Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal: Soil & Tillage Research

Volume number: 240

ISSN: 0167-1987

eISSN: 1879-3444

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2024.106068

Publisher: Elsevier

Abstract: 
Ammonia (NH3) volatilization, a critical pathway of nitrogen (N) loss in agroecosystems, is closely regulated by ammonium (NH4+-N) availability and associated NH4+-N transformation dynamics in soil. To determine the effect of no-tillage and crop stover retention on soil internal gross N transformation and further NH3 volatilization in the long-term conservation tillage (CT) agroecosystem, a combination of N-15-tracing field monitoring and paired N-15-labeled incubation experiments was simultaneously conducted on a 9-year maize cropping system in the Mollisol of Northeast China. Three treatments were set up: traditional ridge tillage (RT), no-tillage with maize stover removal (NT0), and no-tillage with full harvest (ca. 7500 kg ha(-1) yr(-1)) maize stover mulching (NTS). It was found that NH3 volatilization in the experimental Mollisol primarily occurred within 7 days after fertilization. Given that the paired gross NH4+-N transformation dynamics were considered in terms of the mutual production-consumption processes, the low fertilizer-derived NH3 volatilization was mainly attributed to a high gross N transformation rate combined with a low net N transformation rate for all treated plots, indicating that there was a rapid internal NH4+-N turnover in the studied Mollisols. Additionally, no-tillage with maize stover mulching considerably reduced NH3 emissions by 17% compared with RT treatment, and the inhibitory effect was primarily owing to the synchronized stimulation of biotic mineralization-immobilization and abiotic adsorption-release turnover in the CT agroecosystem. These findings suggest that long-term no-tillage with maize stover mulching could be a sustainable management strategy for improving soil NH4+-N retention and mitigating NH3 losses in the Mollisol of Northeast China.

Harvard Citation style: Yuan, L., Li, J., Lei, N., Xie, H., Lu, C., Chen, X., et al. (2024) Stover mulching in no-tillage farming reduces ammonia volatilization in the Mollisol of Northeast China: Insights from gross N transformation dynamics, Soil & Tillage Research, 240, Article 106068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2024.106068

APA Citation style: Yuan, L., Li, J., Lei, N., Xie, H., Lu, C., Chen, X., Ma, S., Zhang, J., Müller, C., He, H., & Zhang, X. (2024). Stover mulching in no-tillage farming reduces ammonia volatilization in the Mollisol of Northeast China: Insights from gross N transformation dynamics. Soil & Tillage Research. 240, Article 106068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2024.106068