Soil respiration is one of the major carbon (C) fluxes between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere and plays an important role in regulating the responses of ecosystem and global C cycling to natural and anthropogenic perturbations. A field experiment was conducted between April 2005 and October 2006 in a semiarid grassland in northern China to examine effects of topography, fire, nitroge...

The main objective of this study was to compare the performance of two liquid organic fertilizers, an animal and a plant-based fertilizer, with mineral fertilization on citrus trees. The source of the fertilizer (mineral or organic) had significant effect in the nutritional status of the organic and conventionally managed mandarins. Nutrient uptake, vegetative growth, carbohydrate synthesis and...

Soil testing is the basis for nutrient recommendation and formulated fertilization. This study presented a brief overview of potentiometric electrochemical sensors (ISE and ISFET) for soil NPK detection. The opportunities and challenges for electrochemical sensors in soil testing were

Archaeal (AOA) and bacterial (AOB) ammonia-oxidizer responses to long-term field fertilization in a Mollisol soil were assessed through pyrosequencing of amoA genes. Long-term fertilization treatments including chemical fertilizer (NPK), NPK plus manure (NPKM), and no fertilization over 23 years altered soil properties resulting in significant shifts in AOA and AOB community composition and abu...

In this study, we examined the influence of different nitrogen (N) application rates (0, 168, 240, 270 and 312 kg N ha(-1)) on soil properties, maize (Zea mays L.) yields and microbial communities of three types of soils (clay, alluvial and sandy soils). Phospholipid fatty acid analysis was used to characterize soil microbial communities. Results indicated that N fertilization significantly dec...

the effects of banana continuous cropping on soil quality and chemical properties and crop yield were investigated under continuous cropping for 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 15 years in hainan province, china. the results indicated that the contents of total n, total k, available k, nh4-n, exchangeable ca, and available cu tended to increase, while total organic c (toc), available s, and available zn te...

Human-caused alterations of the carbon and nutrient cycles are expected to impact tropical ecosystems in the near future. Here we evaluated how a combined change in carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability affects soil and litter microbial respiration and litter decomposition in an undisturbed Amazonian rainforest in French Guiana. In a fully factorial C (as cellulose), N (as ur...

A well-managed chemical nitrogen (N) fertilization practice combined with treated swine slurry (TSS) is necessary to improve sustainability and N use efficiency in rice farming. However, little is known about the fate of N derived from chemical N fertilizer with and without TSS in paddy soil-plant systems. The objectives of this study were (1) to estimate the contribution of applied N fertilize...

Although increasing evidences have emerged for responses of soil microorganisms to fertilizations, the knowledge regarding community assemblages that cause variations in composition is still lacking, as well as the possible feedback to soil fertility. Phylogenetic conservatism of species indicates their similar environmental preferences and/or function traits and phylogenetic signals further ca...

Climate warming could increase rates of soil organic matter turnover and nutrient mineralization, particularly in northern high-latitude ecosystems. However, the effects of increasing nutrient availability on microbial processes in these ecosystems are poorly understood. To determine how soil microbes respond to nutrient enrichment, we measured microbial biomass, extracellular enzyme activities...