M. J. Hedley

Processes of soil acidification during nitrogen cycling with emphasis on legume based pastures

In areas that remain unaffected by industrial pollution soil acidification is mainly caused by the release of protons (H+) during the oxidation of carbon (C), sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) compounds in soils. In this review the processes of H+ ions release during N cycling and its effect on soil acidification are examined. The major processes leading to acidification during N cycling in soils are: (i) the imbalance of cation over anion uptake in the rhizosphere of plants either actively fixing N2 gas or taking up NH 4 + ions as the major source of N, (ii) the net nitrification of N derived from fixation or from NH 4 + and R-NH2 based fertilizers, and (iii) the removal of plant and animal products containing N derived from the process described in (i) and losses of NO3-N by leaching when the N input form is N2,NH 4 + or R-NH2. The uptake of excess cations over anions by plants results in the acidification of the rhizosphere which is a “localized” effect and can be balanced by the release of hydroxyl (OH−) ions during subsequent plant decomposition. Nitrification of fixed N2 or NH 4 + and R-NH2 based fertilizers, and loss of N from the soil either by removal of products or by leaching of NO3-N with a companion basic cation, lead to ‘permanent’ acidification.

Losses and transformation of nitrogen during composting of poultry manure with different amendments : an incubation experiment

The transformation of nitrogen (N) and its subsequent loss during aerobic and anaerobic composting of poultry manure with different amendments were investigated through laboratory incubation experiments. The amendments included: four carbon (C) rich bedding materials (woodchip, paper waste, cereal straw and peat), one acidifying material (elemental sulphur, S0) and two adsorbents (zeolite and soil). The loss of N through ammonia (NH3) volatilization from aerobic condition was about 17% of total manure N which was reduced by 90–95% under anaerobic condition. Under aerobic incubation systems, amongst the bedding materials examined, wheat straw and peat were found to be superior in reducing the NH3 loss by 33·5 and 25·8%, respectively. Loss of NH3 was reduced by 60% in manure amended with S0. Zeolite was a more effective NH3 (or NH44) adsorbent than soil and reduced NH3 loss by 60%. The amount of 2 m KCl extractable NH4+ -N was almost 1000 times higher than of nitrate (NO3− -N) in all composting mixtures suggesting little oxidation of NH4+ to NO3− (nitrification) occurred. The measurement of total N in the compost at the end of the experiment showed a total loss of about 50 and 26% of manure N during aerobic and anaerobic incubations, respectively, as against only about 17 and <1% losses measured through NH3 volatilization. This suggested that the N loss through denitrification could be considerably higher than that occurred through NH3 volatilization.

A simplified resin membrane technique for extracting phosphorus from soils

A simplified procedure for determining the amount of phosphate (P) extracted from soils by ion exchange resin membranes is reported. Strips of anion (HCO3- form) and cation (Na+ form) exchange membrane were shaken with suspensions of soil in deionised water for 16–17 hours. After shaking, the strips were thoroughly rinsed in deionised water before the phosphate retained on the anion exchange resin strip was determined by shaking the strip directly with phosphate reagent. Compared to the common use of resin beads in nylon mesh bags, this resin membrane procedure is simpler, more convenient, and because an elution step is omitted, less time consuming.The mixed resin membrane method for soil phosphate extraction was compared to the use of resin bags on four New Zealand soils, contrasting in P sorbing capacity and exchangeable calcium. The soils were preincubated with and without 240 mg P kg−1 soil with three P sources of different solubilities. The resin strips extracted amounts of P which were closely correlated (R2 = 0.972) with that extracted by the resin bags. The amounts of P extracted by the mixed resin procedure were in proportion to the solubility of the P sources in each soil.

Environmental hazards of fluoride in volcanic ash: a case study from Ruapehu volcano, New Zealand

Abstract The vent-hosted hydrothermal system of Ruapehu volcano is normally covered by a c. 10 million m3 acidic crater lake where volcanic gases accumulate. Through analysis of eruption observations, granulometry, mineralogy and chemistry of volcanic ash from the 1995–1996 Ruapehu eruptions we report on the varying influences on environmental hazards associated with the deposits. All measured parameters are more dependent on the eruptive style than on distance from the vent. Early phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruption phases from crater lakes similar to that on Ruapehu are likely to contain the greatest concentrations of environmentally significant elements, especially sulphur and fluoride. These elements are contained within altered xenolithic material extracted from the hydrothermal system by steam explosions, as well as in residue hydrothermal fluids adsorbed on to particle surfaces. In particular, total F in the ash may be enriched by a factor of 6 relative to original magmatic contents, although immediately soluble F does not show such dramatic increases. Highly soluble NaF and CaSiF6 phases, demonstrated to be the carriers of ‘available’ F in purely magmatic eruptive systems, are probably not dominant in the products of phreatomagmatic eruptions through hydrothermal systems. Instead, slowly soluble compounds such as CaF2, AlF3 and Ca5(PO4)3F dominate. Fluoride in these phases is released over longer periods, where only one third is leached in a single 24-h water extraction. This implies that estimation of soluble F in such ashes based on a single leach leads to underestimation of the F impact, especially of a potential longer-term environmental hazard. In addition, a large proportion of the total F in the ash is apparently soluble in the digestive system of grazing animals. In the Ruapehu case this led to several thousand sheep deaths from fluorosis.

Fluoride: A review of its fate, bioavailability, and risks of fluorosis in grazed‐pasture systems in New Zealand

Abstract Fluoride (F) is an essential element for animal growth, not readily taken up by plants from soils, yet cases of acute fluorosis in grazing animals caused by ingestion of phosphatic fertilisers, volcanic ash, and industrial wastes remind us of its potential hazard. Fluoride concentrations in topsoils slowly increase where annual inputs through atmospheric pollution and phosphatic fertilisers exceed losses. This paper reviews information on the fate of F in grazed pasture systems with the aim of assessing the potential toxicity of accumulating soil F. A preliminary F‐cycling model for grazed pastures, based on the review of international literature and F concentrations in selected New Zealand pasture soils, indicated that grazing sheep and cattle obtain over 50% of their dietary F (and this may be >80% during winter) from soil ingestion. The model suggests that at the extremes of the ranges of the measured winter soil ingestion (143–300 g d‐1 for sheep and 900–1600 g d‐1 for cattle) and dietary F absorptivity (bioavailability) of soil F (20–38%), total topsoil F concentrations in the range of 372–1461 μg F g‐1 could cause chronic fluorosis in sheep and 326–1085 μg F g‐1 in cattle. We recommend that research is undertaken to measure F accumulation rates and soil F dietary absorptivity for a range of intensively managed New Zealand pasture soils.

Nutrient management in New Zealand pastures— recent developments and future issues

Abstract In this publication we review recent research and understandings of nutrient flows and losses, and management practices on grazed pastoral farms in New Zealand. Developments in nutrient management principles in recent years have seen a much greater focus on practices and technologies that minimise the leakage of nutrients, especially nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), from farms to the wider environment. This has seen farm nutrient management planning shift from a relatively small set of procedures designed to optimise fertiliser application rates for pasture and animal production to a comprehensive whole‐farm nutrient management approach that considers a range of issues to ensure both farm productivity and environmental outcomes are achieved. These include consideration of factors such as multiple sources of nutrient imports to farms, the optimal re‐use and re‐distribution of nutrient sources generated within the farm (such as farm dairy effluent), identification of the risks associated with applying various nutrient forms to contrasting land management units, and an econometric evaluation of farm fertilisation practices. The development of nutrient budgeting and econometric decision support tools has greatly aided putting these more complex whole‐farm nutrient management systems into practice. Research has also identified a suite of mitigation systems and technological measures that appear to be able to deliver substantial reductions in nutrient losses from pastoral farms. However, issues of cost, complexity, compatibility with the current farm system, and a perceived uncertainty of actual environmental benefits are identified as key barriers to adoption of some of these technologies. Farmers accordingly identified that their main requirement for improved nutrient management planning systems was flexibility in how they would meet their environmental targets. The provision of readily discernible information and tools defining the economic and environmental implications of a range of proven management or mitigation practices is a key requirement to achieve this.

A review of the use of phosphate rocks as fertilizers for direct application in Australia and New Zealand.

Field trials in New Zealand have shown that reactive phosphate rocks (RPRs) can be as effective as soluble P fertilisers, per kg of P applied, on permanent pastures that have a soil pH 800 mm. Whereas RPRs such as North Carolina, Sechura, Gafsa and Chatham Rise have been evaluated on permanent pastures in New Zealand, most Australian field trials have examined unreactive PRs such as Christmas Island A and C grade, Nauru and Duchess, using annual plant species. Only in recent experiments has an RPR, North Carolina, been examined. Except on the highly leached sands in southern and south-western Australia, both reactive and unreactive PRs have shown a low effectiveness relative to superphosphate. In addition to chemical reactivity, other factors may contribute to the difference in the observed agronomic effectiveness of PRs in Australia and New Zealand. Generally, PRs have been evaluated on soils of lower pH, higher pH buffering capacity (as measured by titratable acidity) and higher P status in New Zealand than in Australia. Rainfall is more evenly distributed throughout the year on New Zealand pastures than in Australia where the soil surface dries out between rainfall events. Dry conditions reduce the rate at which soil acid diffuses to a PR granule and dissolution products diffuse away. Even when pH and soil moisture are favourable, the release of P from PR is slow and more suited to permanent pasture (i.e. the conditions usually used to evaluate PRs in New Zealand) than to the annual pastures or crops used in most Australian trials. Based on the criteria of soil pH 800 mm, it is estimated that the potentially suitable area for RPRs on pasture in New Zealand is about 8 million ha. Extending this analysis to Australia, but excluding the seasonal rainfall areas of northern and south-western Australia, the potentially suitable area is about 13 million ha. In New Zealand, many of the soils in the North and South Islands satisfy both the pH and rainfall criteria. However, suitable areas in Australia are confined mainly to the coastal and tableland areas of New South Wales and eastern Victoria, and within these areas the actual effectiveness of RPR will depend markedly on soil management and the distribution of annual rainfall. Further research on RPR use should be focused on these areas.

Fertiliser contaminants in New Zealand grazed pasture with special reference to cadmium and fluorine: a review

Phosphorus (P) fertilisers are an essential input for the economic production of legume-based pastures in New Zealand (NZ) and Australia, but they often contain some unwanted elements that can contaminate the soil, thereby creating potential risks to the health of grazing animal, food quality, and soil quality. Fluorine (F) and cadmium (Cd) are considered to be the elements of most concern. Incidences of F toxicity (from direct ingestion of fertiliser), and accumulation of Cd in offal products above the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) set by the food authorities, have been reported in NZ. Similarly, Cd concentrations in some food grains may exceed the newly proposed MPCs by the Australian and New Zealand Food Authority. Cadmium and F continue to accumulate in the topsoils of NZ and Australian pastures as a result of P fertiliser use. The mobility of both these elements in soils is low and is similar to that of P. Risk of ground water contamination from F and Cd applied to most NZ pastures is low. The plant uptake of these elements, especially F, is also low in most pastoral soils. Cadmium accumulates mainly in liver and kidney of grazing animals mostly through herbage ingestion, whereas F accumulates mainly in the bones of these animals, mostly through soil ingestion. Soil ingestion is highest during the wetter winter months and at high stocking rates. Models have been developed to assess the impact of fertiliser use on the potential risks associated with F and Cd accumulation in soils. Measures to control F and Cd accumulation in soils, plants, and grazing animals are presented and future research needs are identified.

Fluoride accumulation in pasture forages and soils following long-term applications of phosphorus fertilisers

Ingestion of soils with high fluoride (F) concentration may cause chronic fluorosis in grazing animals. Analysis of New Zealand pasture soils with long-term phosphorus (P) fertilisation histories showed that total surface soil (0-75 mm depth) F concentration increased up to 217-454 mg kg-1 with P fertiliser application. One-third to two-thirds of F applied in fertilisers resides in the top 75 mm soil depth. Pasture forage accumulation of F was low, and therefore, F intake by grazing animals through pasture consumption is expected to be much lower than F intake by soil ingestion. Ten annual applications of single superphosphate (30 and 60 kg P ha-1 year-1) to a Pallic Soil (Aeric Fragiaqualf) significantly increased total F and labile F (0.01 M CaCl2 extract) concentrations to 200 and 120 mm depths, respectively, of the 300 mm depth investigated. The mobility of F in the soil profile was similar to two other elements, P and cadmium derived from the fertiliser.

Progress in selected areas of rhizosphere research on P acquisition

Large reserves of P have accumulated in soils of developed countries because additions of P fertiliser to sustain agricultural production have exceeded crop removal. By contrast, in many developing countries in the tropics and subtropics, soil P reserves are gravely low and large additions are required before maintenance requirements begin to decline. In addition, the cost of P fertiliser will increase as the currently accessible deposits of high-grade phosphate rock (PR) diminish. Developing plants that efficiently tap soil P reserves and low grade PR is therefore a priority for agricultural research. For the 50th anniversary of the New Zealand Soil Science Society, this paper reviews research on P efficiency in plants, conducted by staff, students, and research associates of Massey University, in the context of other research into plant mechanisms that enhance P uptake, including effects of root geometry, mycorrhizal associations, and root-induced changes in the soil. Techniques for fractionation of soil P are highlighted.