Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6302523 | Ecological Engineering | 2013 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
Understanding nutrient dynamics in non-typical soil materials such as bauxite-processing residue sand (pHÂ >Â 10; ECÂ >Â 30Â dSÂ mâ1) is critical for developing fertilizer strategies and evaluating ecological restoration performance. Indices relating nitrogen (N) concentration in soil to plant N uptake are well-established for natural soils but their application to non-typical soils has received little attention. This study investigated a range of soil-based methods [i.e. 2Â M KCl extractable inorganic N (NH4+, NO3â), potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN), and 0.01Â M CaCl2 extractable N] to identify their suitability for describing soil-plant N relations in highly alkaline bauxite-processing residue sand. Nitrogen availability indices were measured under laboratory (pot trial) and field conditions. Pot trial was established using residue sand that had been amended (10%, v/v, basis) with various organic (greenwaste compost, biochar and biosolids) and inorganic (zeolite) materials. Both the field study and pot trial showed that 2Â M KCl extractable NO3â-N was most highly correlated with plant biomass N compared with the other N availability indices. Findings from this study suggest that 2Â M KCl extractable NO3â-N can be used as a soil quality indicator in developing fertilizer management strategies and assessing ecological status of the residue storage areas.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Authors
J.B. Goloran, C.R. Chen, I.R. Phillips, Z.H. Xu, L.M. Condron,