Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Nitrogen recoveries from organic amendments in crop and soil assessed by isotope techniques under tropical field conditions

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The integration of multipurpose legumes into low-input tropical agricultural systems is needed because they are a nitrogen (N) input through symbiotic fixation. The drought-tolerant cover legume canavalia (Canavalia brasiliensis) has been introduced for use either as forage or as a green manure into the crop-livestock system of the Nicaraguan hillsides. To evaluate its impact on the subsequent maize crop, an in-depth study on N dynamics in the soil-plant system was conducted. Microplots were installed in a 6-year old field experiment with maize-canavalia rotation. Direct and indirect 15N-labelling techniques were used to determine N uptake by maize from canavalia residues and canavalia-fed cows’ manure compared to mineral fertilizer. Litter bags were used to determine the N release from canavalia residues. The incorporation of N from the amendment into different soil N pools (total N, mineral N, microbial biomass) was followed during the maize cropping season. Maize took up an average of 13.3 g N m−2, within which 1.0 g N m−2 was from canavalia residues and 2.6 g N m−2 was from mineral fertilizer, corresponding to an amendment N recovery of 12% and 32%, respectively. Recoveries in maize would probably be higher at a site with lower soil available N content. Most of the amendment N remained in the soil. Mineral N and microbial N were composed mainly of N derived from the soil. Combined total 15N recovery in maize and soil at harvest was highest for the canavalia residue treatment with 98% recovery, followed by the mineral fertilizer treatment with 83% recovery. Despite similar initial enrichment of soil microbial and mineral N pools, the indirect labelling technique failed to assess the N fertilizer value of mineral and organic amendments due to a high N mineralization from the soil organic matter.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

DAA:

days after amendment

DLT:

direct labelling technique

ILT:

indirect labelling technique

N:

nitrogen

Ndff:

amount of N derived from the amendment

Ndfs:

amount of N derived from the soil

Nmin:

soil mineral N

Ntot:

total soil N

Nmic:

soil microbial N

15N-X:

15N enrichment of the respective X pool

References

  • Bosshard C, Frossard E, Dubois D, Mader P, Manolov I, Oberson A (2008) Incorporation of nitrogen-15-labeled amendments into physically separated soil organic matter fractions. Soil Sci Soc Am J 72:949–959

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bosshard C, Sorensen P, Frossard E, Dubois D, Mader P, Nanzer S, Oberson A (2009) Nitrogen use efficiency of N-15-labelled sheep manure and mineral fertiliser applied to microplots in long-term organic and conventional cropping systems. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 83:271–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera ML, Beare MH (1993) Alkaline persulfate oxidation for determining total nitrogen in microbial biomass extracts. Soil Sci Soc Am J 57:1007–1012

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho AM, Bustamante MMD, Sousa JGD, Vivaldi LJ (2008) Decomposition of plant residues in latosol under corn crop and cover crops. Rev Bras Cienc Solo 32:2831–2838

    Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho AM, Bustamante MMC, Alcantara FA, Resck IS, Lemos SS (2009) Characterization by solid-state CPMAS C-13 NMR spectroscopy of decomposing plant residues in conventional and no-tillage systems in Central Brazil. Soil Tillage Res 102:144–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chambers JM, Freeny A, Heiberger RM (1992) Analysis of variance; designed experiments. In: Chambers JM, Hastie TJ (eds) Statistical models in S. Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove, California

  • CIAT (2008) Improved multipurpose forages for developing world. SBA3, Annual report 2008. Cali, Colombia, pp 150

  • Cobo JG, Barrios E, Kass DCL, Thomas RJ (2002) Decomposition and nutrient release by green manures in a tropical hillside agroecosystem. Plant Soil 240:331–342

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Danso SKA, Hardarson G, Zapata F (1993) Misconceptions and practical problems in the use of N15 soil enrichment techniques for estimating N2 fixation. Plant Soil 152:25–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dourado-Neto D, Powlson D, Abu Bakar R, Bacchi OOS, Basanta MV, thi Cong P, Keerthisinghe G, Ismaili M, Rahman SM, Reichardt K, Safwat MSA, Sangakkara R, Timm LC, Wang JY, Zagal E, Van Kessel C (2010) Multiseason recoveries of organic and inorganic nitrogen-15 in tropical cropping systems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 74:139–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Douxchamps S, Humbert F, van der Hoek R, Mena M, Bernasconi S, Schmidt A, Rao I, Frossard E, Oberson A (2010) Nitrogen balances in farmers fields under alternative uses of a cover crop legume—a case study from Nicaragua. Nutr Cycl Agroecosys 88:447–462

    Google Scholar 

  • Goerges T, Dittert K (1998) Improved diffusion technique for N-15: N-14 analysis of ammonium and nitrate from aqueous samples by stable isotope spectrometry. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 29:361–368

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hauck RD, Bremner JM (1976) Use of tracers for soil and fertilizer nitrogen research. Adv Agron 28:219–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herridge DF, Peoples MB, Boddey RM (2008) Global inputs of biological nitrogen fixation in agricultural systems. Plant Soil 311:1–18

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hood R (2001) Evaluation of a new approach to the nitrogen-15 isotope dilution technique, to estimate crop N uptake from organic residues in the field. Biol Fertil Soils 34:156–161

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hood R, Van Kessel C, Vanlauwe B (2008) Use of tracer technology for the management of organic sources. In: IAEA (ed) Guidelines on Nitrogen management in agricultural systems. IAEA-TCS 29, Vienna, Austria

  • INETER (2009) http://www.ineter.gob.ni/Direcciones/meteorologia/. Managua, Nicaragua

  • Jenkinson DS, Fox RH, Rayner JH (1985) Interactions between fertilizer nitrogen and soil-nitrogen—the so-called priming effect. J Soil Sci 36:425–444

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuzyakov Y, Friedel JK, Stahr K (2000) Review of mechanisms and quantification of priming effects. Soil Biol Biochem 32:1485–1498

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer J, Buegger F, Jensen ES, Schloter M, Hess J (2003) Estimating N rhizodeposition of grain legumes using a N-15 in situ stem labelling method. Soil Biol Biochem 35:21–28

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McDonagh JF, Toomsan B, Limpinuntana V, Giller KE (1993) Estimates of the residual nitrogen benefit of groundnut to maize in northeast Thailand. Plant Soil 154:267–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz GR, Powell JM, Kelling KA (2003) Nitrogen budget and soil N dynamics after multiple applications of unlabeled or 15-nitrogen-enriched dairy manure. Soil Sci Soc Am J 67:817–825

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peel MC, Finlayson BL, McMahon TA (2007) Updated world map of the Koppen-Geiger climate classification. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 11:1633–1644

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters M, Lascano CE, Schmidt A, Barrios E, Cruz H, Davies C, Argel P, Franco LH, Hernández LA, Sanz JI, Tscherning K, Van der Hoek R, Schultze-Kraft R, Hoffmann V, Burgos C, Posas MI, Mena M, Bustamante J, Sánchez W (2004) Farmer participatory research: selection and strategic use of multipurpose forage germplasm by smallholders in production systems in hillsides of Central America. In: CIAT (ed) Tropical grasses and legumes, Annual Report 2004. Cali, Colombia, pp 148–152

  • R Development Core Team (2007) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson FC, Walley FL, van Kessel C (1998) Direct vs. indirect nitrogen-15 approaches to estimate nitrogen contributions from crop residues. Soil Sci Soc Am J 62:1327–1334

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tiessen H, Moir J (1993) Characterisation of available P by sequential extraction. In: Carter MR (ed) Soil sampling and methods of analysis. CRC Press Inc, Boca Raton, pp 75–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Toomsan B, McDonagh JF, Limpinuntana V, Giller KE (1995) Nitrogen-fixation by groundnut and soybean and residual nitrogen benefits to rice in farmers fields in northeast Thailand. Plant Soil 175:45–56

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vance ED, Brookes PC, Jenkinson DS (1987) An extraction method for measuring soil microbial biomass-C. Soil Biol Biochem 19:703–707

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vanlauwe B, Sanginga N, Merckx R (1997) Decomposition of four Leucaena and Senna prunings in alley cropping systems under sub-humid tropical conditions: the process and its modifiers. Soil Biol Biochem 29:131–137

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vanlauwe B, Sanginga N, Merckx R (1998a) Recovery of leucaena and dactyladenia residue nitrogen-15 in alley cropping systems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 62:454–460

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vanlauwe B, Sanginga N, Merckx R (1998b) Soil organic matter dynamics after addition of nitrogen-15-labeled leucaena and dactyladenia residues. Soil Sci Soc Am J 62:461–466

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the North-South Center of ETH Zurich. We gratefully acknowledge technical assistance in the field by Carlos Rodriguez and Elbis Chavarria (CIAT) as well as Don Mancho. We warmly thank Gonzalo Borrero (CIAT) for research assistance with sample preparation and lab analysis. We also acknowledge lab assistance by Marlen Calero, as well as lab technical advices from Dr. Christina Bosshard. Thanks to Leonardo Garcia (Universidad Nacional Agraria) for allowing the use of his laboratories in Managua, Nicaragua. We acknowledge part of the mass spectrometer measurements in canavalia by Myles Stocki (University of Saskatchewan) and English language correction by Angela Erb. We thank Prof. Dr. Georg Cadisch (University of Hohenheim, Germany) and two anonymous reviewers for useful comments on the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Institute of Plant, Animal and Agroecosystem Sciences, Eschikon 33, 8315, Lindau, Switzerland

    Sabine Douxchamps, Emmanuel Frossard & Astrid Oberson

  2. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Geological Institute, Zurich, Switzerland

    Stefano M. Bernasconi

  3. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Managua, Nicaragua

    Rein van der Hoek & Axel Schmidt

  4. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia

    Idupulapati M. Rao

Authors
  1. Sabine Douxchamps
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Emmanuel Frossard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Stefano M. Bernasconi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Rein van der Hoek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Axel Schmidt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Idupulapati M. Rao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Astrid Oberson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Astrid Oberson.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Elizabeth (Liz) A. Stockdale.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Douxchamps, S., Frossard, E., Bernasconi, S.M. et al. Nitrogen recoveries from organic amendments in crop and soil assessed by isotope techniques under tropical field conditions. Plant Soil 341, 179–192 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0633-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0633-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation