Effects of ammonium-N on development and infectivity of the take-all fungus

Effects of applications of a mixture of ammonium sulphate and mono-ammonium phosphate and of ammonium nitrate on the incidence of take-all disease of wheat (caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici) and on subsequent inoculum levels were studied in field and glasshouse experiments. In a field experiment in Western Australia, on a sandy soil at pH 5·4, nitrogen applications had no detectable effect on disease severity at anthesis, but ammonium sulphate treatment increased the number of propagules of the pathogen in the soil. In a pot experiment, in which seed was sown in the field experiment soils, disease was greater in soil from plots treated with ammonium sulphate and least in soil from the nil-nitrogen plots, reflecting the respective inoculum levels in the field plot. However, treatment of the soils of lower inoculum with ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate during this pot experiment decreased disease. A second pot experiment confirmed the effectiveness of ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate in reducing take-all at lower inoculum levels, and their ineffectiveness at higher inoculum levels.     

ROLE OF MYCORRHIZAL FUNGUS ORIGIN IN GROWTH AND NUTRIENT UPTAKE BY GERANIUM ROBERTIANUM

Prior field studies have shown that populations of forest herbs on relatively nutrient poor soils have higher vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) infection intensity than plants on rich soils. However, the growth responses and ability to take up P against the soil nutrient gradient are often not linearly related to infection intensity. To determine if intraspecific differences among populations of the common VAM fungus Glomus occultum could differentially affect growth and nutrient uptake, Geranium robertianum seedlings were inoculated with Glomus occultum isolated from four forest types along a gradient of soil fertility, and grown in a greenhouse at P levels typical of the extremes of that gradient. Plants given inoculum from relatively infertile forest sites generally produced greater root, shoot, and total mass than plants given inoculum from fertile sites or uninoculated plants, especially at the low P supply rate. Total P uptake and both P and N uptake efficiency were also highest in plants given inocula from low fertility sites. These results indicate that local adaptation and intraspecific variations in the ability of VAM fungi to induce growth and nutrient uptake effects on host plants may be as important as interspecific differences among VAM fungus species.     

Growth and uptake of nitrogen by wheat and ryegrass in fumigated and irradiated soil

Summary Wheat and ryegrass were grown in pots containing soil that had either been irradiated, fumigated with methyl bromide, fumigated with formaldehyde, or left untreated. All pots received a basal dressing of potassium, phosphorus and magnesium; response to nitrogen was tested by applying either 0, 0.177 or 0.354 g nitrogen per pot. Irradiation increased the growth of wheat and ryegrass; uptake of nitrogen was also increased in both crops. The amount of fertilizer nitrogen equivalent to the nitrogen supplied by seeds and soil (the “N value”) can be calculated from the efficiency of uptake of fertilizer nitrogen and used to allow for the effect on crop growth of the nitrogen released by irradiated soil. With wheat the increase in growth can be attributed solely to the extra mineral nitrogen released by irradiated soil. However, ryegrass grew a little better than would have been expected if the only effect of irradiation was to increase the release of soil nitrogen. Fumigation with methyl bromide or formaldehyde increased the growth of wheat and ryegrass not given fertilizer nitrogen. However, fumigation with methyl bromide left ionic bromide in the soil, and this depressed the growth of wheat receiving fertilizer nitrogen. Formaldehyde also left residues; these influenced soil metabolism and sometimes depressed the growth of plants given fertilizer nitrogen.     

THE USE OF TETRA- AND PENTA-CHLORONITRO-BENZENES IN THE CONTROL OF BOTRYTIS DISEASE AND RHIZOCTONIA ATTACK OF LETTUCE

Botrytis disease in the 'spring' lettuce crop was controlled by six talc dusts containing s, 10 or 20 % of tetra- or penta-chloronitrobenzene. All the dusts increased equally the final stand in the frames, but the number of seedlings with stem lesions decreased with increasing concentrations of both compounds. At similar concentrations the tetra- was more effective than the penta-compound. The percentage survival in the field was increased by the dust treatments. The 20% dust of the penta- was only as effective as the 5% dust of the tetra-compound.
The dusts affected the leaves, stunted the seedlings and delayed hearting. At similar concentrations the tetra- was more harmful than the penta-compound. The 5 % dust of the tetra- was less damaging than the 20% dust of the penta-compound.
The spread of Rhizoctonia solani was reduced by incorporating the dusts with soil. Again, the 5% tetra- dust was as effective as the penta- dust at 20%. At 12·5 g. of dust per 20 kg. of soil, none of the dusts retarded the rate of emergence of lettuce seedlings but the highest concentration of the tetra- series reduced the number emerging.
Foliage applications of two dusts, 5% tetra- and 20% penta- dusts, controlled the spread of R. solani.     

THE EFFECTS OF NITROGEN SUPPLY UPON THE VERTICILLIUM WILT OF ANTIRRHINUM

Isolates of Verticillium albo-atrum, V. dahliae and V. nigrescens grown on media adequately supplied with sodium nitrate induced wilt rather more rapidly in antirrhinum plants growing in soils with a normal and an excessive amount of nitrogen than in plants in nitrogen-deficient soil, though plants became diseased in all soils. Similarly treated isolates of V. nubilum and V. tricorpus induced a greater incidence of wilt in plants in soil supplied with heavy dressings of organic nitrogenous fertilizer than in plants in soil deficient in nitrogen, although V. tricorpus from a medium containing much sodium nitrate, in contrast to V. nubilum , was pathogenic to plants in such deficient soil. The ability of the nitrogen-starved isolates to penetrate the host plant was significantly diminished, and even when wound-inoculated into stems their effect upon the host was much reduced.     

Production and prevention of frenching of tobacco grown in the greenhouse

Summary The induction and elimination of frenching capacity in soils was studied in the greenhouse. It was found possible to induce this physiological disease in tobacco plants grown in normal soils following partial steam sterilization. High counts ofBacillus cereus Frankland and Frankland, the assumed causal agent, also resulted. Lime was added to soil neutrality, together with high dicalcium phosphate and a moderate quantity of cellulose. Growing plants with bottom heat (35°C) was of great aid in shortening duration of tests. Use of a method of successive plantings progressively depleted the soil of nitrogen and was necessary to obtain uniform and reproduceable results. Results with fertilizer ingredients were inconclusive except that low soil nitrogen, low acidity and high phosphate tended to increase frenching. Nitrogen deficiency and frenching symptoms were distinctly different and appeared independently of each other.The converse experiments at three levels of soil acidity and four of potassium nitrate gave coordinating results. Acidity and abundant nitrate diminished or prevented frenching of the plants, without however eliminating frenching capacity of the soil.     

Potassium forms in aerated and anoxic soils of different management and potassium fertilizer history

The potassium forms and dominant clay mineralogy were studied in naturally well-drained (Hapludalfs, Eutropept) and poorly-drained soils (Fragiudalfs, Fragiaquept), both composed of the same parent materials (silty-clay or silt loam or clayey-loam). The well-drained soils (i.e. aerated) were cultivated and received larger amounts of K fertilizer; the poorly-drained types (i.e. anoxic) were grasslands and received low amount of K fertilizer. The different aspects investigated-exchangeable and nonexchangeable K, potassium fixation capacity and clay X-ray diffraction diagrams-indicated that the potassium status and the behavior of K-containing clays significantly differed between naturally well-drained aerated soils and anoxic poorly-drained soils. The aerated soils were high in both exchangeable and nonexchangeable K; the K saturation rate was high whereas fixation capacity was moderate. However, the anoxic soils showed a large K depletion and high fixation capacity. The silty-clayey soils studied were more affected by moisture regimes than the silt loam or clayey-loam.The differing K status between aerated and anoxic soils can be explained by several processes and factors, including soil weathering and management and K fertilizer history.     

EFFECTS OF NUTRIENT TREATMENTS ON STEM-BREAK OF FLAX (CAUSED BY POLYSPORA LINI LAFF.)

Flax was grown in prepared composts containing different levels and ratios of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. When the cotyledons were inoculated with Polyspora lini Laff. the incidence of the seedling phase of the disease was not influenced by nutrient treatments, all plants being attacked. In such inoculated plants the lowest incidence of the stem-break phase of the disease occurred in composts deficient in phosphorus. Increasing doses of the phosphatic fertilizer were associated with increases in susceptibility to stem-break as well as in plant height and fibre yield. Small additions of the fertilizer produced little effect. In one experiment the incidence of stem-break was directly and very significantly correlated with the percentage of phosphorus in the plants when nitrogen and potassium were held constant. Significant correlations were not found to exist between the incidence of stem-break and the percentage of nitrogen or potassium in plants when the other two appropritate variables were held constant.     

Soil beidellite and its relation to problems of potassium fertility and poor response to potassium fertilizers

Summary X-ray diffraction studies were made on soils with and without potassium fertility problems. All soils with clay fractions containing dominant beidellite or vermiculite showed potassium deficiency and lack of response to potassium fertilizer applications. All of the soils containing dominant montmorillonite or other clay minerals contained adequate potassium; on none of these, poor potassium response was reported. Special management practices are needed on the beidellitic and vermiculitic soils to increase potassium and ammonium fertilizer efficiency. Dominance of beidellite in the clay fraction should be reflected in soil classification. Establishment of a ‘beidellite’ family differentiating criterion in the Soil Taxonomy is proposed for this purpose.     

Nitrogen balance studies for different Egyptian soils cropped with corn

Summary The nitrogen balance for four different Egyptian soils cropped with corn and fertilized with increasing amounts of ammonium sulphate was studied in pot experiments. The tested soils were clay loam, calcareous sandy loam, sandy loam and sand. Nitrogen added as seeds, fertilizers, irrigation water and insecticides, nitrogen removed by the plants including thinned plants and fallen leaves and the nitrogen content of the soils before sowing and after the harvest were determined and used to draw the balance sheet.The obtained results showed that nitrogen loss ranged between 6.8 and 51.5 per cent depending mainly on soil type and to some extent on the rate of applied ammonium sulphate. Nitrogen uptake by the corn plants was lowest from the clay loam soil and highest from the sandy soil. In all cases it increased slightly with the addition of nitrogen fertilizer. re]19720918     

Soil fungistasis: elevation of the exogenous carbon and nitrogen requirements for spore germination by fungistatic volatiles in soils.

Axenic, washed conidia of Fusarium solani f. sp. phaseoli, Aspergillus flavus, and Verticillium albo-atrum were placed on washed Difco purified agar discs along with an inorganic salt solution containing various levels of carbon and nitrogen substrates. These discs were exposed to volatiles from six soils (pH 5.1-8.6). Fusarium solani macroconidial germination was inhibited mostly by volatiles from soils of pH 5.1, 6.1, 7.0, and 7.5, but high levels of glucose and NH4Cl reversed this inhibition, raising germination to that of no-soil, no-carbon or nitrogen controls. Conidial germination of A. flavus was inhibited mainly by volatiles from high pH (7.0, 7.8, and 8.6) soils, and increased levels of glucose plus an amino acid mixture nullified this inhibition. Volatiles from soils of pH 5.1, 6.1, and 7.5 stimulated A. flavus conidial germination. Assays after the removal of CO2 from the air above soil of pH 5.1 demonstrated that volatiles inhibitory to A. flavus were produced by this soil. Assays indicated that a KOH-soluble compound was a fungistatic soil volatile to F. solani macroconidial germination. The nullification by carbon and nitrogen substrates of F. solani and A. flavus inhibition caused by soil volatiles parallels that for soil fungistasis. Conidial germination of V. albo-atrum was markedly stimulated by volatiles in all soils tested, and was not affected by removal of CO2. Inhibitory soil volatiles may increase the nutritional requirements for spore germination of certain fungi.     

Inoculation of millet with azospirillum

Summary Millet plants (Pennisetum glaucum) were grown at three levels of nitrogen fertilization with and without an inoculum of live nitrogen-fixing Azospirillum cells. The highest average rate of nitrogen fixation as estimated from acetylene reduction by excised preincubated roots was only 23g N₂ fixed per ha per day and occurred after treatment with low levels of nitrogen amendment. The average rates of acetylene reduction for intact plants at all treatments were also low. The lack of significant nitrogen fixation due to an Azospirillum-millet association in this study was substantiated by plant dry weight analysis, and determination of the nitrogen content of plants, pot leachate, and soil. There was significant correlation between the total nitrogen content of the plants per pot at the termination of the experiment and the amount of nitrogen fertilizer added initially, but there was no effect of inoculum on final total nitrogen content.     

过量施肥对设施菜田土壤菌群结构及N2O产生的影响

【背景】N_2O是一种很强的温室气体,其温室效应强度大约是CO_2的265倍。土壤氮肥施加量是影响N_2O排放的重要因素,而厌氧条件下微生物反硝化则是N_2O产生的重要途径。【目的】研究过量施肥条件下蔬菜大棚土壤菌群结构变化及其对N_2O气体排放的影响。【方法】利用自动化培养与实时气体检测系统(Robot)监测土壤厌氧培养过程中N_2O和N_2排放通量,比较过量施肥和减氮施肥模式下土壤N_2O排放模式的差异。通过Illumina二代测序平台对这2种不同施肥处理的土壤微生物群落进行高通量测序,研究不同施肥量对土壤菌群组成的影响。【结果】过量施肥土壤中硝酸盐的含量大约是减氮施肥土壤的2倍,通过添加硝酸盐使2种土壤的硝酸盐含量均为60 mg/kg或为200 mg/kg时,过量施肥土壤在厌氧培养前期N_2O气体的产生量及产生速度都明显高于减氮施肥土壤。另外,过量施肥导致土壤菌群结构发生显著改变,并且降低了土壤微生物的多样性。相对于减氮施肥,过量施肥方式富集了Rhodanobacter属的微生物。PICRUSt预测结果显示,传统施肥没有显著改变反硝化功能基因相对丰度。【结论】长期过量氮肥施用显著增加了土壤N_2O的排放,可能原因是施肥改变了包括氮转化相关微生物在内的土壤菌群组成,从而影响了土壤N_2O气体的形成与还原过程。     

长期定位施肥对石灰性紫色水稻土AMF多样性的影响

为了解长期定位施肥对石灰性紫色水稻土丛枝菌根真菌（AMF）物种多样性的影响,从稻麦轮作下连续26年定位施农家肥（M）、氮肥+农家肥（NM）、氮磷肥+农家肥（NPM）、氮磷钾肥+农家肥（NPKM）、不施肥（CK）、氮肥（N）、氮磷肥（NP）、氮磷钾肥（NPK）等不同施肥处理小区采集根区土样,分离鉴定AMF、测定多样性特征。共鉴定出17种AMF,其中球囊霉属Glomus 12种,占已分离总数的70.5%,为优势属;无梗囊霉属Acaulospora 3种,占17.6%;原囊霉属Archaeospora和内养囊霉属Entrophospora各1种,各占5.9%。无论是石灰性紫色土种植水稻还是小麦,AMF侵染率最高的施肥处理均为无肥处理（CK）,施肥特别是磷肥,降低AMF侵染率、孢子密度、相对多度和种丰度。变性梯度凝胶电泳（denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis,DGGE）分析结果表明,不施肥对照（CK）的AMF多样性最丰富,多样性指数最高,水稻和小麦种植下的多样性指数分别为2.68和3.02;与无机肥处理相比,农家肥配施无机肥提高了AMF多样性指数。农家肥配施无机肥更有利于AMF发育。     

黄土高原典型苹果园地深层土壤氮磷钾养分含量与分布特征

测定了黄土高原6个苹果生产基地县21个果园0-300 cm土层土壤氮磷钾养分含量,分析和比较了不同县区果园土壤氮磷钾养分含量差异及其土壤剖面分布特征.结果表明:(1)6个试点21个果园0-300 cm土层土壤氮磷钾全量分别为0.54、0.53和6.79 g/kg,土壤氮磷钾速效量分别为102.66、7.95和102.75 mg/kg,不同苹果产区果园土壤氮磷钾全量和速效量差异明显,除全氮含量外均以中部高塬黑垆土苹果产区氮磷钾全量和速效量最高,而以北部丘陵黄绵土苹果产区最低.(2)不同苹果产区果园0-300 cm土层土壤氮磷钾全量和速效量剖面分布特征类似,除全钾和速效氮外其余养分全量和速效量剖面分布具有明显“表层积聚效应”.(3)6个试点果园土壤全氮含量呈现缺或较缺,土壤速效氮含量丰富或中等或缺,土壤速效磷含量中等或缺,土壤速效钾含量丰富或较丰富,应该增施有机肥,氮磷肥配合,适当增施钾肥.     

Comparison of crop productivity and soil microbial activity among different fertilization patterns in red upland and paddy soils

Soil enzyme activity and microorganism community can be changed through different long-term fertilization patterns. However, the effect of different fertilization practices on soil microorganisms might differ among crop systems. The objective of the study was to reveal the change of soil enzyme activity and soil microorganism community in different fertilizations both in upland and paddy soils. Therefore, based on long-term fertilization experiments in upland soil started in 1986 and adjacent paddy soil experiment commenced in 1981, with both consisting of 4 treatments: Control (no fertilization), N (only nitrogen fertilizer), NPK (nitrogen, phosphate and potassium fertilizers) and NPKM (nitrogen, phosphate and potassium fertilizers plus organic manure), grain yield, soil fertility, activities of soil urease, catalase, acid phosphatase, microorganism community (the number of bacteria, fungus and actinomycete) were analyzed. The result showed that: the highest grain yield was attained under the application of chemical fertilizers plus manure, as compared with Control, NPKM significantly increased the grain yield by 908.63% in corn and 118.80% in rice (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, NPKM treatment increased significantly soil organic matter and nutrient contents in upland and paddy soils. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in soil pH among all the treatments of paddy soil, but in upland, NPKM increased pH in comparison to Control by 23.06% (1.15 units of pH). Compared with Control, soil urease, catalase activities, bacteria and actinomycete numbers of NPKM were increased by 321.39%, 129.64%, 229.79%, 85.81% in upland soil, and 25.11%, 251.12%, 292.83%, 196.34% in paddy soil. However, in paddy soil, the soil acid phosphatase activity of Control, NPK and NPKM treatments were higher than upland soil by 34.87%, 44.81%, 52.73% and 30.11%. Then, the soil fungus and actinomycete numbers of paddy soil were lower than upland soil by 20.20% and 88.29%. Therefore, it indicated that long-term application of chemical and organic fertilizers delivered highest productivity in both experiment but the effect of fertilizer practices differed between land uses.     

Crop uptake and leaching losses of15N labelled fertilizer nitrogen in relation to waterlogging of clay and sandy loam soils

Summary Ammonium nitrate fertilizer, labelled with¹⁵N, was applied in spring to winter wheat growing in undisturbed monoliths of clay and sandy loam soil in lysimeters; the rates of application were respectively 95 and 102 kg N ha⁻¹ in the spring of 1976 and 1975. Crops of winter wheat, oilseed rape, peas and barley grown in the following 5 or 6 years were treated with unlabelled nitrogen fertilizer at rates recommended for maximum yields. During each year of the experiments the lysimeters were divided into treatments which were either freelydrained or subjected to periods of waterlogging. Another labelled nitrogen application was made in 1980 to a separate group of lysimeters with a clay soil and a winter wheat crop to study further the uptake of nitrogen fertilizer in relation to waterlogging. In the first growing season, shoots of the winter wheat at harvest contained 46 and 58% of the fertilizer nitrogen applied to the clay and sandy loam soils respectively. In the following year the crops contained a further 1–2% of the labelled fertilizer, and after 5 and 6 years the total recoveries of labelled fertilizer in the crops were 49 and 62% on the clay and sandy loam soils respectively. In the first winter after the labelled fertilizer was applied, less than 1% of the fertilizer was lost in the drainage water, and only about 2% of the total nitrogen (mainly nitrate) in the drainage water from both soils was derived from the fertilizer. Maximum annual loss occurred the following year but the proportion of tracer nitrogen in drainage was nevertheless smaller. Leaching losses over the 5 and 6 years from the clay and sandy loam soil were respectively 1.3 and 3.9% of the original application. On both soils the percentage of labelled nitrogen to the total crop nitrogen content was greater after a period of winter waterlogging than for freely-drained treatments. This was most marked on the clay soil; evidence points to winter waterlogging promoting denitrification and the consequent loss of soil nitrogen making the crop more dependent on spring fertilizer applications.     

Interactions of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium supplied in Leaf Sprays or in Fertilizer added to the Soil

When sugar-beet plants grown in pots were sprayed daily withnutrient solutions supplying nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassiumseparately or in all combinations, with precautions to preventspray falling on the soil in which the plants were grown, allthree nutrients were absorbed through the leaves. In one experimentnitrogen and potassium, and in another only nitrogen, causedincreases in plant dry weight and leaf area. Swedes absorbedphosphorus from leaf sprays and from fertilizer applied to thesoil, but only the fertilizer caused an increase in dry weight. Absorption of any of the nutrients tested from a spray containingmore than one nutrient was unaffected by the presence of othersin the spray, but spraying with nitrogen-containing solutionsincreased the absorption of phosphorus and potassium from thesoil, and potassium in sprays increased the uptake of phosphorusfrom the soil. Nitrogenous fertilizer applied to the soil increased the leafarea of sugar-beet plants, and hence it also increased the amountsof nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium deposited on the leaveswhen they were sprayed with solutions of these nutrients, andthe amounts absorbed from the spray into the plants. Phosphaticfertilizer had no effect on uptake from leaf sprays. Potassicfertilizer did not affect leaf area or the estimated volumeof spray solution retained on the leaves, but it appeared toreduce uptake of potassium from the spray. Dry weight per plant was increased by all three nutrients infertilizer, and sugar yield of the roots was increased by nitrogenand potassium in fertilizer, and by nitrogen in spray. Applicationof a nutrient in leaf spray reduced the responses in dry weightand sugar yield to the same nutrient applied in fertilizer tothe soil. Less nitrogen, but more phosphorus, was taken up from the leafsprays than from fertilizer. Nutrients from sprays producedsmaller increases in total dry weight and in dry weight perunit of absorbed nutrient than the same nutrient from fertilizer. The apparent percentage recovery of nitrogen applied in spray,based on estimates of the volumes of solution retained on theleaves, was unaffected by fertilizer treatment, that of phosphoruswas increased by nitrogen fertilizer, and that of potassiumwas increased by nitrogen fertilizer and reduced by potassiumfertilizer. The volume of spray solution held on the leaveswas probably overestimated, so that the highest apparent recovery,about 60 per cent., may represent an almost complete true recovery,because only trivial amounts of the nutrients that had beenapplied in spray remained on the leaf surface to be removedby washing before harvest. Lower apparent recoveries may bedue to reduced uptake from the soil of the nutrient suppliedin spray.     

福建省耕地土壤全氮密度和储量动态变化

准确估算土壤全氮密度和储量的动态变化能为氮肥优化管理和水体富营养化防控提供重要依据。以位于福建省不同地区的闽侯县、同安区、武平县和永定县1982年11087个样点及2008年1616个样点建立的1∶5万土壤数据库为基础,利用尺度上推的方法分析了1982—2008年福建省耕地全氮密度和储量的动态变化。结果表明,近30年来福建省耕地土壤氮素富集明显,全氮密度和储量分别上升了0.08 kg/m2和1.22 Tg,但不同土壤类型差异较大,紫色土土类、酸性紫色土亚类和猪肝土土属氮素富集最明显,全氮密度均上升了0.18 kg/m2;赤红壤土类、淹育水稻土亚类和赤土土属氮素损失最多,全氮密度均下降了0.10 kg/m2。水稻土土类、渗育水稻土亚类和黄泥田土属全氮储量增加最多,分别达1.24、0.80 Tg和0.71 Tg;赤红壤土类、赤红壤亚类和灰砂泥田土属下降最多,分别达0.13、0.13 Tg和0.08 Tg。因此,在今后的福建省耕地管理中根据不同土壤类型氮素富集程度合理指导施肥,以节约资源和减少氮素流失是十分必要的。     

Alteration of the structural attributes of a compact clay loam soil by growth of a perennial grass crop

Soil aggregate stability, organic matter content, pH, bulk density, strength, and macropore attributes were assessed in order to evaluate the influence of grass root growth in a field sward. The amount of grass grown was varied by varying the quantity of applied nitrogen fertilizer: following one year with a uniform application rate, nitrogen fertilizer was applied over the subsequent three years to a compact soil at zero (N0), moderate (N1) and high (N2) rates. Differences in herbage production were evident in the three years of the contrasting nitrogen treatments. An index of soil aggregate stability increased in response to the increased grass growth promoted by heavier applications of nitrogen, but both bulk density and vane shear strength were unchanged. Binary images of the soil solid and pore space showed that for each treatment the largest volume of macropores occurred close to the surface, particularly in N0 where there was more pore space than in either N1 or N2. Analysis of the pore structure attributes of the binary images revealed further differences between treatments, in particular, at 40–80 mm depth, the soil in treatment N0 had fewer and smaller pores, and greater distance between pores, than the soil in the N1 and N2 treatments. The larger macropore volume in N1 and N2 constituted a major portion of the air-filled porosity when the soil was relatively wet. It was concluded that the root growth in the intensively cropped grassland was conducive to maintenance of a relatively stable and porous soil structure. An attendant increase in soil acidity close to the soil surface was a disadvantage of the larger nitrogen inputs.