| Title: |
An evaluation of nitrogen indicators for soil health in long‐term agricultural experiments |
| Authors: |
Liptzin, Daniel; Rieke, Elizabeth L.; Cappellazzi, Shannon B.; Bean, G. Mac; Cope, Michael; Greub, Kelsey L. H.; Norris, Charlotte E.; Tracy, Paul W.; Aberle, Ezra; Ashworth, Amanda; Tavarez, Oscar Bañuelos; Bary, Andy I.; Baumhardt, R. Louis; Gracia, Alberto Borbón; Brainard, Daniel C.; Brennan, Jameson R.; Reyes, Dolores Briones; Bruhjell, Darren; Carlyle, Cameron N.; Crawford, James J. W.; Creech, Cody F.; Culman, Steve W.; Deen, Bill; Dell, Curtis J.; Derner, Justin D.; Ducey, Thomas F.; Duiker, Sjoerd W.; Dungan, Robert S.; Dyck, Miles F.; Ellert, Benjamin H.; Entz, Martin H.; Solorio, Avelino Espinosa; Fonte, Steven J.; Fonteyne, Simon; Fortuna, Ann‐Marie; Foster, Jamie L.; Fultz, Lisa M.; Gamble, Audrey V.; Geddes, Charles M.; Griffin‐LaHue, Deirdre; Grove, John H.; Hamilton, Stephen K.; Hao, Xiying; Hayden, Zachary D.; Honsdorf, Nora; Howe, Julie A.; Ippolito, James A.; Johnson, Gregg A.; Kautz, Mark A.; Kitchen, Newell R. |
| Contributors: |
Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation; General Mills; Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research |
| Source: |
Soil Science Society of America Journal ; volume 87, issue 4, page 868-884 ; ISSN 0361-5995 1435-0661 |
| Publisher Information: |
Wiley |
| Publication Year: |
2023 |
| Collection: |
Wiley Online Library (Open Access Articles via Crossref) |
| Description: |
Various soil health indicators that measure a chemically defined fraction of nitrogen (N) or a process related to N cycling have been proposed to quantify the potential to supply N to crops, a key soil function. We evaluated five N indicators (total soil N, autoclavable citrate extractable N, water‐extractable organic N, potentially mineralizable N, and N ‐acetyl‐β‐ D ‐glucosaminidase activity) at 124 sites with long‐term experiments across North America evaluating a variety of managements. We found that 59%–81% of the variation in N indicators was among sites, with indicator values decreasing with temperature and increasing with precipitation and clay content. The N indicators increased from 6%–39% in response to decreasing tillage, cover cropping, retaining residue, and applying organic sources of nutrients. Overall, increasing the quantity of organic inputs, whether from increased residue retention, cover cropping, or rotations with higher biomass, resulted in higher values of the N indicators. Although N indicators responded to management in similar ways, the analysis cost and availability of testing laboratories is highly variable. Further, given the strong relationships of the N indicators with carbon (C) indicators, measuring soil organic C along with 24‐h potential C mineralization could be used as a proxy for N supply instead of measuring potentially mineralizable N or any other N indicator directly. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| DOI: |
10.1002/saj2.20558 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20558 |
| Rights: |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.D9FD56A9 |
| Database: |
BASE |