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Dima Chen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Soil Acidification reduces the effects of short term nutrient enrichment on plant and Soil biota and their interactions in grasslands
Global Change Biology, 2020Co-Authors: Dima Chen, Hong Xiao, Bing Wang, Yuhe Zhu, Yongfei BaiAbstract:Soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents, and Soil Acidification have greatly increased in grassland ecosystems due to increased industrial and agricultural activities. As major environmental and economic concerns worldwide, nutrient enrichment and Soil Acidification can lead to substantial changes in the diversity and structure of plant and Soil communities. Although the separate effects of N and P enrichment on Soil food webs have been assessed across different ecosystems, the combined effects of N and P enrichment on multiple trophic levels in Soil food webs have not been studied in semiarid grasslands experiencing Soil Acidification. Here we conducted a short-term N and P enrichment experiment in non-acidified and acidified Soil in a semiarid grassland on the Mongolian Plateau. We found that net primary productivity was not affected by N or P enrichment alone in either non-acidified or acidified Soil, but was increased by combined N and P enrichment in both non-acidified and acidified Soil. Nutrient enrichment decreased the biomass of most microbial groups in non-acidified Soil (the decrease tended to be greatest with combined N and P enrichment) but not in acidified Soil, and did not affect most Soil nematode variables in non-acidified or acidified Soil. Nutrient enrichment also changed plant and microbial community structure in non-acidified but not in acidified Soil, and had no effect on nematode community structure in non-acidified or acidified Soil. These results indicate that the responses to short-term nutrient enrichment were weaker for higher trophic groups (nematodes) than for lower trophic groups (microorganisms) and primary producers (plants). The findings increase our understanding of the effects of nutrient enrichment on multiple trophic levels of Soil food webs, and highlight that Soil Acidification, as an anthropogenic stressor, reduced the responses of plants and Soil food webs to nutrient enrichment and weakened plant-Soil interactions.
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Soil Acidification exerts a greater control on Soil respiration than Soil nitrogen availability in grasslands subjected to long term nitrogen enrichment
Functional Ecology, 2016Co-Authors: Dima Chen, Zhichun Lan, Yongfei BaiAbstract:Summary Terrestrial ecosystems worldwide are receiving increasing amounts of biologically reactive nitrogen (N) as a consequence of anthropogenic activities. This intended or unintended fertilization can have a wide-range of impacts on biotic communities and hence on Soil respiration. Reduction in below-ground carbon (C) allocation induced by high N availability has been assumed to be a major mechanism determining the effects of N enrichment on Soil respiration. In addition to increasing available N, however, N enrichment causes Soil Acidification, which may also affect root and microbial activities. The relative importance of increased N availability vs. Soil Acidification on Soil respiration in natural ecosystems experiencing N enrichment is unclear. We conducted a 12-year N enrichment experiment and a 4-year complementary acid addition experiment in a semi-arid Inner Mongolian grassland. We found that N enrichment had contrasting effects on root and microbial respiration. N enrichment significantly increased root biomass, root N content and specific root respiration, thereby promoting root respiration. In contrast, N enrichment significantly suppressed microbial respiration likely by reducing total microbial biomass and changing the microbial community composition. The effect on root activities was due to both Soil acidity and increased available N, while the effect on microbes primarily stemmed from Soil acidity, which was further confirmed by results from the acid addition experiment. Our results indicate that Soil Acidification exerts a greater control than Soil N availability on Soil respiration in grasslands experiencing long-term N enrichment. These findings suggest that N-induced Soil Acidification should be included in predicting terrestrial ecosystem C balance under future N deposition scenarios.
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biotic community shifts explain the contrasting responses of microbial and root respiration to experimental Soil Acidification
Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2015Co-Authors: Dima Chen, Yang Wang, Zhichun Lan, Wen Xing, Yongfei BaiAbstract:Abstract Soil respiration is comprised primarily of root and microbial respiration, and accounts for nearly half of the total CO2 efflux from terrestrial ecosystems. Soil Acidification resulting from acid deposition significantly affects Soil respiration. Yet, the mechanisms that underlie the effects of Acidification on Soil respiration and its two components remain unclear. We collected data on sources of Soil CO2 efflux (microbial and root respiration), above- and belowground biotic communities, and Soil properties in a 4-year field experiment with seven levels of acid in a semi-arid Inner Mongolian grassland. Here, we show that Soil Acidification has contrasting effects on root and microbial respiration in a typical steppe grassland. Soil Acidification increases root respiration mainly by an increase in root biomass and a shift to plant species with greater specific root respiration rates. The shift of plant community from perennial bunchgrasses to perennial rhizome grasses was in turn regulated by the decreases in Soil base cations and N status. In contrast, Soil Acidification suppresses microbial respiration by reducing total microbial biomass and enzymatic activities, which appear to result from increases in Soil H+ ions and decreases in Soil base cations. Our results suggest that shifts in both plant and microbial communities dominate the responses of Soil respiration and its components to Soil Acidification. These results also indicate that carbon cycling models concerned with future climate change should consider Soil Acidification as well as shifts in biotic communities.
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effects of nitrogen enrichment on belowground communities in grassland relative role of Soil nitrogen availability vs Soil Acidification
Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2015Co-Authors: Dima Chen, Zhichun Lan, Yongfei BaiAbstract:Terrestrial ecosystems worldwide are receiving increasing amounts of biologically reactive nitrogen (N) as a consequence of anthropogenic activities. This intended or unintended fertilization can have a wide range of impacts on the above- and belowground communities. An increase in high N availability has been assumed to be a major mechanism enhancing the abundance of above- and belowground communities. In addition to increasing available N, however, N enrichment causes Soil Acidification, which may negatively affect above- and belowground communities. The relative importance of increased N availability vs. increased Soil acidity for above- and belowground communities in natural ecosystems experiencing N enrichment is unclear. In a 12-year N enrichment experiment in a semi-arid grassland, N enrichment substantially increased both above- and belowground plant biomass mainly via the N availability-induced increase in biomass of perennial rhizome grasses. N enrichment also dramatically suppressed bacterial, fungal, and actinobacteria biomass mainly via the Soil Acidification pathway (Acidification increased concentrations of H+ ions and Al3+ and decreased concentrations of mineral cations). In addition, N enrichment also suppressed bacterial-, fungal-feeding, and omnivorous + carnivorous nematodes mainly via the Soil Acidification pathway (Acidification reduced nematode food resources and reduced concentrations of mineral cations). The positive effects resulting from the increase in belowground carbon allocation (via increase in quantity and quality of plant production) on belowground communities were outweighed by the negative effects resulting from Soil Acidification, indicating that N enrichment weakens the linkages between aboveground and belowground components of grassland ecosystems. Our results suggest that N enrichment-induced Soil Acidification should be included in models that predict biota communities and linkages to carbon and nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems under future scenarios of N deposition.
Yongfei Bai - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Soil Acidification reduces the effects of short term nutrient enrichment on plant and Soil biota and their interactions in grasslands
Global Change Biology, 2020Co-Authors: Dima Chen, Hong Xiao, Bing Wang, Yuhe Zhu, Yongfei BaiAbstract:Soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents, and Soil Acidification have greatly increased in grassland ecosystems due to increased industrial and agricultural activities. As major environmental and economic concerns worldwide, nutrient enrichment and Soil Acidification can lead to substantial changes in the diversity and structure of plant and Soil communities. Although the separate effects of N and P enrichment on Soil food webs have been assessed across different ecosystems, the combined effects of N and P enrichment on multiple trophic levels in Soil food webs have not been studied in semiarid grasslands experiencing Soil Acidification. Here we conducted a short-term N and P enrichment experiment in non-acidified and acidified Soil in a semiarid grassland on the Mongolian Plateau. We found that net primary productivity was not affected by N or P enrichment alone in either non-acidified or acidified Soil, but was increased by combined N and P enrichment in both non-acidified and acidified Soil. Nutrient enrichment decreased the biomass of most microbial groups in non-acidified Soil (the decrease tended to be greatest with combined N and P enrichment) but not in acidified Soil, and did not affect most Soil nematode variables in non-acidified or acidified Soil. Nutrient enrichment also changed plant and microbial community structure in non-acidified but not in acidified Soil, and had no effect on nematode community structure in non-acidified or acidified Soil. These results indicate that the responses to short-term nutrient enrichment were weaker for higher trophic groups (nematodes) than for lower trophic groups (microorganisms) and primary producers (plants). The findings increase our understanding of the effects of nutrient enrichment on multiple trophic levels of Soil food webs, and highlight that Soil Acidification, as an anthropogenic stressor, reduced the responses of plants and Soil food webs to nutrient enrichment and weakened plant-Soil interactions.
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Soil Acidification exerts a greater control on Soil respiration than Soil nitrogen availability in grasslands subjected to long term nitrogen enrichment
Functional Ecology, 2016Co-Authors: Dima Chen, Zhichun Lan, Yongfei BaiAbstract:Summary Terrestrial ecosystems worldwide are receiving increasing amounts of biologically reactive nitrogen (N) as a consequence of anthropogenic activities. This intended or unintended fertilization can have a wide-range of impacts on biotic communities and hence on Soil respiration. Reduction in below-ground carbon (C) allocation induced by high N availability has been assumed to be a major mechanism determining the effects of N enrichment on Soil respiration. In addition to increasing available N, however, N enrichment causes Soil Acidification, which may also affect root and microbial activities. The relative importance of increased N availability vs. Soil Acidification on Soil respiration in natural ecosystems experiencing N enrichment is unclear. We conducted a 12-year N enrichment experiment and a 4-year complementary acid addition experiment in a semi-arid Inner Mongolian grassland. We found that N enrichment had contrasting effects on root and microbial respiration. N enrichment significantly increased root biomass, root N content and specific root respiration, thereby promoting root respiration. In contrast, N enrichment significantly suppressed microbial respiration likely by reducing total microbial biomass and changing the microbial community composition. The effect on root activities was due to both Soil acidity and increased available N, while the effect on microbes primarily stemmed from Soil acidity, which was further confirmed by results from the acid addition experiment. Our results indicate that Soil Acidification exerts a greater control than Soil N availability on Soil respiration in grasslands experiencing long-term N enrichment. These findings suggest that N-induced Soil Acidification should be included in predicting terrestrial ecosystem C balance under future N deposition scenarios.
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biotic community shifts explain the contrasting responses of microbial and root respiration to experimental Soil Acidification
Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2015Co-Authors: Dima Chen, Yang Wang, Zhichun Lan, Wen Xing, Yongfei BaiAbstract:Abstract Soil respiration is comprised primarily of root and microbial respiration, and accounts for nearly half of the total CO2 efflux from terrestrial ecosystems. Soil Acidification resulting from acid deposition significantly affects Soil respiration. Yet, the mechanisms that underlie the effects of Acidification on Soil respiration and its two components remain unclear. We collected data on sources of Soil CO2 efflux (microbial and root respiration), above- and belowground biotic communities, and Soil properties in a 4-year field experiment with seven levels of acid in a semi-arid Inner Mongolian grassland. Here, we show that Soil Acidification has contrasting effects on root and microbial respiration in a typical steppe grassland. Soil Acidification increases root respiration mainly by an increase in root biomass and a shift to plant species with greater specific root respiration rates. The shift of plant community from perennial bunchgrasses to perennial rhizome grasses was in turn regulated by the decreases in Soil base cations and N status. In contrast, Soil Acidification suppresses microbial respiration by reducing total microbial biomass and enzymatic activities, which appear to result from increases in Soil H+ ions and decreases in Soil base cations. Our results suggest that shifts in both plant and microbial communities dominate the responses of Soil respiration and its components to Soil Acidification. These results also indicate that carbon cycling models concerned with future climate change should consider Soil Acidification as well as shifts in biotic communities.
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effects of nitrogen enrichment on belowground communities in grassland relative role of Soil nitrogen availability vs Soil Acidification
Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2015Co-Authors: Dima Chen, Zhichun Lan, Yongfei BaiAbstract:Terrestrial ecosystems worldwide are receiving increasing amounts of biologically reactive nitrogen (N) as a consequence of anthropogenic activities. This intended or unintended fertilization can have a wide range of impacts on the above- and belowground communities. An increase in high N availability has been assumed to be a major mechanism enhancing the abundance of above- and belowground communities. In addition to increasing available N, however, N enrichment causes Soil Acidification, which may negatively affect above- and belowground communities. The relative importance of increased N availability vs. increased Soil acidity for above- and belowground communities in natural ecosystems experiencing N enrichment is unclear. In a 12-year N enrichment experiment in a semi-arid grassland, N enrichment substantially increased both above- and belowground plant biomass mainly via the N availability-induced increase in biomass of perennial rhizome grasses. N enrichment also dramatically suppressed bacterial, fungal, and actinobacteria biomass mainly via the Soil Acidification pathway (Acidification increased concentrations of H+ ions and Al3+ and decreased concentrations of mineral cations). In addition, N enrichment also suppressed bacterial-, fungal-feeding, and omnivorous + carnivorous nematodes mainly via the Soil Acidification pathway (Acidification reduced nematode food resources and reduced concentrations of mineral cations). The positive effects resulting from the increase in belowground carbon allocation (via increase in quantity and quality of plant production) on belowground communities were outweighed by the negative effects resulting from Soil Acidification, indicating that N enrichment weakens the linkages between aboveground and belowground components of grassland ecosystems. Our results suggest that N enrichment-induced Soil Acidification should be included in models that predict biota communities and linkages to carbon and nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems under future scenarios of N deposition.
Shuli Niu - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Global Soil Acidification impacts on belowground processes
Environmental Research Letters, 2019Co-Authors: Cheng Meng, Dashuan Tian, Hui Zeng, Shuli NiuAbstract:With continuous nitrogen (N) enrichment and sulfur (S) deposition, Soil Acidification has accelerated and become a global environmental issue. However, a full understanding of the general pattern of ecosystem belowground processes in response to Soil Acidification due to the impacting factors remains elusive. We conducted a meta-analysis of Soil Acidification impacts on belowground functions using 304 observations from 49 independent studies, mainly including Soil cations, Soil nutrient, respiration, root and microbial biomass. Our results show that acid addition significantly reduced Soil pH by 0.24 on average, with less pH decrease in forest than non-forest ecosystems. The response ratio of Soil pH was positively correlated with site precipitation and temperature, but negatively with initial Soil pH. Soil base cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+) decreased while non-base cations (Al3+, Fe3+) increased with Soil Acidification. Soil respiration, fine root biomass, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen were significantly reduced by 14.7%, 19.1%, 9.6% and 12.1%, respectively, under acid addition. These indicate that Soil carbon processes are sensitive to Soil Acidification. Overall, our meta-analysis suggests a strong negative impact of Soil Acidification on belowground functions, with the potential to suppress Soil carbon emission. It also arouses our attention to the toxic effects of Soil ions on terrestrial ecosystems.
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Soil acid cations induced reduction in Soil respiration under nitrogen enrichment and Soil Acidification.
The Science of the total environment, 2017Co-Authors: Dashuan Tian, Jian Sun, Jinsong Wang, Guangwei Jing, Shuli NiuAbstract:Abstract Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and Soil Acidification both can largely change Soil microbial activity and root growth with a consequent impact on Soil respiration (R s ). However, it remains unclear which one, N enrichment or Soil Acidification, plays more important role in impacting Soil respiration. We conducted a manipulative experiment to simulate N enrichment (10 g m − 2 yr − 1 NH 4 NO 3 ) and Soil acidity (0.552 mol H + m − 2 yr − 1 sulfuric acid) and compared their effects on R s and its components in a subtropical forest. The results showed that Soil pH was reduced by 0.4 similarly under N addition or acid addition after 3 years' treatment. Acid addition decreased autotrophic respiration (R a ) by 22–35% and heterotrophic respiration (R h ) by 22–23%, resulting in a reduction of R s by 22–26% in the two years. N addition reduced R a , R h , R s less than acid addition did. The reductions of R s and its components were attributed to increase of Soil acid cations and reduction of cellulose degrading enzymes activity. N addition and Soil Acidification significantly enhanced fungal to bacterial ratio. All the cellulose degrading enzymes were reduced more by Soil acidity (43–50%) than N addition (30–39%). The principal component scores of degrading enzymes activity showed significantly positive relationships with R h . Structural equation model showed that Soil Acidification played more important role than N enrichment in changing R s and its components. We therefore suggest that Soil Acidification is an important mechanism underlying Soil respiration changes, and should be incorporated into biogeochemical models to improve the prediction of ecosystem C cycling in the future scenarios of anthropogenic N deposition and acid enrichment.
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a global analysis of Soil Acidification caused by nitrogen addition
Environmental Research Letters, 2015Co-Authors: Dashuan Tian, Shuli NiuAbstract:Nitrogen (N) deposition-induced Soil Acidification has become a global problem. However, the response patterns of Soil Acidification to N addition and the underlying mechanisms remain far from clear. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of 106 studies to reveal global patterns of Soil Acidification in responses to N addition. We found that N addition significantly reduced Soil pH by 0.26 on average globally. However, the responses of Soil pH varied with ecosystem types, N addition rate, N fertilization forms, and experimental durations. Soil pH decreased most in grassland, whereas boreal forest was not observed a decrease to N addition in Soil Acidification. Soil pH decreased linearly with N addition rates. Addition of urea and NH4NO3 contributed more to Soil Acidification than NH4-form fertilizer. When experimental duration was longer than 20 years, N addition effects on Soil Acidification diminished. Environmental factors such as initial Soil pH, Soil carbon and nitrogen content, precipitation, and temperature all influenced the responses of Soil pH. Base cations of Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ were critical important in buffering against N-induced Soil Acidification at the early stage. However, N addition has shifted global Soils into the Al3+ buffering phase. Overall, this study indicates that Acidification in global Soils is very sensitive to N deposition, which is greatly modified by biotic and abiotic factors. Global Soils are now at a buffering transition from base cations (Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+) to non-base cations (Mn2+ and Al3+). This calls our attention to care about the limitation of base cations and the toxic impact of non-base cations for terrestrial ecosystems with N deposition.
Jianyun Ruan - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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effects of long term nitrogen application on Soil Acidification and solution chemistry of a tea plantation in china
Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 2018Co-Authors: Li Fang, Xiangde Yang, Yuanzhi Shi, Qunfeng Zhang, Jianyun RuanAbstract:Abstract In tea (Camellia sinensis) plantation areas, Soil Acidification mainly results from excessive nitrogen fertilization. However, the proposed theoretical explanations for Soil Acidification due to nitrogen fertilization are still lacking empirical validation because most studies have used short-term incubation periods or pot experiments. Here, both Soil and Soil solution samples were taken from a tea plantation field (Ultisol in USDA taxonomy system, or Alisol in WRB taxonomy system) treated using different nitrogen application rates: 0 (N0), 119 (N119), 285 (N285), and 569 (N569) kg N ha−1 yr−1 for 8 years (2006–2013). Soil pH and the concentrations of the relevant cations and anions were also determined. With no nitrogen fertilization (N0), the surface Soil pH decreased from 4.16 to 3.32 after 8 years in the tea plantation. Compared with no nitrogen fertilization (N0), high nitrogen fertilization (N569) significantly decreased the Soil pH from 3.32 to 3.15 and 3.67 to 3.35 in the Soil at depths of 0–40 cm and 40–90 cm, respectively. However, the low (N119) and moderate (N285) nitrogen treatments showed non-significant effects upon Soil pH. Our results confirm the previous findings that a high nitrogen application rate can accelerate Soil Acidification in a tea plantation, and that the subSoil is particularly susceptible to Acidification after heavy nitrogen fertilization. Soil Acidification also significantly decreased the nutrient base cations Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+ in the Soil. Our results suggest that heavy synthetic nitrogen fertilization should be partly replaced with compound or organic fertilizers to mitigate Soil Acidification and nutrient cation deficiency in tea plantation fields.
Xiaojun Shi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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impacts of nitrogen fertilizer type and application rate on Soil Acidification rate under a wheat maize double cropping system
Journal of Environmental Management, 2020Co-Authors: Tianxiang Hao, Xiaojun Shi, Mufan Zeng, Qichao Zhu, Xuejun Liu, Fusuo Zhang, Jianbo Shen, Wim De VriesAbstract:Abstract Nitrogen (N) fertilizer-induced Soil Acidification in Chinese croplands is well-known, but insight in the impacts of different N fertilizer management approaches (fertilizer type and rate) on Soil Acidification rates is very limited. Here, we conducted a field experiment on a moderate acid Soil to quantify Soil Acidification rates in response to N fertilization by different fertilizer types and N rates through monitoring the fate of elements (mainly nutrients) related to H+ production and consumption. Two N fertilizer types (urea and NH4Cl) and three N rates (control, optimized and conventional, 0/120/240 kg N ha−1 for wheat, 0/160/320 kg N ha−1 for maize) were included. Nitrogen addition led to an average H+ production of 4.0, 8.7, 11.4, 29.7 and 52.6 keq ha−1 yr−1, respectively, for the control, optimized urea, conventional urea, optimized NH4Cl and conventional NH4Cl plots. This was accompanied with a decline in Soil base saturation of 1–10% and in Soil pH of 0.1–0.7 units in the topSoil (0–20 cm). Removal of base cations by crop harvesting and N transformations contributed ~70% and ~20% to the H+ production in the urea treated plots, being ~20% and ~75% in the NH4Cl treated plots, respectively. The large NH4+ input via fertilization in the NH4Cl treated plots strongly enhanced the H+ production induced by N transformations. The low contribution of N transformations to the H+ production in the urea treated plots was due to the limited NO3− leaching, induced by the high N losses to air caused by denitrification. Increased N addition by urea, however, strongly increased H+ production by enhanced plant uptake of base cations, mainly due to a large potassium uptake in straw. Our results highlight the important role of optimizing fertilizer form and N rate as well as straw return to the field in alleviating Soil Acidification.
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quantification of the contribution of nitrogen fertilization and crop harvesting to Soil Acidification in a wheat maize double cropping system
Plant and Soil, 2019Co-Authors: Tianxiang Hao, Xiaojun Shi, Mufan Zeng, Qichao Zhu, Xuejun Liu, Fusuo Zhang, Jianbo Shen, Wim De VriesAbstract:Over fertilization with nitrogen (N) is considered the main driver of agricultural Soil Acidification in China. However, the contribution of this driver compared to other causes of Soil Acidification on intensive croplands has seldom been quantified under field conditions. We measured the fate of major nutrients, and calculated the related H+ production, based on the difference between inputs and leaching losses of those nutrients for a wheat-maize rotation system on a moderate acid silty clay loam Soil in a two-year field experiment. TopSoil pH decreased 0.3 units in the plots with conventional (current farmer practice) high N fertilization after two years, with a proton production of 13.1 keq H+ ha−1 yr.−1. No apparent changes in topSoil pH were observed in the plots without N application, in spite of a proton production of 4.7 keq H+ ha−1 yr.−1. Crop uptake was the primary driver of H+ production, followed by N transformation processes and HCO3− leaching in both plots. Nitrogen fertilization had a relative small direct impact on Soil Acidification due to a very limited nitrate leaching, induced by large N losses to air by denitrification in this specific moderately acid Soil, whereas elevated base cation uptake by crops induced by N fertilization indirectly had a relative large impact.
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Model-Based Analysis of the Long-Term Effects of Fertilization Management on Cropland Soil Acidification.
Environmental science & technology, 2017Co-Authors: Mufan Zeng, Xiaojun Shi, Wim De Vries, L.t.c. Bonten, Qichao Zhu, Tianxiang Hao, Xuejun Liu, Fusuo Zhang, Jianbo ShenAbstract:Agricultural Soil Acidification in China is known to be caused by the over-application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers, but the long-term impacts of different fertilization practices on intensive cropl...
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long term tobacco plantation induces Soil Acidification and Soil base cation loss
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2016Co-Authors: Yuting Zhang, Hong Liang, Jian Zhao, Yueqiang Zhang, Xiaojun ShiAbstract:Changes in Soil exchangeable cations relative to Soil Acidification are less studied particularly under long-term cash crop plantation. This study investigated Soil Acidification in an Ali-Periudic Argosols after 10-year (2002–2012) long-term continuous tobacco plantation. Soils were respectively sampled at 1933 and 2143 sites in 2002 and 2012 (also 647 tobacco plants), from seven tobacco plantation counties in the Chongqing Municipal City, southwest China. After 10-year continuous tobacco plantation, a substantial Acidification was evidenced by an average decrease of 0.20 Soil pH unit with a substantial increase of Soil sites toward the acidic status, especially those pH ranging from 4.5 to 5.5, whereas 1.93 kmol H+ production ha−1 year−1 was mostly derived from nitrogen (N) fertilizer input and plant N uptake output. After 1 decade, an average decrease of 27.6 % total exchangeable base cations or of 0.20 pH unit occurred in all seven tobacco plantation counties. Meanwhile, for one unit pH decrease, 40.3 and 28.3 mmol base cations kg−1 Soil were consumed in 2002 and 2012, respectively. Furthermore, the aboveground tobacco biomass harvest removed 339.23 kg base cations ha−1 year−1 from Soil, which was 7.57 times higher than the anions removal, leading to a 12.52 kmol H+ production ha−1 year−1 as the main reason inducing Soil Acidification. Overall, our results showed that long-term tobacco plantation not only stimulated Soil Acidification but also decreased Soil acid-buffering capacity, resulting in negative effects on sustainable Soil uses. On the other hand, our results addressed the importance of a continuous monitoring of Soil pH changes in tobacco plantation sites, which would enhance our understanding of Soil fertility of health in this region.