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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2013, Vol. 12 Issue (11): 2092-2102    DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(13)60398-6
Soil & Fertilization · Irrigation · Agro-Ecology & Environment Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Soil pH Dynamics and Nitrogen Transformations Under Long-Term Chemical Fertilization in Four Typical Chinese Croplands
 MENG Hong-qi, XU Ming-gang, LÜ Jia-long, HE Xin-hua, LI Jian-wei, SHI Xiao-jun, PENG
1.College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, P.R.China
2.Key Laboratory of Crop Nutrition and Fertilization, Ministry of Agriculture/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning,Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, P.R.China
3.Institute of Resources and Environment, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454010, P.R.China
4.School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, WA 6009, Australia
5.Department of Botany and Microbiology, The University of Oklahoma, Norman OK 73019, United States
6.College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, P.R.China
7.Institute of Soil and Fertilizer, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130001, P.R.China
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摘要  Long-term fertilization experiment provides the platform for understanding the proton budgets in nitrogen transformations of agricultural ecosystems. We analyzed the historical (1990-2005) observations on four agricultural long-term experiments in China (Changping, Chongqing, Gongzhuling and Qiyang) under four different fertilizations, i.e., no-fertilizer (control), sole chemical nitrogen fertilizer (FN), sole chemical phosphorous and potassium fertilizers (FPK) and chemical nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium fertilizers (FNPK). The significant decline in topsoil pH was caused not only by chemical N fertilization (0.29 and 0.89 ΔpH at Gongzhuling and Qiyang, respectively) but also by chemical PK fertilization (0.59 ΔpH at Gongzhuling). The enhancement of available nutrients in the topsoil due to long-term direct nutrients supply with chemical fertilizers was in the descending order of available P (168-599%)>available K (16-189%)>available N (9-33%). The relative rate of soil pH decline was lower under long-term judicious chemical fertilization (-0.036-0.034 ΔpH yr-1) than that under long-term sole N or PK fertilization (0.016-0.086 ΔpH yr-1). Long-term judicious chemical fertilization with N, P and K elements decreases the nutritional limitation to normal crop growth, under which more N output was distributed in biomass removal rather than the loss via nitrate leaching. We concluded that the N distribution percentage of nitrate leaching to biomass removal might be a suitable indicator to the sensitivity of agricultural ecosystems to acid inputs.

Abstract  Long-term fertilization experiment provides the platform for understanding the proton budgets in nitrogen transformations of agricultural ecosystems. We analyzed the historical (1990-2005) observations on four agricultural long-term experiments in China (Changping, Chongqing, Gongzhuling and Qiyang) under four different fertilizations, i.e., no-fertilizer (control), sole chemical nitrogen fertilizer (FN), sole chemical phosphorous and potassium fertilizers (FPK) and chemical nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium fertilizers (FNPK). The significant decline in topsoil pH was caused not only by chemical N fertilization (0.29 and 0.89 ΔpH at Gongzhuling and Qiyang, respectively) but also by chemical PK fertilization (0.59 ΔpH at Gongzhuling). The enhancement of available nutrients in the topsoil due to long-term direct nutrients supply with chemical fertilizers was in the descending order of available P (168-599%)>available K (16-189%)>available N (9-33%). The relative rate of soil pH decline was lower under long-term judicious chemical fertilization (-0.036-0.034 ΔpH yr-1) than that under long-term sole N or PK fertilization (0.016-0.086 ΔpH yr-1). Long-term judicious chemical fertilization with N, P and K elements decreases the nutritional limitation to normal crop growth, under which more N output was distributed in biomass removal rather than the loss via nitrate leaching. We concluded that the N distribution percentage of nitrate leaching to biomass removal might be a suitable indicator to the sensitivity of agricultural ecosystems to acid inputs.
Keywords:  available nutrients       ecosystem       long-term fertilization       N distribution       soil pH  
Accepted:
Fund: 

Financial support was provided by the National 973 Program of China (2011CB100501 and 2014CB441001) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41071200).

Corresponding Authors:  Correspondence XU Ming-gang, Tel: +86-10-82105636, E-mail: mgxu@caas.ac.cn; Lü Jia-long, Tel:+86-29-87080051, E-mail: ljlll@nwsuaf.edu.cn     E-mail:  mgxu@caas.ac.cn
About author:  MENG Hong-qi, Tel: +86-391-3987961, E-mail: mengborse@sohu.com

Cite this article: 

MENG Hong-qi, XU Ming-gang, Lü Jia-long, HE Xin-hua, LI Jian-wei, SHI Xiao-jun, PENG . 2013. Soil pH Dynamics and Nitrogen Transformations Under Long-Term Chemical Fertilization in Four Typical Chinese Croplands. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 12(11): 2092-2102.

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