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Particulate Organic Matter Affects Soil Nitrogen Mineralization under Two Crop Rotation Systems
Rongyan Bu1,2, Jianwei Lu1,2, Tao Ren1,2
1College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.
Plos One
|December 10, 2015
Summary
Particulate organic matter (POM) significantly influences soil nitrogen (N) mineralization. Rice-rapeseed rotations increase POM and soil N, enhancing N availability compared to cotton-rapeseed systems.
Area of Science:
- Soil Science
- Agronomy
- Biogeochemistry
Background:
- Soil organic matter dynamics are crucial for nutrient cycling.
- Cultivation systems impact soil properties and nitrogen (N) availability.
- Particulate organic matter (POM) is a key labile soil fraction influencing N mineralization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of POM quantity and quality in soil N mineralization under different crop rotation systems.
- To compare N mineralization between rice-rapeseed (RR) and cotton-rapeseed (CR) rotations.
- To assess the impact of POM removal on potentially mineralizable-N (PMN) and microbial biomass N (MBN).
Main Methods:
- Quantified POM-C, POM-N, PMN, and MBN in soils from RR and CR rotations.
- Measured net N mineralization in original soils and soils with POM removed.
- Utilized infrared spectroscopy to analyze POM composition.
Main Results:
- RR rotations showed significantly higher POM-C and POM-N than CR rotations.
- PMN and MBN decreased significantly upon POM removal, with greater reductions under CR rotations.
- Accumulation of recalcitrant compounds in POM was observed under RR rotations.
Conclusions:
- POM is vital for soil N mineralization, with its quantity and quality differing between RR and CR systems.
- Differences in POM content and composition under various crop rotations drive variations in soil N mineralization.
- RR rotations promote higher soil N availability due to increased POM compared to CR rotations.
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