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Ferretti G, Rosinger C, Diaz-Pines E, Faccini B, Coltorti M, Keiblinger KM. Soil quality increases with long-term chabazite-zeolite tuff amendments in arable and perennial cropping systems. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 354:120303. [PMID: 38368802 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
The application of natural zeolites to improve soil quality and functioning has become highly popular, but we still miss information about the long-term effects on the soil due to its application. This study assesses the soil quality index (SQI) of three distinct agricultural soil systems 6-10 years after a single application of natural chabazite zeolite as a soil amendment. These soils exhibit different management practices: intensive arable (cereals), intensive perennial (pear) and organic perennial (olive). In the arable system, a zeolite application dosage of 5, 10 and 15 kg m-2 was tested and compared to unamended soil. In the two perennial systems, an application of 5 kg m-2 was tested against untreated reference sols. A set of 25 soil physical, chemical and biological parameters linked to soil health and quality were analysed at each experimental site. The dataset was investigated through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to calculate the soil quality index (SQI) using linear scoring. In the arable-cereal field, the SQI doubled (0.3 to ca. 0.6 for all amendments) in chabazite-amended plots; a dose effect was not recognizable. In both perennial fields, the SQI was significantly higher in the chabazite-amended plots (5 kg m-2) with similar increases as compared to the arable-cereal field. At each site, the indicators selected by the PCA were different, indicating that chabazite addition impacted soil quality differently in each cropping system. Overall, the results highlighted a significant increase in soil quality with chabazite amendment, which confirms its potential for increasing soil health in the long-term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Ferretti
- Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Christoph Rosinger
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Peter Jordan-Str. 82, 1190, Vienna, Austria; Department of Crop Sciences, Institute of Agronomy, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Konrad Lorenz-Str. 24, 3430, Tulln an der Donau, Austria.
| | - Eugenio Diaz-Pines
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Peter Jordan-Str. 82, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara Faccini
- Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Massimo Coltorti
- Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Katharina M Keiblinger
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Peter Jordan-Str. 82, 1190, Vienna, Austria
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Lan T, Chen X, Liu S, Zhou M, Gao X. Biological and chemical nitrification inhibitors exhibited different effects on soil gross N nitrification rate and N 2O production: a 15N microcosm study. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:116162-116174. [PMID: 37910350 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30638-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Nitrification inhibitors (NIs) are considered as an effective strategy for reducing nitrification rate and related environmental nitrogen (N) loss. However, whether plant-derived biological NIs had an advantage over chemical NIs in simultaneously inhibiting nitrification rate and N2O production remains unclear. Here, we conducted an aerobic 15N microcosmic incubation experiment to compare the effects of a biological NI (methyl 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate, MHPP) with three chemical NIs, 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine (nitrapyrin), dicyandiamide (DCD), and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) on (i) gross N mineralization and nitrification rate and (ii) the relative importance of nitrification and denitrification in N2O emission in a calcareous soil. The results showed that DMPP significantly inhibited m_gross rate (P < 0.05), whereas DCD, nitrapyrin, and MHPP only numerically inhibited it. Gross N nitrification (n_gross) rates were inhibited by 9.48% in the DCD treatment to 51.5% in the nitrapyrin treatment. Chemical NIs primarily affected the amoA gene abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), whereas biological NIs affected the amoA gene abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and AOB. AOB's community composition was more susceptible to NIs than AOA, and NIs mainly targeted Nitrosospira clusters of AOB. Chemical NIs of DCD, DMPP, and nitrapyrin proportionally reduced N2O production from nitrification and denitrification. However, the biological NI MHPP stimulated short-term N2O emission and increased the proportion of N2O from denitrification. Our findings showed that the influence of NIs on gross N mineralization rate (m_gross) was dependent on the NI type. MHPP exhibited a moderate n_gross inhibitory capacity compared with the three chemical NIs. The mechanisms of chemical and biological NIs inhibiting n_gross can be partly attributed to changes in the abundance and community of ammonia oxidizers. A more comprehensive evaluation is needed to determine whether biological NIs have advantages over chemical NIs in inhibiting greenhouse gas emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Lan
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China.
- Key Laboratory of Investigation and Monitoring, Protection and Utilization for Cultivated Land Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China.
| | - Xiaofeng Chen
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Investigation and Monitoring, Protection and Utilization for Cultivated Land Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Shuang Liu
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Investigation and Monitoring, Protection and Utilization for Cultivated Land Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Minghua Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuesong Gao
- College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Investigation and Monitoring, Protection and Utilization for Cultivated Land Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
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Galamini G, Ferretti G, Rosinger C, Huber S, Medoro V, Mentler A, Díaz-Pinés E, Gorfer M, Faccini B, Keiblinger KM. Recycling nitrogen from liquid digestate via novel reactive struvite and zeolite minerals to mitigate agricultural pollution. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 317:137881. [PMID: 36657582 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.137881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Recycling nutrients is of paramount importance. For this reason, struvite and nitrogen enriched zeolite fertilizers produced from wastewater treatments are receiving growing attention in European markets. However, their effects on agricultural soils are far from certain, especially struvite, which only recently was implemented in EU Fertilizing Product Regulations. In this paper, we investigate the effects of these materials in acid sandy arable soil, particularly focusing on N dynamics, evaluating potential losses, transformation pathways, and the effects of struvite and zeolitic tuffs on main soil biogeochemical parameters, in comparison to traditional fertilization with digestate. Liming effect (pH alkalinization) was observed in all treatments with varying intensities, affecting most of the soil processes. The struvite was quickly solubilized due to soil acidity, and the release of nutrients stimulated nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms. Zeolitic tuff amendments decreased the NOx gas emissions, which are precursors to the powerful climate altering N2O gas, and the N enriched chabazite tuff also recorded smaller NH3 emissions compared to the digestate. However, a high dosage of zeolites in soil increased NH3 emissions after fertilization, due to pronounced pH shifts. Contrasting effects were observed between the two zeolitic tuffs when applied as soil amendments; while the chabazite tuff had a strong positive effect - increasing up to ∼90% the soil microbial N immobilization - the employed clinoptilolite tuff had immediate negative effects on the microbial biomass, likely due to the large quantities of sulphur released. However, when applied at lower dosages, the N enriched clinoptilolite also contributed to the increase of microbial N. From these outcomes, we confirm the potential of struvite and zeolites to mitigate the outfluxes of nutrients from agricultural systems. To gain the best results and significantly lower environmental impacts, extension practitioners could give recommendations based on the soils that are planned for zeolite application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Galamini
- Department of Physics and Earth Science, University of Ferrara (UNIFE), Via Saragat 1, 44122, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giacomo Ferretti
- Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara (UNIFE), Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Christoph Rosinger
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1190, Vienna, Austria; Department of Crop Sciences, Institute of Agronomy, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Konrad Lorenz-Straße 24, 3430, Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | - Sabine Huber
- Department of Crop Sciences, Institute of Agronomy, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Konrad Lorenz-Straße 24, 3430, Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | - Valeria Medoro
- Department of Physics and Earth Science, University of Ferrara (UNIFE), Via Saragat 1, 44122, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Axel Mentler
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eugenio Díaz-Pinés
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Gorfer
- Center for Health & Bioresources, Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24, Tulln, Austria
| | - Barbara Faccini
- Department of Physics and Earth Science, University of Ferrara (UNIFE), Via Saragat 1, 44122, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Katharina Maria Keiblinger
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1190, Vienna, Austria
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