The distribution of functional N-cycle related genes and ammonia and nitrate nitrogen in soil profiles fertilized with mineral and organic N fertilizer

Massimo Zilio, Silvia Motta, Fulvia Tambone, Barbara Scaglia, Gabriele Boccasile, Andrea Squartini and Fabrizio Adani

PLOS ONE, 2020, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-19

Abstract: Nitrogen transformation in soil is a complex process and the soil microbial population can regulate the potential for N mineralization, nitrification and denitrification. Here we show that agricultural soils under standard agricultural N-management are consistently characterized by a high presence of gene copies for some of the key biological activities related to the N-cycle. This led to a strong NO3- reduction (75%) passing from the soil surface (15.38 ± 11.36 g N-NO3 kg-1 on average) to the 1 m deep layer (3.92 ± 4.42 g N-NO3 kg-1 on average), and ensured low nitrate presence in the deepest layer. Under these circumstances the other soil properties play a minor role in reducing soil nitrate presence in soil. However, with excessive N fertilization, the abundance of bacterial gene copies is not sufficient to explain N leaching in soil and other factors, i.e. soil texture and rainfall, become more important in controlling these aspects.

Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0228364

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228364

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