MICROBIAL BIOMASS, N-MINERALIZATION, AND THE ACTIVITIES OF VARIOUS ENZYMES IN RELATION TO NITRATE LEACHING AND ROOT DISTRIBUTION IN A SLURRY-AMENDED GRASSLAND
E. Kandeler et al., MICROBIAL BIOMASS, N-MINERALIZATION, AND THE ACTIVITIES OF VARIOUS ENZYMES IN RELATION TO NITRATE LEACHING AND ROOT DISTRIBUTION IN A SLURRY-AMENDED GRASSLAND, Biology and fertility of soils, 18(1), 1994, pp. 7-12
High rates of cattle slurry application induce NO3- leaching from gras
sland soils. Therefore, field and lysimeter trials were conducted at G
umpenstein (Austria) to determine the residual effect of various rates
of cattle slurry on microbial biomass, N mineralization, activities o
f soil enzymes, root densities, and N leaching in a grassland soil pro
file (Orthic Luvisol, sandy silt, pH 6.6). The cattle slurry applicati
ons corresponded to rates of 0, 96, 240, and 480 kg N ha-1. N leaching
was estimated in the lysimeter trial from 1981 to 1991. At a depth of
0.50 m, N leaching was elevated in the plot with the highest slurry a
pplication. In October 1991, deeper soil layers (0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 3
0-40, and 40-50 cm) from control and slurry-amended plots (480 kg N ha
-1) were investigated. Soil biological properties decreased with soil
depth. N mineralization, nitrification, and enzymes involved in N cycl
ing (protease, deaminase, and urease) were enhanced significantly (P<0
.05) at all soil depths of the slurry-amended grassland. High rates of
cattle slurry application reduced the weight of root dry matter and c
hanged the root distribution in the different soil layers. In the slur
ry-amended plots the roots were mainly located in the topsoil (0-10 cm
). As a result of this study, ow root densities and high N mineralizat
ion rates are held to be the main reasons for NO3- leaching after heav
y slurry applications on grassland.