Competition of plants and microorganisms for added nitrogen in different fertilizer forms in a semi-arid climate

verfasst von

Markus Koch, Kanat Akshalov, Jannis Florian Carstens, Olga Shibistova, Claus Florian Stange, Simon Thiedau, Alfiya Kassymova, Leopold Sauheitl, Tobias Meinel, Georg Guggenberger

Abstract

In nitrogen (N)-limited agricultural systems, a high microbial immobilization of applied fertilizer-N can limit its availability to plants. However, there is scarce information on the effect of the form of fertilizer used on the plant–microorganism competition in clay-rich soils under a severe semi-arid climate. In a field study, we investigated the wheat–microorganism competition after the direct application of NH₄¹⁵ NO₃ closely to seeds in arable fields in North Kazakhstan, documenting the effect of the use of liquid versus granular fertilizer and mini-tillage versus no-tillage. Our results barely showed any fertilizer-N translocation in the soil. Plants outcompete microorganisms for fertilizer-N during the vegetation period. Microbial-to-plant¹⁵ N ratios revealed a predominant fertilizer-¹⁵ N uptake by plants. The strong competition for N was mainly related to the placement of the fertilizer close to the seeds. Moreover, the long time interval between fertilization and sampling enhanced the competition for N, meaning that previously microbially immobilized N became available to plants through the death of microorganisms and their subsequent mineralization. The fertilizer distribution between microorganisms and plants did depend on the form of fertilizer used, owing to the good solubility of granular fertilizer. The smaller fertilizer-N uptake under the no-tilling condition was probably due to the more intense soil compaction, which caused a reduction in plant growth. The application of fertilizer close to the seeds and the small fertilizer translocation during the vegetation period ultimately resulted in a high level of plant N being derived from the fertilizer.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institut für Bodenkunde

Externe Organisation(en)

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Scientific and Production Center of Grain Farming named after Alexander Barayev
Technische Universität Clausthal
Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS)
Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR)
Atameken-Agro
Amazonen-Werke H. Dryer GmbH & Co. KG

Typ

Artikel

Journal

Agronomy

Band

11

Anzahl der Seiten

15

ISSN

2073-4395

Publikationsdatum

12.2021

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Agronomie und Nutzpflanzenwissenschaften

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 2 – Kein Hunger

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11122472 (Zugang: Offen)