Presentation given by Dr. Michael Russelle to the PICCC Strategic Science Think Tank - Nitrogen efficiency. Thursday 16 August 2012, 10 am – 7 pm, at the University of Melbourne
http://www.piccc.org.au/news/2012/aug/29/piccc-strategic-science-think-tank-nitrogen-efficiency
Improving N Efficiency through Managing Soil Nitrate
1. Improving N efficiency through managing soil nitrate
Michael Russelle
USDA-ARS, St. Paul, Minnesota USA
Within the context of maintaining
an adequate supply for plant growth,
• Reduce sources
• Reduce accumulation
• Reduce movement
• Reduce the hotspots
• Reduce to N2
2. Many N sources, many not measured
N dynamics in western Iowa watersheds
Burkart et al. 2005
3. Large losses of NH3 from surface-applied urea fertilizer and manure
livestock buildings
feed and stand-off pads
manure storage facilities
Burkart et al. 2005
4. Manure mis-management
29 farms in Victoria, and Wisconsin, USA
Non-productive areas
25 to 50% loss
Engineered sand lot C = Confinement
to separate urine and dung, C, EY = Confinement with exercise yard
C, SG = Confinement with seasonal grazing
provide storage, and YG = Year-round grazing
facilitate collection YG, FP = Year-round grazing with feeding area
Hristov et al. 2011, Can. J. Anim.Sci. 91:1 Gourley et al. 2012. Agric. Ecosys. Environ. 147:73
5. Dairy cattle Poultry
Beef cattle Pigs
Sheep Ammonia loss from pastures 60 kg/ha
Animal population density varies widely
Ammonia emissions and redeposition
will vary accordingly
Eckard et al., 2003, Aust. J. Agric. Res. 54:561
Stephanie Muir, 2011, Greenhouse gas emissions from Australian beef feedlots.
PhD Dissertation, Univ. Melbourne
http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/about-agriculture/publications-resources/animal-health-report
6. Ammonia emissions are re-deposited downwind
Cumulative deposition (%)
Forests
Agriculture
Distance from a point source (m)
0.25 1 6 20 100 miles
Grünhage et al. 2002. Landbauforschung Völkenrode 4(52):219
7. Redeposition of atmospheric ammonia
Wet deposition, dry deposition
Precip., turbulence, LAI, NH3 compensation point …..
Corn and Soybean Digest, 2011
8. Ammonia redeposition
North Carolina
Cajke et al. 2004. 24th Annual ESRI Int. User Conf.
Model results
kg N/ha/yr
< 0.8 16-23
2.2-4 33-46
6.5-10 >61
9. The Netherlands, Asman et al. 2004
Loubet et al.2009, in Sutton et al. Atmospheric Ammonia
10. Deposition affected by
crop species
Airborne N input
(μg N/pot/d)
Total deposition
Deposition to pot
AdPN (μg/d/g DM)
DM (g)
Canola Barley Sunflower Corn Sugarbeet Cabbage
Russow and Böhme. 2005. Geoderma 127:62
11. Rotations of perennials and annuals
conserve and build resources
Tim McCabe, NRCS Don Reicosky, USDA-ARS
• Deep roots recover • Fertilizer N credit
leached N • Less pesticide use
• Utilizes shallow GW • Spread labor needs
• Improves soil tilth • Improves aesthetics
• Erosion control • Wildlife habitat
12. N mineralization is earlier, faster, and longer after alfalfa
40 35
Net N mineralized (kg N/ha)
15-cm Soil Temperature (C)
C,S,W/A, A
C,C 30
30
Soil temp
25
20
20
10
15
0 10
0 50 100 150 200
Day of Incubation
Follow the legume (or grass pasture) with the right crops
Often sufficient for a high yielding maize crop
DOC also released –
need to reduce rate of nitrate production low
Carpenter-Boggs et al. 2000. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 66:2038
Lawrence et al., 2008, Agron. J. 100:73
13. Protease inhibitors reduce N mineralization from soil OM and plant residue
Purified proteases applied to soil or soil + alfalfa; 50-day incubation
40
(a)
CS+Complete PI (D0+D25)
Soil only
30
CS+Aprotinin
CS+Complete PI
CS+EDTA
CS+Leupeptin
Control soil (CS)
Net N Mineralized (mg/kg soil)
20
Complete ‘cocktail’ best
10
0
120
(b)
Soil + alfalfa
CSA+Complete PI (D0+D25)
100
Control soil + alfalfa (CSA)
80
Complete ‘cocktail’ best
CSA+Complete PI
60 with 2X dose
CSA+Leupeptin
CSA+Aprotinin
(11 Mg/ha tissue added)
CSA+EDTA
40
20
0
Kuldip Kumar et al., 2004, in D.J. Hatch (ed) Controlling nitrogen flows and losses, p.186-7
14. Protease inhibitor activity can delay N mineralization and nitrate leaching
Brassica residues with (line 108b) and without the Pin 2 from potato
Leaves mechanically wounded 3 days before adding to soil (1.5-2X increase in PI activity)
PI-transgenic Non-PI isogenic
PI- transgenic Non-PI-isogenic
140 (a) 40
120
100 *
30
Conc. Inorganic N in leachate (mg(mg/L)
80
Residue N mineralized (% of applied)
of inorganic-N in leachate L )
Residue N mineralized (%)
* 20
-1
60
Mixed with soil
40 10
*
20 *
*
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Days
140 (b)
40
120
100 30
*
80
20
60
* On soil surface
40 * *
10
*
20
*
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Days Kuldip Kumar et al., 2006, Agron. J. 98:514
15. Reduce nitrate movement
Predicted nitrate loss: not all soils are leaky.
Protect drinking water strategically
Lucerne
Corn
145 kg N/ha
< 2 lb N/a Dark green
2-4 lb N/a Light green
4-8 lb N/a Yellow
8-16 lb N/a Orange
> 16 lb N/a Red
Russelle et al., 2011, GIS in Agriculture
16. Derailment site
NH4 and NO3 in
soil and shallow ground water
Not remediated after 7 years of
various treatments.
CP Rail
Site remediated
in 3 years with Still contaminated
alfalfa.
Excess N removed
Fixing and
non-fixing equal N2-fixing Non-N2-fixing
Russelle et al., 2001, JEQ 30:30 Bruce Fritz
Bruce Fritz
17. Reduce leaching from an abandoned WI barnyard
Terraserver
normal non-N-fixing
lucerne lucerne
Russelle et al., 2007, Agron. J. 99:738 N.B. Turyk, 2002
19. Nitrate leaching not eliminated by alfalfa
+ an upgradient source of nitrate
Russelle et al., 2007, Agron. J. 99:738
20. ‘Grassed’ waterways reduce nitrate loss in tile drains
How they work
Lynn Betts, NRCS PEI Dept Agric. & For. April
35
Nitrate concentration (ppm N)
30
25 October
20
15
10
5
0
Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan
2002 2003 2004 2005 NO3
21. J.M. Baker, USDA-ARS, 2012
Maize
Kura clover
Soybean
Data from adjacent fields with same soil type , Rosemount MN 2010
23. Corn in living mulch
Rosemount, MN
2011
Silage production
equivalent to
conventional corn,
with substantially
less N fertilizer
J.M. Baker, USDA-ARS, 2012
26. Small plot experiment, drip irrigation, loamy sand
Established lucerne, cocksfoot, Bromus inermis, and soybean
irrigated with high nitrate water (25 to 50 mg N/L)
by drip irrigation during the growing season
(2.5 to 5.0 cm water/week)
28. Glasshouse trial, constant water flux
100 cm column filled
with sand
Three plants per
column
Species alternating in
adjacent columns
Three treatment
groups
Kathy Bellrichard, undergrad thesis
30. 12 30
Optimal application rate in coarse sand
Lucerne 4.3 mm/hr
Cocksfoot 9.5 mm/hr
Phytofiltration works, but only on sands
Kathy Bellrichard, undergrad thesis
31. We can select alfalfa for/against soil nitrate uptake
Fraction of N from nitrate
0.8
1999
0.7
2000
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
Total herbage N (g/plant)
Heritable and reproducible in the field
Should be useful in clovers for grass/legume mixtures.
Can we leverage particular host/rhizobium combinations?
Lamb et al., 2008. Crop Sci. 48:450
41. Pumping-induced ebullition
Ebullition: spontaneous formation
of bubbles
Occurs when PT > PH (soda bottle)
Lowering PH below PT allows
a harvest of bubbles
Accomplished with frictional loss
of head (small diam. tubing)
Mini-piezometers
HDPE tubing (4.3 mm i.d.)
Perforated along distal 2.5 cm
Installed with a stainless steel rod
Browne, 2004, Environ. Sci. Technol. 38:5729
43. Excess N2
Groundwater analyses, 2002
DOC (mg/L)
DO (%)
Corn Pasture Corn Pasture
Denitrified N (%)
DON (mg/L)
4 ha
Dairy cows
Browne et al., 2002, Corn Pasture
unpublished data Corn Pasture
44. Managing soil nitrate:
Reduce sources
Reduce accumulation
Reduce movement
Reduce the hotspots
Reduce to N2
45. Matric potential better predictor than WFPS across soils
Does higher SOM and aggregation increase or decrease N2O?
Castellano et al., 2009, Global Change Biol. 16:2711
van der Weerden et al., 2012. Soil Res. 50:125
46. Integral total nitrogen input (ITNI) system
15N fed at constant atom %
If N input = 0 then 15Nsystem = 15N as fed
If N input only to plant then 15N plant < 15N as fed and 15N solution stable
If N input only to soil then 15N plant, soil, and solution < 15N as fed
If N input to both then 15N plant, soil, and solution < 15N as fed
ufz.de
But the N that is excreted in urine and dung also needs attention.We need to devise systems for better collection, and application, but also for preserving manure quality. Reducing ammonia loss will enhance value and increase reliability.
Ammonia emissions are surely large in Victoria. Can you provide information for farmers or advisors?How can we reduce N losses from non-productive land, manured surfaces and storage, and during land application?
There is a lot to recommend rotations of annuals with perennials.
Because N release can be both fast and considerable, the rotation needs to be planned for the soil, climate, and farm constraints
This is a system that could potentially support both grain and bioenergy production from the same land base, without the risk of erosion and soil carbon loss.
MN has developed a statewide map dataset of potentially restorable wetlands that can be used as a guide for feasibility studies. Here is an example, happens to be Watonwan County, that has been overlaid on a land use map. The flesh-color that covers most of the map denotes fields that are planted in corn or soybean. The blue indicates existing water and the green delineates potentially restorable wetlands. You can see that they are scattered throughout, offering substantial flexibility in locating surface water storage. Now obviously an area like this has a substantial amount of tile drains and ditches. In relatively level fields with pattern tile drains, if these systems are hydraulically connected to surface water bodies they can be used in reverse, a practice known as subirrigation that has been shown to increase yields of both corn and soybeans. Where the terrain is not so level, or where the tile networks are more haphazard, other irrigation techniques would be necessary. These could include conventional center pivots, traveling guns, rolling systems, or newer designs. Note the amount of money that has been spent on crop insurance payouts for water-related yield loss – over $9 million during the past 12 years. These payments scale with crop prices. Over the period corn averaged $3.05 and soybeans 6.14. Current prices are just about double. If they stay that high over the next 12 years, the payout will double – over $18 million, even assuming no change in freq. or intensity of drought/excess water. Climate models suggest that both will intensity.
These would provide wildlife habitat, and reduction in downstream N & sediment loss. Can we make them leaky, in a way that will increase their effective capacity, recharge aquifers and support pivot irrigation?