Journal article

Publication year: 2020

Journal: Science of the Total Environment

Volume number: 737

ISSN: 0048-9697

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140266

Publisher: Elsevier

Abstract: 
A N-15-tracer incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the short-term effects of biochar on gross N transformation rates and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in soils under 1-year and 10-year vegetable cultivations. Biochar was applied at three rates: 0 (control), 10, and 30 t ha(-1). Gross N transformation rates in the two vegetable soils varied in response to biochar application.Specifically, organic N oxidation into NO3- (O-Norg) was almost negligible in the biochar-amended soils, and biochar application at 10 t ha(-1) did not change either the rate of mineralization of organic N into NH4+ (M-Norg) nor the inorganic N supply capacity (INS, O-Norg + M-Norg) in both soils, when compared to the control. However, 30 t ha(-1) biochar decreased INS significantly, by inhibiting M-Norg, in the 1-year vegetable soil but increased INS, by stimulating M-Norg, in the 10-year vegetable soil. The rates of NH4+ oxidation into NO3- (O-NH4), NO3- immobilization into organic N, and dissimilatory NO3- reduction into NH4+ were not influenced significantly by biochar application in the 1-year vegetable soil, resulting in no significant differences in NO3- production potential. Conversely, biochar decreased NO3- production potential significantly in the 10-year vegetable soil, by inhibiting O-NH4 and increasing NH4+ immobilization into organic N (I-NH4), with more obvious effects under higher biochar application rates. Overall, the results demonstrate the capacity of biochar to stimulate NH4+ turnover and to decrease NO3- production potential in soil under long-term vegetable cultivation; however, the effect is limited under short-term vegetable cultivation. In addition, N2O emissions decreased significantly in biochar-amended vegetable soils. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Harvard Citation style: Xie, Y., Yang, C., Ma, E., Tan, H., Zhu, T. and Müller, C. (2020) Biochar stimulates NH4+ turnover while decreasing NO3- production and N2O emissions in soils under long-term vegetable cultivation, Science of the Total Environment, 737, Article 140266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140266

APA Citation style: Xie, Y., Yang, C., Ma, E., Tan, H., Zhu, T., & Müller, C. (2020). Biochar stimulates NH4+ turnover while decreasing NO3- production and N2O emissions in soils under long-term vegetable cultivation. Science of the Total Environment. 737, Article 140266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140266