Nitrogen mineralization characteristics of forest floor organic matter on slash-burned sites in coastal British Columbia

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-241
Author(s):  
J. W. Fyles ◽  
I. H. Fyles ◽  
M. C. Feller
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Soil Survey ◽  
Total N ◽  
Potentially Mineralizable N ◽  
N Fertility ◽  
Low K ◽  
Floor Material

Nitrogen mineralization characteristics of the dominant types of organic matter in the forest floor of slash-burned sites were measured using a 26-week aerobic incubation. Six classes of forest floor material were distinguished on the basis of morphology and N mineralization characteristics. Fermentation layer materials, matted together with fungal hyphae, had a high content of total and potentially mineralizable N (N0) (7804 and 2816 μg/g, respectively) and mineralized the most N during incubation (1605 μg/g). Decayed wood had the lowest level of total N (1816 μg/g) and N0 (195 μg/g) and mineralized the least N (266 μg/g) despite a high inherent mineralization rate (k) (0.16). Humified materials (Hd and Hr) occupied a midrange, with the exception of those from thin residual horizons, which had high N0 values (2246–6009 μg/g) and low k-values (0.005–0.012). The significant differences in N mineralization among organic materials that are morphologically or ecologically distinct in the field suggest that it may be possible to assess site N fertility using intensive forest floor and soil survey data and information on the N characteristics of dominant horizon types.

Nitrogen mineralization in forest soil profiles from central Alberta

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Fyles ◽  
W. B. McGill
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
Soil Profiles ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Total N ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Potentially Mineralizable N ◽  
N Fertility ◽  
Time Frames

The nitrogen mineralization characteristics of soils from stands dominated by jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) and white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss) were examined using a 37-week incubation with periodic leaching to allow measurement of mineralized N. Soils were compared on the basis of total N, N mineralized during the incubation, potentially mineralizable N, mineralization rate constant, and nitrification potential. Nitrogen characteristics of LFH horizons primarily reflected the age and species composition of the existing vegetation while those of A horizons appeared to relate to conditions in previous as well as present stands. Characteristics of B horizons were independent of vegetation implying control by long-term accumulation and transformation of N within the soil. The N fertility of a forest site therefore represents the integration of processes acting within different time frames and an understanding of the relative contributions of short- and long-term processes in the control of N availability is required for efficient fertility management.

Nitrogen Mineralization in West Indian Soils

1971 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-349
Author(s):  
I. S. Cornforth
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Cation Exchange Capacity ◽  
West Indian ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Total N ◽  
Exchangeable Bases ◽  
Indian Soils

SUMMARYSoil properties influencing N mineralization, and hence the potential N-supplying power of 154 West Indian soils, have been studied. Mineralizable N was correlated with the activity of the soil biomass measured as extractable glucose, with exchangeable bases in base-deficient soils and with total N in soils well supplied with bases, but not with other estimates of the nature of soil organic matter (e.g. extractable chlorophyll or C : N ratio). It is suggested that cation exchange capacity and percentage base saturation may influence the N-supplying power of West Indian soils more than their total N content.

Relationships between net nitrogen mineralization, properties of the forest floor and mineral soil, and wood production in Pinus radiata plantations

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 889-898 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Clive Carlyle ◽  
EK Sadanandan Nambiar
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Pinus Radiata ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Wood Production ◽  
Total N

We examined the relationship between net nitrogen (N) mineralization (subsequently termed N mineralization) in the forest floor and mineral soil (0–0.15 m) of 20 Pinus radiata D. Don plantations ranging in age from 23 to 59 years, how mineralization was influenced by soil properties, and its relationship to wood production. Forest floor properties had a narrower relative range than the same set of mineral soil properties. Total N in the litter layer was 5.0–9.5 g·kg–1 compared with 0.23–2.53 g·kg–1 in mineral soil. Laboratory rates of net N mineralization ranged between 1.1 and 9.7 mg·kg–1·day–1 in forest floor and between 0.02 and 0.53 mg·kg–1·day–1 in mineral soil. The range in litter lignin (35.3–48.0%) was especially narrow, despite the large range in stand productivity. Nitrogen mineralized in the forest floor was not correlated with any of the measured forest floor or mineral soil properties. Nitrogen mineralized per unit mineral soil N (ksn) was negatively correlated with the mineral soil N to organic phosphorus ratio (N/Po) (r2 = 0.82). In mineral soil a relationship combining N/Po and total N concentration explained 90% of the variation in N mineralized. Nitrogen mineralized in the forest floor was correlated with that mineralized in the mineral soil when expressed per unit C or N (r2 = 0.54 or 0.57, respectively). Thus, the quality of organic matter in the forest floor partly reflected the quality of organic matter in the mineral soil with respect to N mineralization. Mineralization in mineral soil dominated the net N available to the stand. For sandy soils, wood production (m3·ha–1·year–1) was correlated with N mineralized in the forest floor + mineral soil (r2 = 0.71). In P. radiata stands growing in southern Australia, rates of wood production per unit N mineralized and per unit rainfall appear to be substantially higher than those of a wide range of natural and planted stands in North America.

scholarly journals Impact of the addition of different plant residues on carbon–nitrogen content and nitrogen mineralization–immobilization turnover in a soil incubated under laboratory conditions

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 3051-3074 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. K. Abbasi ◽  
M. M. Tahir ◽  
N. Sabir ◽  
M. Khurshid
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
Biochemical Composition ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Growth Promotion ◽  
Lignin Content ◽  
Leguminous Plant ◽  
Plant Residues ◽  
Net N Mineralization ◽  
N Transformations ◽  
Total N

Abstract. Application of plant residues as soil amendment may represent a valuable recycling strategy that affects on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling, soil properties improvement and plant growth promotion. The amount and rate of nutrient release from plant residues depend on their quality characteristics and biochemical composition. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted for 120 days under controlled conditions (25 °C and 58% water filled pore space (WFPS)) to quantify initial biochemical composition and N mineralization of leguminous and non-leguminous plant residues i.e. the roots, shoots and leaves of Glycine max, Trifolium repens, Zea mays, Poplus euramericana, Rubinia pseudoacacia and Elagnus umbellate incorporated into the soil at the rate of 200 mg residue N kg−1 soil. The diverse plant residues showed wide variation in total N, carbon, lignin, polyphenols and C/N ratio with higher polyphenol content in the leaves and higher lignin content in the roots. The shoot of G. max and the shoot and root of T. repens displayed continuous mineralization by releasing a maximum of 109.8, 74.8 and 72.5 mg N kg−1 and representing a 55, 37 and 36% of added N being released from these resources. The roots of G. max and Z. mays and the shoot of Z. mays showed continuous negative values throughout the incubation showing net immobilization. After an initial immobilization, leaves of P. euramericana, R. pseudoacacia and E. umbellate exhibited net mineralization by releasing a maximum of 31.8, 63.1 and 65.1 mg N kg−1, respectively and representing a 16, 32 and 33% of added N being released. Nitrogen mineralization from all the treatments was positively correlated with the initial residue N contents (r = 0.89; p ≤ 0.01), and negatively correlated with lignin content (r = −0.84; p ≤ 0.01), C/N ratio (r = −0.69; p ≤ 0.05), lignin/N ratio (r = −0.68; p ≤ 0.05), polyphenol/N ratio (r = −0.73; p ≤ 0.05) and ligin + polyphenol/N ratio (r = −0.70; p ≤ 0.05) indicating a significant role of residue chemical composition and quality in regulating N transformations and cycling in soil. The present study indicates that incorporation of plant residues strongly modify the mineralization-immobilization turnover (MIT) of soil that can be taken into account to develop synchronization between net N mineralization and crop demand in order to maximize N delivery and minimize N losses.

Nitrogen mineralization in soil from perennial grassland measured through long-term laboratory incubations

2002 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. COLLINS ◽  
D. W. ALLINSON
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
N Fertilizer ◽  
Mineralization Potential ◽  
Perennial Grassland ◽  
N Mineralization Potential

Under perennial grasslands, nitrogen contained in organic matter becomes available at varying rates via mineralization throughout the growing season. The amount of N present at any given time indicates only the quantity immediately present, and does not include N which has already been removed either by leaching or uptake into the plant system, nor the N which will become available as organic matter breaks down over time. Long-term aerobic laboratory incubation methods have been used successfully to estimate potential N mineralization under various cropping conditions. They had not been used successfully, however, to estimate potential N availability under perennial grassland.In this research, soil samples from two long-term perennial grassland sites were taken before and after N fertilizer application at rates of 0, 175, 350 and 525 kg/ha. The soils were incubated in the laboratory at 35 °C and were eluted at 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 22 and 30-week intervals, the length of time prescribed for determining N mineralization potential. Because a plateau had not been reached, incubation was allowed to continue for 198 weeks and 148 weeks for the pre- and post-N samples, respectively. Total N was high, as was soil organic matter in both sets of soil samples. Nitrogen mineralization potential was underestimated after 30 weeks of incubation, and overestimated after 148 weeks. The closest agreement between N measured and the estimated N mineralization potential, came after 198 weeks of incubation. This study confirmed the high N-supplying capacity of soil under long-term perennial grasslands. It also indicated that the recommended 30-week period needed to estimate N mineralization potential under other cropping systems was insufficient for a perennial grassland soil. Cumulative differences in N mineralization were found with varying rates of N fertilizer application, but these differences were rarely seen on an individual weekly basis, nor were they significant at the termination of the experiment. The response to N application differed by site.

Nitrogen-mineralization potential of meadow soils

1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Régis R. Simard ◽  
Adrien N'dayegamiye
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Mineralization Rate ◽  
Total N ◽  
Available N ◽  
Gompertz Equation ◽  
Mineralizable N ◽  
Mineralization Potential ◽  
Potential Mineralization

An understanding of the mineralization factors in contrasting cultivated soils is necessary for accurate predictions of plant-available N. The objective of this work was to determine the N-mineralization potential and mathematical models that can properly describe the dynamics of the mineralization process in 20 meadow soils from Quebec. The mineralization was monitored over 55.4 wk in a laboratory incubation at 20 °C with intermittent leaching. The cumulative mineralization curves in most soils were characterized by definite lags or a sigmoidal pattern and near-linear release with time after 20 wk. The data were best described by the Gompertz equation; first-order models were inadequate. The total amount of mineralizable N and the potential mineralization rate were very closely correlated with the total amounts of C or N (r > 0.73; P < 0.01). The clay content was also correlated with these mineralization parameters and significantly improved the prediction of the cumulative and potential N-mineralization rate estimated from the total N or C content of soils. The relationships with other soil characteristics such as soil pH and available nutrient contents were weak but significant. The results of this study suggest that textural classes be added in the correction for organic matter content to improve the precision in N-fertilizer recommendation and in soil-quality classifications based on potential mineralization rate. Key words: Soil quality, potentially mineralizable N, Gompertz equation, soil organic matter, soil texture, C, N

scholarly journals Nitrogen mineralization and phosphorus solubilization due to rewetting of forest and paddy soils

2010 ◽  
pp. 72-91
Author(s):  
Marco Rodel Aragon ◽  
Victor Asio
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Paddy Soils ◽  
Available P ◽  
Total N ◽  
Phosphorus Solubilization ◽  
P Solubilization ◽  
Drying And Rewetting ◽  
Extractable P ◽  
Water Extractable

Rewetting of soils may cause an increase in phosphorus solubilization and nitrogen mineralization resulting in the release of bioavailable phosphates and nitrates which are vital for crop growth but are also associated with eutrophication of surface waters. The study was conducted to evaluate P solubilization and N mineralization due to drying and rewetting of forest and paddy soils under laboratory conditions. Forest and paddy soils were tested for water extractable P and mineralizable N (NH4+ and NO3–) after being subjected to drying and rewetting cycles for 7 and 14 days of drying. Soil samples were also analyzed for pH, OM, total N, total P, available P, and clay contents. Results indicated a significant increase in water-extractable P and total mineralized N for all the samples tested. N mineralization and P solubilization were correlated with OM, total N, available P, and clay. Findings also revealed that NH4+ concentration increased while that of NO3– decreased significantly for all the samples tested. The amounts of water-extractable P and NO3– released due to rewetting could potentially accelerate eutrophication if transported to bodies of water. They could also however benefit the growing plant.

Nitrogen mineralization processes of soils from natural saline-alkalined wetlands, Xianghai National Nature Reserve, China

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junhong Bai ◽  
Hua Ouyang ◽  
Wei Deng ◽  
Qinggai Wang ◽  
Hui Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Wetland Soils ◽  
Anaerobic Incubation ◽  
Temperature Model ◽  
Total N ◽  
National Nature Reserve ◽  
Mineralization Processes

Nitrogen mineralization was evaluated using a 12-wk anaerobic incubation at 30°C in two wetland soils located in Xianghai National Nature Reserve, China. The Erbaifangzi wetland is an open wetland because it hydrologically connected to the surrounding ecosystem, whereas the Fulaowenpao wetland is a closed wetland, which is not hydrologically connected. Nitrogen mineralization was fitted to an effective cumulative temperature model. Nitrogen mineralization increased gradually with increases in the cumulative temperature and decreased with depth in the soil profile. Nitrogen mineralization was positively correlated with total N (TN) or soil organic matter (SOM), but not with soil pH. Basal N mineralization was found to be greater in the Fulaowenpao wetland (0 .314g N m-2 d-1) than the Erbaifangzi wetland (0.230 g N m-2 d-1). Key words: Saline-alkalined wetland; marsh soils; nitrogen mineralization; anaerobic incubation; the effective cumulative temperature model

COMPARISON OF NITROGEN MINERALIZATION IN FOREST FLOOR MATERIALS USING AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC INCUBATION AND BIOASSAY TECHNIQUES

1990 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. FYLES ◽  
I. H. FYLES ◽  
M. C. FELLER
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
Order Kinetic ◽  
Forest Floors ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Aerobic And Anaerobic

Nitrogen mineralization in five forest floors of differing morphological characteristics was compared using a greenhouse plant bioassay and laboratory aerobic and anaerobic incubations. Forest floors dominated by F materials mineralized more N and had higher k values than those dominated by H. Plant N uptake in the bioassay was highly correlated with N mineralized during the laboratory incubations across all forest floors but was 50–80% lower than predictions based on first-order kinetic parameters derived from the aerobic incubation. The relationship between bioassay plant uptake and predicted N mineralization differed among forest floors, indicating that the effect of plants on dynamics of the mineralizable N pool differs among organic matter types. Differences in N mineralization characteristics between forest floor materials suggest that forest floor morphology may provide a basis for assessing site quality. Key words: Nitrogen, anaerobic mineralization, aerobic mineralization, bioassay, forest floor

Nitrogen availability in forest floors of three tree species on the same site: the role of litter quality

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 1698-1706 ◽  
Author(s):  
K D Thomas ◽  
C E Prescott
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Mineralization ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Net N Mineralization ◽  
N Concentration ◽  
Paper Birch ◽  
Forest Floors

Forest floor samples from a 25-year-old plantation of three tree species (Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.), and paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.)) growing on the same site were incubated (aerobically) in the laboratory for 29 days. Rates of N mineralization in the forest floors of Douglas-fir (165.1 µg/g) was significantly greater than either birch (72.9 µg/g) or lodgepole pine (51.2 µg/g). Douglas-fir forest floors also had the highest N concentration, lowest C/N ratio, and highest NH4-N concentrations, followed by paper birch and lodgepole pine. Douglas-fir forest floors also mineralized more N per unit of either N or C than the other species. There were no differences in rates of CO2-C mineralization in forest floors among the three species. Nitrogen mineralization rates were positively correlated with the N concentration of the forest floor (r2 = 0.81) and also with the C/N and NH4-N concentration of the forest floor. Nitrogen concentration, C/N, and lignin/N of foliar litter were poor predictors of N mineralization rates resulting from Douglas-fir litter having the lowest N concentrations in litter but the highest rates of net N mineralization in the forest floor. Nitrogen mineralization in the forest floor was negatively correlated (r2 = 0.67) with the lignin concentration in foliar litter. Douglas-fir litter had low lignin concentrations, which may allow more of the mineralized N to remain in inorganic forms rather than being bound in humus. Our results suggest that a component of Douglas-fir might improve N availability in coniferous forest floors.

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