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The nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide increases mineralization–immobilization turnover in slurry-amended grassland soil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2014

M. ERNFORS ,
F. P. BRENNAN ,
K. G. RICHARDS ,
K. L. MCGEOUGH ,
B. S. GRIFFITHS ,
R. J. LAUGHLIN ,
C. J. WATSON ,
L. PHILIPPOT ,
J. GRANT  and
E. P. MINET
...Show all authors
M. ERNFORS*
Affiliation:
Teagasc, Environmental Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland Department of Biosystems and technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 104, Alnarp SE 23053, Sweden
F. P. BRENNAN
Affiliation:
Teagasc, Environmental Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland INRA, UMR 1347 Agroecologie, Dijon, France Ecological Sciences Group, The James Hutton Institute, Cragiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, UK
K. G. RICHARDS
Affiliation:
Teagasc, Environmental Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland
K. L. MCGEOUGH
Affiliation:
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, Northern Ireland
B. S. GRIFFITHS
Affiliation:
Teagasc, Environmental Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland SRUC, Crop and Soil Systems Research Group, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
R. J. LAUGHLIN
Affiliation:
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, Northern Ireland
C. J. WATSON
Affiliation:
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, Northern Ireland
L. PHILIPPOT
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR 1347 Agroecologie, Dijon, France
J. GRANT
Affiliation:
Teagasc, Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15, Ireland
E. P. MINET
Affiliation:
Teagasc, Environmental Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland
E. MOYNIHAN
Affiliation:
Teagasc, Environmental Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland
C. MÜLLER
Affiliation:
School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Department of Plant Ecology, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26, Giessen 35392, Germany
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: [email protected]
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Summary

Nitrification inhibitors are used in agriculture for the purpose of decreasing nitrogen (N) losses, by limiting the microbially mediated oxidation of ammonium (NH4+) to nitrate (NO3−). Successful inhibition of nitrification has been shown in numerous studies, but the extent to which inhibitors affect other N transformations in soil is largely unknown. In the present study, cattle slurry was applied to microcosms of three different grassland soils, with or without the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD). A solution containing NH4+ and NO3−, labelled with 15N either on the NH4+ or the NO3− part, was mixed with the slurry before application. Gross N transformation rates were estimated using a 15N tracing model. In all three soils, DCD significantly inhibited gross autotrophic nitrification, by 79–90%. Gross mineralization of recalcitrant organic N increased significantly with DCD addition in two soils, whereas gross heterotrophic nitrification from the same pool decreased with DCD addition in two soils. Fungal to bacterial ratios were not significantly affected by DCD addition. Total gross mineralization and immobilization increased significantly across the three soils when DCD was used, which suggests that DCD can cause non-target effects on soil N mineralization–immobilization turnover.

Type
Nitrogen Workshop Special Issue Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 152 , Supplement S1: Special Issue from the 17th International Nitrogen Workshop , December 2014 , pp. 137 - 149
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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References

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