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Organic N forms of a subtropical Acrisol under no-till cropping systems as assessed by acid hydrolysis and solid-state NMR spectroscopy

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Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of land-use systems (grassland and cropland) and of long-term no-till cropping systems [bare soil, oat/maize (O/M), pigeon pea+maize (P+M)] on the composition of organic N forms in a subtropical Acrisol. Soil samples collected from the 0- to 2.5-cm layer in the study area (Eldorado do Sul RS, Brazil) were submitted to acid hydrolysis and cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) 15N and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies. The legume-based cropping system P+M contained the highest contents of non-hydrolysable C and N, hydrolysable C and N, amino acid N and hydrolysed unknown N. The relative proportion of non-hydrolysable N was higher in bare soil (30.0%) and decreased incrementally in other treatments based on the total C and N contents. The amino acid N corresponded to an average of 37.2% of total N, and was not affected by land use and no-till cropping systems. The non-hydrolysable residue contained lower O-alkyl and higher aromatic C concentrations, as revealed by CPMAS 13C NMR spectroscopy, and higher C:N ratio than the bulk soil. No differences in the bulk soil organic matter composition could be detected among treatments, according to CPMAS 13C and 15N NMR spectra. In the non-hydrolysable fraction, grassland showed a lower concentration of aromatic and a higher concentration of alkyl C than other treatments. From CPMAS 15N NMR spectra, it could be concluded that amide N from peptide structures are the main organic N constituent. Amide structures are possibly protected through encapsulation into hydrophobic sites of organic matter and through organomineral interaction.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge CAPES (from Brazil) for the scholarship given to J. Dieckow and DAAD (from Germany) for the mobility of the scientists; P. Müller and S. Roller (TUM), for their helpful technical assistance; CNPq, for the fellowship awarded to J. Mielniczuk, C. Bayer and D.P. Dick; FAPERGS for financially supporting the field experiment; Dr. T. Lovato, Dra. F. Vezzani, Dra. F. Fontana, Dr. L. Debarba and F. Costa for their helpful field collaboration.

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Correspondence to Cimélio Bayer.

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Dieckow, J., Mielniczuk, J., Knicker, H. et al. Organic N forms of a subtropical Acrisol under no-till cropping systems as assessed by acid hydrolysis and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Biol Fertil Soils 42, 153–158 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-005-0002-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-005-0002-4

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