Journal article
Short-term competition between crop plants and soil microbes for inorganic N fertilizer
E Inselsbacher, N Hinko-Najera Umana, FC Stange, M Gorfer, E Schüller, K Ripka, S Zechmeister-Boltenstern, R Hood-Novotny, J Strauss, W Wanek
Soil Biology and Biochemistry | PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD | Published : 2010
Abstract
Agricultural systems that receive high amounts of inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizer in the form of either ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3-) or a combination thereof are expected to differ in soil N transformation rates and fates of NH4+ and NO3-. Using 15N tracer techniques this study examines how crop plants and soil microbes vary in their ability to take up and compete for fertilizer N on a short time scale (hours to days). Single plants of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Morex) were grown on two agricultural soils in microcosms which received either NH4+, NO3- or NH4NO3. Within each fertilizer treatment traces of 15NH4+ and 15NO3- were added separately. During 8 days of fertilization the fat..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Project LS-05-36 by Vienna Science and Technology Fund WWTF to a project consortium headed by Pis JS, WW and SZ. The authors thank Dr. Konrad Fiedler for statistical advice and one anonymous reviewer for valuable comments to improve the manuscript.