0–10 cm to 10–20 cm soil layer, with trace amounts detected at greater depths. This leaching occurred during a period of rainfall of 50 mm when soil water contents in the 0–10 cm to 10–20 cm soil layers were at an optimum, and it was deduced that the extent of the leaching, when evaluated with other studies, was influenced by the pH of the soil. Atrazine recovery decreased exponentially with sampling time. The data fitted a first-order exponential function (R2 = 0·99), with a half-life time for degradation of 62 days. The good fit of the data to this function also indicated that the rate of degradation was apparently independent of seasonal changes in water content and soil temperature. From this, it was inferred that any lowering to the rate of degradation, owing to decreasing soil water contents in spring–summer, was offset with compensating rises in soil temperature. Edaphic conditions in this spring–summer period approximate those in other studies where chemical hydrolysis was an important process of breakdown of atrazine. The degradation of the herbicide was almost complete by the end of the trial in late May 1992. An applied amount of 2·7% remained in the 10–20 cm soil layer, which corresponded to a residue level of 0·02 µg atrazine/g soil. This residue level is well below the recorded phytotoxic threshold of select cultivars of wheat, barley, and lucerne.

Mineral nitrogen dynamics in a fallow grey clay

1991 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 237 ◽  
Author(s):  
IJ Rochester ◽  
GA Constable ◽  
DA MacLeod
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Water Status ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Temperature Cycle ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Soil Nitrate ◽  
Nitrate Accumulation ◽  
Nitrate N ◽  
Short Period

An annual cyclic pattern of nitrate accumulation and dissipation was identified in a fallow grey clay. The pattern was regular during the 3 years studied, with maximum values of nitrate nitrogen (N) (to 34 mg nitrate-N/kg) occurring in late autumn (May) and minimal values (to 7 mg nitrate-N/kg) in late winter (August). Ammonium levels were low throughout the 3 years, except for a short period following the incorporation of crop residues. The cycle of soil nitrate lagged behind the annual temperature cycle by about 3 months. Multiple regression using temperature and soil water deficit explained 68% of the variation in nitrate-N. The identification of this pattern of soil nitrate may now enable the prediction of September soil nitrate (currently used to estimate N fertiliser requirement for the forthcoming crop) from soil sampled up to 3 months earlier. Laboratory incubation studies confirmed temperature and soil water as highly significant in determining the soil's mineral N status. By applying the temperature and soil water deficits which prevailed during the field observations to the regression equation derived from the laboratory data, a similar fluctuating pattern of soil nitrate emerged. Incubation of intact field cores under low temperatures produced a net N immobilisation and high temperatures produced a net N mineralisation. Immobilisation and remineralisation of N by the soil biomass (rather than leaching or denitrification) were responsible for the oscillations in nitrate-N, and these processes were largely driven by temperature and soil water status.

scholarly journals Water Stable Isotopes in an Alpine Setting of the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Qiu ◽  
Mingjun Zhang ◽  
Shengjie Wang ◽  
Athanassios A. Argiriou ◽  
Rong Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Hydrological Processes ◽  
Deep Soil ◽  
Monthly Basis ◽  
Mountainous Regions

Hydrological processes produce effects on water resources in inland mountainous regions. To perform a comprehensive investigation of the important segments of the water cycle, using the Qilian Mountains as a case study, precipitation, soil, plant, river, and groundwater were collected during the plant growing season of 2016. All samples were collected on a monthly basis, except precipitation, which was collected on a per event basis. The results showed that: the “temperature effect” was apparent, which suggested a drier climate background; there were differences in the slope and intercept of the local meteoric water line, using different regression methods; and the δ18O of soil water varied greatly in the topsoil, tended to be similar in the deep soil, and became increasingly depleted as the soil depth increased. The responses of the soil water isotopes to precipitation pulses had different boundaries. The major water source for Caragana Fabr. in no-precipitation month was located in the 0–30 cm soil layer, but was different in months when precipitation occurred. Overall, the findings from the stable isotopes provide insights into hydrological processes and offer a platform to understand mountainous water cycle in arid areas.

scholarly journals Experimental Study of the Effect of Controlled Drainage on Soil Water and Nitrogen Balance

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2241
Author(s):  
Niannian Yuan ◽  
Yujiang Xiong ◽  
Yalong Li ◽  
Baokun Xu ◽  
Fengli Liu
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Nitrogen Balance ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Ammonia Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Control Water

Field experiments and micro test pit experiments are conducted at the Four Lake Watershed with a shallow groundwater table in the Hubei province of China in order to study the effect of controlled pipe drainage on soil moisture and nitrogen under different experiment scales. Soil moisture and nitrogen contents are continuously observed at the effective soil depth; water and nitrogen balance are calculated after several heavy rainfalls. The results showed that controlled pipe drainage significantly reduced the fluctuation of soil water content in the entire growth stage. There is a positive correlation between the soil moisture and the control water level in the test pits but no obvious correlation between them in the field experiments, which is related to the vertical and lateral recharge of groundwater in the field. After rainfall, soil organic matter mineralization was enhanced, and the control pipe drainage measures increased the relative content of soil mineralized ammonia nitrogen, which enhanced the stability of soil nitrogen and helped to reduce the loss of nitrogen. The calculation of soil water and nitrogen balance in the field and micro-area after rainfall showed that the soil water storage increased in the effective soil layer under the control water level of 30 cm and 50 cm after rainfall, and the amount of nitrogen mineralization was larger than that under the free drainage treatment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document