Screening legume green manures as nitrogen sources to succeeding non-legume crops

Legumes managed as green manures provide a good alternative to the use of commercial N-fertilizer for non-legume crop production. A laboratory procedure based on the aerobic incubation (35 °C) of soil samples taken from plots with legumes incorporated was proposed for predicting the N supplying potential of legumes to succeeding non-legume crops. This procedure was evaluated by comparing the amount of inorganic N determined in the soil samples after incubation with N content of aboveground dry matter of maize or with inorganic N found in the soil of an adjacent fallow plot. The soil samples (0.00 to 0.15 m and 0.15 to 0.30 m) were obtained from two field experiments conducted in similar soils of the Cerrado Region of central Brazil during 1984–85 and 1986–87. Although incubation results were affected by the different pretreatments, soil samples prepared and incubated as soon as possible after being taken from the field gave the best correlations. The most convenient incubation procedure was the one-week aerobic incubation of samples previously oven dried at 50°C. The results obtained by this procedure were significantly correlated with N content in aboveground dry matter of maize and with the inorganic N accumulated in an adjacent fallow plot.     

The fate of spring applied fertilizer N during the autumn-winter period: comparison between winter-fallow and green manure cropped soil

A field experiment was carried out at a pilot plot that was cropped with oilseed rape, and then left partly fallow and partly cropped with a green manure (mustard) during the autumn after harvest of the oilseed rape. The rape residues were incorporated in the soil. Methods used to quantify the N fluxes from harvest until sowing of the next crop were (1) ¹⁵N balance method, (2) total mineral N analysis and (3) NO emission measurements. Losses of spring applied fertilizer N were negligible in cropped plots and minimal in fallow plots during the following autumn-winter period. Most of the plant-N residues was retained by the organic N pool of the upper 30-cm soil layer. The green manure contributed slightly to soil available N at sowing of the next crop. However, the incorporation of plant material resulted in a nitrate flux that was at risk of leaching on the fallow plots, and on the green manure plots after incorporation of the green manure. This nitrate was largely derived from soil organic N, not from unused fertilizer applied in spring or from immobilized fertilizer. The NO emissions from the green manure plots were significantly higher than emissions from the fallow plots. The plants had a stimulating effect on the NO emission. A relationship between the NO emission and the soil nitrate concentration could not be established. No emissions were measured after green manure incorporation due to the low temperatures at the pilot plot. However, a greenhouse experiment showed an increased emission after incorporation. The NO emissions seemed to be related with the soil ammonium concentration.     

Effects of legumes on soil physical quality in a maize crop

The effect of intercropped legumes and three N fertilizer rates in a continuous maize (Zea mays L.) cropping system on the physical properties of two soils were investigated for three years. The legumes, being a mixture of alfalfa, clover and hairy vetch, had a significant cumulative effect on some physical properties of both soil. The lowest stability and smallest mean weight diameter of soil aggregates were associated with monoculture maize plots. Aggregate size and stability were not affected by N fertilization at any of the rates of 0, 70, and 140 kg ha^-1 in intercropped plots, except that aggregate stability was actually reduced by N fertilization in one soil, the Ste. Rosalie clay. In maize plots in both soils, stability and size of soil aggregates were significantly increased with increased added N. Intercropped legumes significantly decreased dry bulk density and soil penetration resistance. Added N had no measurable influence on these compaction factors. Soil water properties were not significantly affected by either intercropping or N fertilization. Positive effects noted on soil aggregation and other physical properties in intercropped plots are the result of enhanced root activity, or incorporation of legumes as green manure, or both. Improvement of soil structure in maize plots associated with increasing N application was the result of increased maize-root residues.     

Green manure technology: Potential,usage, and limitations. A case study for lowland rice

The growing concern about the sustainability of tropical agricultural systems stands in striking contrast to a world-wide decline in the use of soil-improving legumes. It is timely to assess the future role that soil-improving legumes may play in agricultural systems. This paper reviews recent progress, potential, and limitations of green manure technology, using lowland rice cropping systems as the example.Only a few legume species are currently used as green manures in lowland rice. Sesbania cannabina is the most widely used pre-rice green manure for rice in the humid tropics of Africa and Asia. Astragalus sinicus is the prototype post-rice green manure species for the cool tropics. Stem-nodulating S. rostrata has been most prominent in recent research. Many green manure legumes show a high N accumulation (80–100 kg N ha^-1 in 45–60 days of growth) of which the major portion (about 80%) is derived from biological N₂ fixation. The average amounts of N accumulated by green manures can entirely substitute for mineral fertilizer N at current average application rates. With similar N use efficiencies, green manure N is less prone to loss mechanisms than mineral N fertilizers and may therefore contribute to long-term residual effects on soil productivity.Despite a high N₂-fixing potential and positive effects on soil physical and chemical parameters, the use of green manure legumes for lowland rice production has declined dramatically world-wide over the last 30 years. Land scarcity due to increasing demographic pressure and a relatively low price of urea N are probably the main determining factors for the long-term reduction in pre-rice green manure use. Post-rice green manures were largely substituted for by high-yielding early-maturing grain legumes. Unreliability of green manure performance, non-availability of seeds, and labor intensive operations are the major agronomic constraints. The recognition and extrapolation of niches where green manures have a comparative advantage may improve an often unfavorable economic comparison of green manure with cash crop or fertilizer N. Socio-economic factors like the cost of land, labor, and mineral N fertilizer are seen to determine the cost-effectiveness and thereby farmers' adoption of sustainable pre-rice green manure technology. Hydrology and soil texture determine the agronomic competitiveness of a green manure with N fertilizers and with alternative cash crops. In general, the niches for pre-rice green manure are characterized by a relatively short time span available for green manure growth and a soil moisture regime that is unfavorable for cash crops (flood-prone rainfed lowlands with coarse-textured soils).Given the numerous agronomic and socio-economic constraints, green manure use is not seen to become a relevant feature of favourable rice-growing environments in the foreseeable future. However, in environments where soil properties and hydrology are marginal for food crop production, but which farmers may be compelled to cultivate in order to meet their subsistence food requirements, green manures may have a realistic and applicable potential.     

Nitrogen contribution of cowpea green manure and residue to upland rice

Cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp., is well adapted to acid upland soil and can be grown for seed, green manure, and fodder production. A 2-yr field experiment was conducted on an Aeric Tropaqualf in the Philippines to determine the effect of cowpea management practice on the response of a subsequent upland rice crop to applied urea. Cowpea was grown to flowering and incorporated as a green manure or grown to maturity with either grain and pods removed or all aboveground vegetation removed before sowing rice. Cowpea green manure accumulated on average 68 kg N ha⁻¹, and aboveground residue after harvest of dry pods contained on average 46 kg N ha⁻¹. Compared with a pre-rice fallow, cowpea green manure and residue increased grain yield of upland rice by 0.7 Mg ha⁻¹ when no urea was applied to rice. Green manure and residue substituted for 66 and 70 kg urea-N ha⁻¹ on upland rice, respectively. In the absence of urea, green manure and residue increased total aboveground N in mature rice by 12 and 14 kg N ha⁻¹, respectively. These increases corresponded to plant recoveries of 13% for applied green manure N and 24% for applied residue N. At 15 d after sowing rice (DAS), 33% of the added green manure N and 16% of the added residue N was recovered as soil (nitrate + ammonium)-N. At 30 DAS, the corresponding recoveries were 20 and 37% for green manure N and residue N, respectively. Cowpea cropping with removal of all aboveground cowpea vegetation slightly increased (p<0.05) soil (nitrate + ammonium)-N at 15 DAS as compared with the pre-rice fallow, but it did not increase rice yield. Cowpea residue remaining after harvest of dry pods can be an effective N source for a subsequent upland rice crop.     

豆科绿肥及施氮量对旱地麦田土壤主要肥力性状的影响

通过2a田间定位试验,研究渭北旱塬地区夏闲期插播并翻压不同豆科绿肥(长武怀豆、大豆和绿豆)以及小麦生长季不同施氮量(0,108,135,162 kg/hm2)对麦田土壤肥力性状的影响,以期为提高旱地土壤质量提供理论依据.试验结果表明:(1)种植豆科绿肥能显著提高土壤有机质、活性有机质和全氮含量,增加土壤碳库管理指数(CPMI),对土壤速效钾含量没有显著影响;(2)绿豆还田量高于长武怀豆和大豆,然而土壤培肥效果逊于长武怀豆和大豆;(3)夏闲期种植绿肥明显消耗了土壤水分,导致绿肥翻压前、小麦播前直至收获后,0-200 cm土壤贮水量显著低于休闲处理,但耗水量与休闲没有明显差异,由于小麦产量显著增加,因此豆科绿肥显著提高了水分生产效率;(4)与不施氮相比,小麦生长季施用氮肥能显著增加土壤水分生产效率,却对土壤各肥力性状的影响均不显著.夏闲期种植并翻压豆科绿肥是旱地培肥土壤、提高水分生产效率的有效途径.     

Measured and predicted mineralization of clover green manure at low temperatures at different depths in two soils

Predictive models of the temporal mineralization pattern of organic residues may help in development of strategies to synchronize N mineralization with the crop demand and minimize off-season losses. In the present investigation, two double first-order models with temperature as a driving variable were tested against data on decomposition and N mineralization, respectively, in two field experiments with green manure. On 15 November 1984, mesh bags with red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) shoot material were placed at five depths (0–30 cm) on a sandy-loam and a loam site in south-eastern Norway. 167 days after burial, 73% of the initial clover nitrogen remained on the surface, 62% at 5-cm depth, and 56% at 30-cm depth. The differences among buried samples largely persisted throughout the experimental period (1.5 years). The decomposition rate slowed down appreciably after day 270, when the amount of N in buried bags averaged 33% of the initial N. The effect of site was small and varied during the experiment. The decay model, which was derived from laboratory incubations, predicted the initial observations of remaining clover material fairly well. Later, predicted and measured values diverged because recalcitrant residues decomposed more extensively in the field than in the laboratory. The N mineralization model was tested against net N mineralization from white-clover (T. repens L.) green manure ploughed down in late October. The course of the net N mineralization was well described when disregarding an over-prediction (6–12% of applied clover N), which may be due to N losses not accounted for in the model. The predictions were sensitive to the kind of function applied for correction of decay rates at temperatures below 0° C. The results showed that decomposition of clover green manure is rapid, even at temperatures below 5° C. N-rich plant material, therefore, should be worked into the soil as late as possible in the autumn or, preferably, remain on the soil surface until spring in order to reduce the probability of N losses.     

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

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.     

Optimising biological N2 fixation by legumes in farming systems

Whether grown as pulses for grain, as green manure, as pastures or as the tree components of agro-forestry systems, the value of leguminous crops lies in their ability to fix atmospheric N₂, so reducing the use of expensive fertiliser-N and enhancing soil fertility. N₂ fixing legumes provide the basis for developing sustainable farming systems that incorporate integrated nutrient management. By exploiting the stable nitrogen isotope ¹⁵N, it has been possible to reliably measure rates of N₂ fixation in a wide range of agro-ecological field situations involving many leguminous species. The accumulated data demonstrate that there is a wealth of genetic diversity among legumes and their Rhizobium symbionts which can be used to enhance N₂ fixation. Practical agronomic and microbiological means to maximise N inputs by legumes have also been identified.     

Growing vetches (Vicia villosa Roth) in irrigated cotton systems: inputs of fixed N, N fertiliser savings and cotton productivity

We compared symbiotic N₂ fixation by winter forage legumes (clovers, medics and vetches) using the ¹⁵N natural abundance technique in three experiments. Vetches (Vicia spp.) were the most productive legumes, and woollypod vetch fixed (shoot+root) up to 265 kg N ha^–1 (mean 227 kg N ha^–1) during a 4–5 months period over winter and early spring. Balansa and Berseem clovers, and Gama medic were highly productive in the first experiment, but fixed significantly less N than woollypod vetch in the second experiment. A 6-year study (1997–2003) compared cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) systems with and without vetch, or with faba beans (Vicia faba L.) to assess the effects of these crops on cotton production. Woollypod vetch was grown either between annual cotton crops, or between wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) and cotton crops. Vetch added 230 kg N ha^–1 (174 kg fixed N ha^–1) to the soil when incorporated as a green manure. Faba bean shoot residues and nodulated roots contributed 108 kg fixed N ha^–1 to the soil, following the removal of 80 kg N ha^–1 in the harvested seed (meaned over three crops). Lablab (Lablab purpureus L. – summer-growing and irrigated) added 277 kg N ha^–1 (244 kg fixed N ha^–1) before incorporation as a green manure in the first year of the experiment. The economic optimum N fertiliser rate for each cropping system was determined every second year when all systems were sown to cotton. Cotton following cotton required 105 kg fertiliser N ha^–1, but only 40 kg N ha^–1 when vetch was grown between each cotton crop. Cotton following wheat required 83 kg fertiliser N ha^–1 but no N fertiliser was needed when vetch was grown after wheat (the highest yielding system). Cotton following faba beans also required no N fertiliser. The vetch-based systems became more N fertile over the course of the experiment and produced greater lint yields than the comparative non-legume systems, and required less N fertiliser. While no cash flow was derived from growing vetch, economic benefits accrued from enhanced cotton yields, reduced N fertiliser requirements and improved soil fertility. These findings help explain the rotational benefits of vetches observed in other regions of the world.     

Estimation of residual N effect of faba bean and pea on two succeeding cereals using15N methodology

A field experiment was conducted using¹⁵N methodology to study the effect of cultivation of faba bean (Vicia faba L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) on the N status of soil and their residual N effect on two succeeding cereals (sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) followed by barley). Faba bean, pea and barley took up 29.6, 34.5 and 53.0 kg N ha^–1 from the soil, but returned to soil through roots only 11.3, 10.8 and 5.7 kg N ha^–1, respectively. Hence, removal of faba bean, pea and barley straw resulted in a N-balance of about –18, –24, and –47 kg ha^–1 respectively. A soil nitrogen conserving effect was observed following the cultivation of faba bean and pea compared to barley which was of the order of 23 and 18 kg N ha^–1, respectively. Cultivation of legumes resulted in a significantly higher A_N value of the soil compared to barley. However, the A_N of the soil following fallow was significantly higher than following legumes, implying that the cultivation of the legumes had depleted the soil less than barley but had not added to the soil N compared to the fallow. The beneficial effect of legume cropping also was reflected in the N yield and dry matter production of the succeeding crops. Cultivation of legumes led to a greater exploitation of soil N by the succeeding crops. Hence, appreciable yield increases observed in the succeeding crops following legumes compared to cereal were due to a N-conserving effect, carry-over of N from the legume residue and to greater uptake of soil N by the succeeding crops when previously cropped to legumes.     

Mineralization of labeled N from cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] plant parts at two growth stages in sandy soil

Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L). Walp.] has great potential as green manure due to its rapid N accumulation and efficient N₂ fixation. The objective of this study was to measure the rate of N mineralization from cowpea plant parts harvested at onset of flowering (5 weeks) and mid pod-fill (7 weeks) under near optimum conditions. Cowpeas were grown in a greenhouse and supplied with ¹⁵NH₄ ¹⁵NO₃ to isotopically label tissue. Cowpea leaves, stems, and roots were incorporated into a sandy soil (Psammentic Paleustalf) and net N mineralized was measured several times during a 10 week incubation. The amount of N accumulated in 7-week old cowpeas was more than double that in 5-week old cowpeas. The portion of N mineralized after 10 weeks was 24% for 5-week old cowpeas and 27% for 7-week old cowpeas. The rate of N mineralization from leaves and stems increased with plant age, but decreased for roots. The amount of N mineralized from 7-week old cowpeas was more than double (235%) that from 5-week old cowpeas due to greater N accumulation and a more rapid rate of N mineralization of the more mature cowpeas. The greatest amount of N was released from leaves, which amounted to 74 and 65% of total N mineralization from 5- and 7-week old cowpeas, respectively. The percentage of N mineralized by 10 weeks was linearly related to the tissue N concentration of the plant parts and to their C/N ratio. These relationships allow a quick estimation of the amount of N that would mineralize from cowpea residues incorporated into soil based on their N concentration or C/N ratio.     

Residual effects of natural bush,Cajanus cajan and Tephrosia candida on the productivity of an acid soil in southeastern Nigeria

An experiment was established in 1986 to examine the contribution of Tephrosia candida and Cajanus cajan shrubs to improving the productivity of an acid soil. The main treatments were N levels (0 and 60 kg ha^-1) with subplots of maize/natural bush, maize/Tephrosia candida, maize/Cajanus cajan, maize + cassava/natural bush, maize + cassava/Tephrosia candida, and maize + cassava/Cajanus cajan. In 1988, all plots were cleared and maize uniformly planted to study the residual effects of the treatments. No residual effects of N application were observed. Tephrosia candiada and Cajanus cajan increased surface soil organic carbon and total N levels over the natural bush. However, only Tephrosia candida plots produced improved maize grain and stover yield. Highly significant correlations were found between maize grain yield and earleaf N (r=0.73^**), grain N (r=0.51^**), and stover N (r=0.54^**) contents. These results suggest that Tephrosia candida increased N availability in the soil. Therefore, the shrub has potential for improving the productivity of acid soils under traditional systems, where N is limiting due to the absence of N₂-fixing legumes in the natural bush fallow.     

Nitrogen mineralization in a green manure-amended soil as influenced by cropping history and subsequent crop

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the influence of cropping variables on nitrogen dynamics in a soil amended with green manure. Surface soil from various long-term spring wheat rotations was amended with¹⁵N-labelled legume green manure (Lathyrus tingitanus) and subsequently cropped (canola [Brassica napus] and spring wheat [Triticum aestivum]) or incubated without a crop for 56 days in a greenhouse. Nitrogen mineralization from both the indigenous soil N and from green manure was suppressed in cropped soil. Net N mineralization in the uncropped and cropped treatments averaged 73 and 43 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. This difference was attributed, in part, to enhanced biological immobilization in the rhizosphere. Previous cropping practices also had significant effect on N mineralization, largely by their influence on indigenous organic matter quality. These observations suggest that short-term N mineralization is favored by fallowing soil after green manure application whereas N retention in organic matter is favored by immediate cropping. Contribution 3878873     

Leaching of subterranean clover-derived N from a loam soil

The leaching of subterranean clover-derived N (¹⁵N) was investigated in a laboratory and a field experiment. In both experiments 30 cm i.d. ×50cm soil columns were used. In the laboratory experiment the clover material was buried in the soil in mesh bags, and leaching of clover-derived N was compared to leaching of added NH ₄ ⁺ −N and NO ₃ ⁻ −N over a period of 75 days at 20°C. During that time 75% of the clover-N was released from the mesh bags and 17% of the clover-N, 50% of the NH ₄ ⁺ −N and 70% of the NO ₃ ⁻ −N was leached through the soil column. In the field experiment 6 lysimeters and 7 control microplots were constructed. The clover material was buried in soil (to the soil of two control microplots within mesh bags) in October. During one year 2% of the added clover-N was leached. This was despite a release of 65% of the N from the mesh bag contents and despite a 26% loss of the clover-derived N in total from the controls.     

Nitrogen-15 balances for urea and neem coated urea applied to lowland rice following two cowpea cropping systems

Little is known about whether the high N losses from inorganic N fertilizers applied to lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) are affected by the combined use of either legume green manure or residue with N fertilizers. Field experiments were conducted in 1986 and 1987 on an Andaqueptic Haplaquoll in the Philippines to determine the effect of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] cropping systems before rice on the fate and use efficiency of¹⁵N-labeled, urea and neem cake (Azadirachta indica Juss.) coated urea (NCU) applied to the subsequent transplanted lowland rice crop. The pre-rice cropping systems were fallow, cowpea incorporated at the flowering stage as a green manure, and cowpea grown to maturity with subsequent incorporation of residue remaining after grain and pod removal. The incorporated green manure contained 70 and 67 kg N ha⁻¹ in 1986 and 1987, respectively. The incorporated residue contained 54 and 49 kg N ha⁻¹ in 1986 and 1987, respectively. The unrecovered¹⁵N in the¹⁵N balances for 58 kg N ha⁻¹ applied as urea or NCU ranged from 23 to 34% but was not affected by pre-rice cropping system. The partial pressure of ammoniapNH₃, and floodwater (nitrate + nitrite)-N following application of 29 kg N ha⁻¹ as urea or NCU to 0.05-m-deep floodwater at 14 days after transplanting was not affected by pre-rice cropping system. In plots not fertilized with urea or NCU, green manure contributed an extra 12 and 26 kg N ha⁻¹, to mature rice plants in 1986 and 1987, respectively. The corresponding contributions from residue were 19 and 23 kg N ha⁻¹, respectively. Coating urea with 0.2g neem cake per g urea had no effect on loss of urea-N in either year; however, it significantly increased grain yield (0.4 Mg ha⁻¹) and total plant N (11 kg ha⁻¹) in 1987 but not in 1986.     

Evaluation of Sesbania speciosa as a green manure for lowland rice in the dry zone,Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan rice farmers rarely practise green manuring and they depend mostly on chemical fertilizers for the nutrient requirement of their crops. With the removal of government subsidy on fertilizers since 1990, they are now faced with the dilemma of meeting the cost of production to sustain previous yield targets. Therefore the present study devotes to evaluate alternative cheaper nutrient sources like green manures for rice. Results of recent work in Sri Lanka have shown that Sesbania speciosa Taub. ex Engl. is a promising green manure for lowland rice in the dry zone. It was evaluated to adopt a suitable green manuring system for rice. Its year-round biomass production, nutrient accumulation during the vegetative growth and nitrogen fixation were monitored. Field trials were conducted to investigate its ability to suppress weed growth when grown during fallow periods and its contribution to soil fertility and effect on rice yield. Highest biomass of around 100 g dry matter per plant, was achieved when S. speciosa was seeded in August and harvested at flowering in November. When this was planted during a fallow period at a spacing of 0.25×0.25 m (16 plants m^-2), percentage weed reduction was as much as 40%. Its N₂ fixation activity was similar to that of S. sesban (L.) Merr., Nitrogen concentration in S. speciosa increased until 70 days after establishment and then decreased towards flowering. Phosphorus and K accumulation was also effective during this period. Therefore suitable time for soil-incorporation of S. speciosa is around 70 days after establishment. S. speciosa-manured and chemically fertilized rice crops were comparable in terms of grain yield, indicating the effective nutrient supplying potential of this green manure. Straw biomass was significantly high under S. speciosa, because of the high N-allocation to vegetative growth of rice under this. This evaluation shows that S. speciosa not only supplies N, but is also an effective and complete supplier of other nutrients for rice. A scheme to introduce this into rice production system is proposed, where S. speciosa is seeded/broadcast two weeks before crop harvest (around January) in Maha (major) season as well as Yala (minor) season (around June) so that its biomass can be incorporated into soil during land preparation of subsequent seasons.     

CH4 emissions from rice paddies managed according to farmer's practice in Hunan, China

We measured CH₄ emissions from ricepaddies managed by farmer's practices inChangsha, Hunan Province, China, from 1995 to1997. During the winter season, rice fieldswere left fallow under either drained(C-Fallow) or flooded conditions (C-Flood), andplanted with either Chinese milk vetch (C-GM)or oil-seed rape (C-Rape). The organic manureproduced in the winter (weeds, Chinese milkvetch, or oil-seed rape straw) was incorporatedin situ before the early-ricetransplanting. Both early-rice and late-ricestraws were removed and the soil was notamended with any exogenous organic manure. For1996 to 1997, the average seasonal CH₄emission for the double rice cropping periodwas the highest from the plot that was floodedin the winter (103.5 g CH₄ m^–2) andlowest from the plot planted and incorporatedwith Chinese milk vetch (32.6 gCH₄ m^–2). Precipitation in the winternot only affected growth of green manure, whichwas incorporated in situ, but might alsoaffect CH₄ emissions during the subsequentrice growing period. Therefore, a simplerelationship could not be found between theincorporated amount of green manure andCH₄ emission. In the plots incorporatedwith vetch and oil-seed rape straw CH₄emissions were significantly less during thesubsequent late-rice period than during theearly-rice period. This phenomenon might beattributed to a ``priming effect' of greenmanure, which exhausted soil labile organicmatter. Based on the CH₄ fluxmeasurements, the total CH₄ emissions fromrice fields in Hunan Province during the ricegrowing season were estimated as 1.56 TgCH₄ in 1996 and 1.06 Tg CH₄ in 1997.Large variation of precipitation in the winterwould be an important factor controlling theannual variation of CH₄ emissions from thetreatments.     

Quantitative traits associated with adaptation of three barley (Hordeum vulgare L) cultivars to suboptimal iron supply

A laboratory method was developed that allows determination of in situ net nitrification with high sensitivity and at high temporal resolution. Nitrate in soils is quantitatively converted into nitrous oxide under strictly anaerobic conditions in the presence of 10 kPa acetylene by the soil endogenous denitrifier population, with the N₂O detected by a gas chromatograph equipped with a ⁶³Ni electron capture detector. Thus, even low net nitrification rates, i.e. small net increases in soil nitrate concentrations can easily be detected. Comparison of results using this method with results obtained using the classical in situ incubation method (buried bag soil incubation) revealed excellent agreement. Application of the new method allowed both determination of the seasonal pattern of net nitrification as well as correlation analysis between in situ NO and N₂O flux rates and in situ net nitrification rates of the forest soils studied. Regardless of the forest site studied (spruce, spruce limed, beech), and during each year of a 3 years period (1995–1997), net nitrification varied strongly with season and was least during winter and greatest during summer. The long-term annual, mean rate of net nitrification for the untreated spruce site, the limed spruce site and the beech site were 1.54 ± 0.27 mg N kg^–1 sdw d^–1, 1.92 ± 0.23 mg N kg^–1 sdw d^–1 and 1.31 ± 0.23 mg N kg^–1 sdw d^–1, respectively. In situ rates of nitrification and NO and N₂O emission were strongly correlated for all sites suggesting that nitrification was the dominate source of NO as well as N₂O.     

The Effects of Crop Rotation and Nitrogen Fertilization on Soil Chemical and Microbial Properties in a Guinea Savanna Alfisol of Nigeria

The impacts of crop rotation and inorganic nitrogen fertilization on soil microbial biomass C (SMBC) and N (SMBN) and water-soluble organic C (WSOC) were studied in a Guinea savanna Alfisol of Nigeria. In 2001, fields of grain legumes (soybean and cowpea), herbaceous legume (Centrosema pascuorum) and a natural fallow were established. In 2002, maize was planted with N fertilizer rates of 0, 20, 40 and 60 kg N ha⁻¹ in a split-plot arrangement fitted to a randomized complete block design with legumes and fallow as main plots and N fertilizer levels as subplots. Surface soil samples were taken at 4 weeks after planting and tasselling stage of the maize. Inorganic N fertilization had no significant (P>0.05) effect on SMBC, SMBN and WSOC, while crop rotation significantly (P<0.0001) affected both SMBC and WSOC. These results demonstrate that crop rotation do not necessarily influence the gross soil microbial biomass, but may affect physiologically distinct subcomponent of the microbial biomass. The soils under the various rotations had a predominance of fungi community as indicated by their wide biomass C/N ratio ranging from 9.2 to 20.9 suggesting fungi to be mainly responsible for decomposition in these soils. Soil microbial biomass and WSOC showed significant (P<0.05) correlation with both soil pH and organic carbon but no relationship with total N. Based on these results, it appears that the soil pH and organic carbon determined the flux of the soil microbial biomass and amount of WSOC in these soils.