Amitava Chatterjee

Evaluation of different soil carbon determination methods.

Determining soil carbon (C) with high precision is an essential requisite for the success of the terrestrial C sequestration program. The informed choice of management practices for different terrestrial ecosystems rests upon accurately measuring the potential for C sequestration. Numerous methods are available for assessing soil C. Chemical analysis of field-collected samples using a dry combustion method is regarded as the standard method. However, conventional sampling of soil and their subsequent chemical analysis is expensive and time consuming. Furthermore, these methods are not sufficiently sensitive to identify small changes over time in response to alterations in management practices or changes in land use. Presently, several different in situ analytic methods are being developed purportedly offering increased accuracy, precision and cost-effectiveness over traditional ex situ methods. We consider that, at this stage, a comparative discussion of different soil C determination methods will improve the understanding needed to develop a standard protocol.

Soil metabolic pulses: water, substrate, and biological regulation.

Pulses of metabolic activity are a common ecological response to intermittently available resources, and in soils these pulses often occur in response to wetting. To better understand variation in soil pulses, we conducted a distributed field experiment at seven sites along a 2200-m elevation transect in southern California, USA. Treatments included both water and water + substrate additions and two measurements of soil respiration within one hour. These experiments were repeated 11 times throughout 2009-2010. Additions of substrate led to consistently higher pulse fluxes, exceeding 10 micromol CO2 x m(-2( x s(-1), than additions of water alone. These results support a sequential limitation by two resources where an initial limiting resource acts as a switch and, after activation, processes are regulated by a second resource. In contrast to general expectations of increasing pulses with higher soil organic matter (SOM), pulses exhibited strong scale dependencies. Pulses during the summer period and SOM were correlated positively within sites and negatively between sites. This cross-scale divergence implies that, at low elevations, the proportion of SOM available for pulse metabolism was a much larger fraction than at higher elevations. With expected climate changes leading to more frequent drying-wetting cycles, regulation of metabolic pulses will increasingly influence long-term biogeochemical dynamics.

Carbon pools of managed and unmanaged stands of ponderosa and lodgepole pine forests in Wyoming

Forest management practices can have a significant effect on above- and below-ground carbon (C) pools. To better understand the distribution of forest C pools, we evaluated representative forest stands within two dominant Wyoming forest types to assess differences resulting from management practices that have occurred over several decades. Study sites included four ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex Lawson & C.Lawson) treatments (100-year-old unmanaged, 46-year-old even-aged, 110-year-old uneven-aged, and 90-year-old intensively harvested) and two lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Engelm. var. latifolia (Engelm. ex Wats.) Critchfield) treatments (145-year-old unmanaged and 45-year-old even-aged). Comparisons of aboveground C pools revealed that distributions of live and dead biomass C pools were different between unmanaged and managed stands; however, belowground soil C pools were similar among stands within the two forest types. Overall, unmanaged stands of both forest types had higher total ecosyst...

Soil Moisture Controls the Denitrification Loss of Urea Nitrogen from Silty Clay Soil

Relative control of soil moisture [30, 60, and 80 percent water-holding capacity (WHC)] on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Fargo-Ryan soil, treated with urea at 0, 150, and 250 kg N ha−1 with and without nitrapyrin [2-chloro-(6-trichloromethyl) pyridine] (NP), was measured under laboratory condition for 140 days. Soil N2O emissions significantly increased with increasing nitrogen (N) rates and WHC levels. Urea applied at 250 kg N ha−1 produced the greatest cumulative N2O emissions and averaged 560, 3919, and 15894 µg kg−1 at 30, 60, and 80 percent WHC, respectively. At WHC ≤ 60 percent, addition of NP to urea significantly reduced N2O losses by 2.6- to 4.8-fold. Additions of NP to urea reduced N2O emission at rates similar to the control (0 N) until 48 days for 30 percent WHC and 35 days for 60 and 80 percent WHC. These results can help devise urea-N fertilizer management strategies in reducing N2O emissions from silty-clay soils.

Saline–Sodic Soils: Potential Sources of Nitrous Oxide and Carbon Dioxide Emissions?

Increasing salt–affected agricultural land due to low precipitation, high surface evaporation, irrigation with saline water, and poor cultural practices has triggered the interest to understand the influence of salt on nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from soil. Three soils with varying electrical conductivity of saturated paste extract (ECe) (0.44–7.20 dS m−1) and sodium adsorption ratio of saturated paste extract (SARe) (1.0–27.7), two saline–sodic soils (S2 and S3) and a non–saline, non–sodic soil (S1), were incubated at moisture levels of 40%, 60%, and 80% water–filled pore space (WFPS) for 30 d, with or without nitrogen (N) fertilizer addition (urea at 525 µg g−1 soil). Evolving CO2 and N2O were estimated by analyzing the collected gas samples during the incubation period. Across all moisture and N levels, the cumulative N2O emissions increased significantly by 39.8% and 42.4% in S2 and S3, respectively, compared to S1. The cumulative CO2 emission from the three soils did not differ significantly as a result of the complex interactions of salinity and sodicity. Moisture had no significant effect on N2O emissions, but cumulative CO2 emissions increased significantly with an increase in moisture. Addition of N significantly increased cumulative N2O and CO2 emissions. These showed that saline–sodic soils can be a significant contributor of N2O to the environment compared to non–saline, non–sodic soils. The application of N fertilizer, irrigation, and precipitation may potentially increase greenhouse gas (N2O and CO2) releases from saline–sodic soils.

Long-Term Effect of Nitrogen and Tillage Management on Soil Carbon Pools in the Semiarid Northern Great Plains

ABSTRACT No-tillage and manure application effect on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (N) concentrations were studied under a 27-year-old 4-year rotation consisting corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-field pea (Pisum sativum L.). Under each crop, four applied N treatments were control, annual urea-N applications at the rate of 45 and 89 kg N ha−1, and composted beef cattle feedlot manure-N at the rate 179 kg N ha−1 applied once every four year. For each fertilizer treatment, no-till (NT) and conventional till (CT) were compared for basic soil properties, SOC, and total N within 0–15 cm soil. Manure application significantly reduced soil bulk density and increased SOC and total N over urea-N. Particulate organic matter, mineralizable N, and permanganate-oxidizable C fractions significantly related with SOC. Long-term manure additions and no-tillage had potential to improve soil compaction and maintain SOC over chemical fertilizer N and CT.

Can We Reduce Rainfed Maize (Zea mays L.) Nitrogenous Fertilizer Application Rate with Addition of Nitrapyrin

ABSTRACT Application of nitrification inhibitor has potential to increase soil nitrogen (N) retention throughout the growing season and finally increase corn (Zea mays L.) yield. During the 2012–2014 growing seasons, on-farm field trials were conducted to determine the effects of nitrapyrin (Instinct) with two N sources, urea and urea ammonium nitrate, at two rates, 85% and 100% of recommended N, and side-dress on grain yield and soil inorganic N availability in the Red River Valley of the North Dakota. Preplant urea N at 100% recorded the greatest yield in 2 out of 3 years. At late sampling, the greatest soil inorganic N was observed with side-dress urea ammonium nitrate at 100% within 0–30 cm (last 2 years). For spring fertilizer N management, addition of nitrapyrin had no effect on yield and inconsistent effect on soil N availability. Our results suggest that fertilizer N management should be evaluated on a local scale and consider annual variability in weather.

Sodic Soil Reclamation Potential of Gypsum and Biocharadditions: Influence on Physicochemical Properties and Soil Respiration

ABSTRACT Reclamation of sodic soils is proving increasingly vital as greater land area becomes salt-affected in the northern Great Plains of the United States. Flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) can be an agriculturally important resource for increasing land productivity through the amelioration of sodic soils. Biochar is also considered as an aid in reclaiming degraded soils. In this incubation study, two rates of FGDG (33.6 Mg ha−1 and 66.2 Mg ha−1), two rates of biochar made from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) pulp (16.8 Mg ha−1), and one rate of FGDG combined with one rate of biochar (33.6 Mg ha−1 ea.) were applied to a sodic soil. Soil physicochemical properties, including cationic exchange, pH, electrical conductivity (ECe), sodium adsorption ratio (SARe), total organic carbon (TOC), water retention, and soil respiration rate, were assessed during and at the end of the incubation period. Addition of FGDG to sodic soil increased ECe from 3.5 to 8.4 dS m−1 and decreased SARe from 16 to 9. Biochar addition to sodic soil increased TOC from 62.2 to 99.5 μg g−1 and increased soil respiration rate (mg C kg−1 soil day−1) on every measurement period. When FGDG and biochar were both added to the sodic soil, TOC did not significantly improve; however, ECe increased from 3.5 to 7.7 dS m−1, SARe decreased from 16 to 9, and soil respiration rate increased for all measurements. The results confirm there is potential for FGDG and biochar to reclaim sodic soils alone, and applied in combination.

Variation in soil organic matter accumulation and metabolic activity along an elevation gradient in the Santa Rosa Mountains of Southern California, USA

Variations in soil organic matter accumulation across an elevation can be used to explain the control of substrate supply and variability on soil metabolic activity. We investigated geographic changes in soil organic matter and metabolic rates along an elevation gradient (289–2,489 m) in the Santa Rosa Mountains, California, USA from subalpine and montane pine forests through chaparral to desert. From base (289 m) to summit (2,489 m), 24 sites were established for collecting soil samples under canopies and inter-canopy spaces, at 0–5 and 5–15 cm soil depths increments. Soil organic matter (SOM) content was determined using weight loss on ignition at 550°C and soil CO2 efflux (R) was measured at day 5 (R5) and day 20 (R20) of incubation. Changes in SOM content along the elevation gradient showed a significant relationship (P<0.05) but R5 and R20 were not related to either elevation or SOM content. However, the ratio of R and SOM (R5/SOM) showed a strong relationship across the mountains at both soil depths. R5/SOM, as an indicator of carbon use efficiency, may be applicable to other semi-arid transects at larger scale modeling of soil metabolic processes.

Switchgrass Influences on Soil Biogeochemical Processes in the Dryland Region of the Pacific Northwest

Switchgrass and other perennial grasses have been promoted as biomass crops for production of renewable fuels. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of biomass removal on soil biogeochemical processes. A 3-year field study consisting of three levels of net primary productivity (NPP; low, medium, and high growing season precipitation) and two biomass crops (winter wheat and switchgrass) was conducted near Pendleton, Oregon. Switchgrass increased soil carbon (C)–nitrogen (N) ratio, but the effect varied with net primary productivity (NPP) and soil depth. In situ soil respiration (carbon dioxide; CO2) rate from switchgrass increased with NPP level but switchgrass had greater cumulative flux than wheat in medium and low NPP. Nitrogen mineralization and microbial biomass carbon were significantly greater under switchgrass than under wheat at high and medium NPP. Introduction of switchgrass initiates major changes in soil nutrient dynamics through organic-matter input.