Plant Soil Environ., 2024, 70(11):695-701 | DOI: 10.17221/160/2024-PSE

Effects of mineral/organic fertilisation on the soil organic nitrogen pool in a semi‑arid steppeOriginal Paper

Dongqi Jiang ORCID...1,3, Nan Jiang1,3, Zhuo Wang1,2, Chenran Wu1,2, Lijun Chen1,3, Yulan Zhang1, Zhenhua Chen1,3
1 Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, P.R. China
2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
3 Institute of Applied Ecology, Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, P.R. China

Compared to solely mineral fertiliser application, organic fertiliser substitution has been demonstrated to be effective in enhancing nitrogen cycling in cropland, but the relevant research based on grassland is still insufficient. A field experiment was carried out in the grasslands of northern China to examine the impact of mineral/organic fertilisation on soil organic nitrogen fractions, activities of soil N-hydrolysing enzymes and their interrelationships. The results showed that the active soil organic nitrogen pool (hydrolysable NH4+-N + amino sugar-N + amino acid N) increased significantly after fertilisation, and organic fertiliser combined with mineral fertiliser addition showed the best promotion effect. N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase, protease and urease activities are also significantly affected by fertilisation. The findings of our study indicate that the combination of mineral fertiliser and organic fertiliser shows a higher potential in improving the active soil organic nitrogen supply. This approach seems to be a viable agronomic strategy for augmenting soil nitrogen supply and ensuring the stability of the soil nitrogen pool in the semi-arid steppe region of northern China.

Keywords: long-term experiment; urea; organic manure; soil properties; nitrogen cycling

Received: April 10, 2024; Revised: August 29, 2024; Accepted: September 2, 2024; Prepublished online: October 3, 2024; Published: October 17, 2024  Show citation

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Jiang D, Jiang N, Wang Z, Wu C, Chen L, Zhang Y, Chen Z. Effects of mineral/organic fertilisation on the soil organic nitrogen pool in a semi‑arid steppe. Plant Soil Environ. 2024;70(11):695-701. doi: 10.17221/160/2024-PSE.
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