Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal: Soil & Tillage Research

Volume number: 223

ISSN: 0167-1987

eISSN: 1879-3444

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2022.105464

Publisher: Elsevier

Abstract: 
Plastic-shed vegetable cultivation is characterized by high nitrogen (N) application rates, frequent irrigation and multiple cropping, probably leading to different soil N transformation rates compared to open-field cultivation. However, how continuous cultivation of vegetables under plastic sheds affects soil N transformation rates and associated nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions remains unclear. Here, a 15N-tracing experiment in combination with the qPCR technique was used to investigate the effects of conversion from conventional open-field cultivation to plastic-shed vegetable cultivation, as well as the age of this shift, on soil gross N transformation rates, N2O emission pathways and associated microbial abundances. Five typical fields, including a wheat-maize rotation system field and four adjacent plastic-shed vegetable fields under cultivation for 2, 5, 12 and 20 years, were selected. Soil gross N mineralization rates increased significantly after two years after conversion from a wheat-maize rotation system to a plastic-shed vegetable system, and then decreased with an increase in plan-tation age, which could be attributed to decreased soil total phosphorus availability. Long-term vegetable plantation under plastic-shed decreased soil gross autotrophic nitrification rates significantly by decreasing ammonia-oxidizing bacteria abundance probably due to decreasing soil pH. Such decreased rates of autotrophic nitrification further led to decreased N2O emissions under plastic-shed cultivation. Under long-term plastic-shed cultivation (> 2 years), negligible gross nitrate-N (NO3--N) immobilization rates were observed due to the pref-erential use of ammonium-N by soil microbes, which was probably responsible for rapid NO3--N accumulation in soils. Overall, these results could be of help to elucidate the mechanisms of soil N2O emission and NO3--N accumulation in plastic-shed vegetable fields.

Harvard Citation style: Sun, X., Zhang, Y., Zhang, H., Wang, J., Elrys, A., Tu, X., et al. (2022) Plastic-shed vegetable cultivation alters soil gross nitrogen transformation rates and nitrous oxide production pathways, Soil & Tillage Research, 223, Article 105464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2022.105464

APA Citation style: Sun, X., Zhang, Y., Zhang, H., Wang, J., Elrys, A., Tu, X., Müller, C., Zhang, J., Cai, Z., & Cheng, Y. (2022). Plastic-shed vegetable cultivation alters soil gross nitrogen transformation rates and nitrous oxide production pathways. Soil & Tillage Research. 223, Article 105464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2022.105464