Abstract
Several boreal and alpine forests are depleted in nutrients due to acidification. Fertilization may be a remedy, but rapidly-soluble salts (N, P, K, Mg) may pose nitrate problems for the groundwater or decrease microbial activity.
With the aim to investigate potential nitrogen leaching after fertilization we set up an experiment employing intact soil cores (11 cm diameter, 20–40 cm long) from a mixed forest and a Picea abies stand (soil type Rendsina) in the Northern Calcareous Alps of Austria. The cores were fertilized with a commercial NPK fertilizer or a methylene-urea-apatite-biotite (MuAB) fertilizer at a rate corresponding to 300 kg N ha-1 and incubated for 28 weeks together with unfertilized controls. Both soil water (retrieved 5 cm below the soil surface) and leachate were analyzed for nitrate and ammonium in regular intervals. After the incubation, soil microbial biomass and basal repiration were determined and a nitrogen mineralization assay was performed.
For the control, in the soil water and leachate maximum NH4 + and NO3 - concentrations of 5 and 11 mg N L-1, respectively, were found. Compared to that, MuAB fertilizer resulted in a slow increase of NH4 + and NO3 - in the soil water (up to 11 and 35 mgNL-1 respectively) and in the leachate (4 mg NH4 +-N L-1 and 44 mg NO3 - -N L-1). Highest nitrogen loads were found for the fast release NPK fertilizer, with NH4 + and NO3 - concentrations up to 170 and 270 mgNL-1, respectively, in the soil water. NH4 + -N levels in the leachate remained below 5, while NO3-N levels were up to 190 mg L-1. Fast- release NPK caused a significant decrease of microbial biomass and basal respiration. These parameters were not affected by MuAB fertilizer.
The results suggest that the MuAB fertilizer may be an ecologically appropriate alternative to fast-release mineral fertilizers for improving forest soils.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Aarnio T, Päivinen L and Martikainen P J 1993 Effects of fast and slow-release nitrogen fertilizers on nitrogen availability and stand growth. In Abstract Volume. CEC/IUFRO Symposium: Nutrient uptake and cycling in forest ecosystems, Halmstad, Sweden, June 7–10, 1993. p 90.
Anderson J P E and Domsch K H 1978 A physiological method for the quantitative measurement of microbial biomass in soils. Soil Biol. Biochem.10, 215–221.
Anderson T-H and Domsch K H 1985 Determination of ecophysiological maintenance carbon requirements of soil microorganisms in a dormant state. Biol. Fert. Soils 1, 81–89.985 Determination of ecophysiological maintenance carbon requirements of soil microorganisms in a dormant state. Biol. Fert. Soils 1, 81–89.
Braun-Blanquet L 1964 Pflanzensoziologie. Springer, Wien.
Beck T 1983 Die N-Mineralisation von Böden im Laborbrutversuch. Z. Pflanzenernaehr. Bodenkd. 6, 243–252.
Berg B and Staaf H 1980 Decomposition rate and chemical changes of Scots pine needle litter. II. Influence of chemical composition. In Structure and Function of Northern Coniferous Forests: an Ecosystem Study. Ed. T Persson. Ecol. Bull. (Stockholm) 32, 373–390.
Bredemeier M and Ulrich B 1992 Input/output analysis of ions in forest ecosystems. In Responses of Forest Ecosystems to Environmental Changes. Eds. A Teller, P Mathy and J N R Jeffers. pp 229–243. Elsevier, London.
Carlson R M, Cabrera R I, Paul J I, Ouick J and Evans R Y 1990 Rapid direct determination of ammonium and nitrate in soil and plant extracts. Comm. Soil Plant Anal. 21, 1519–1529.
Ding M M, Yi W M, Liao L Y, Martens R and Insam H 1992 Effect of afforestation on microbial biomass and activity in soils of tropical China. Soil Biol. Biochem. 24, 865–872.
Glatzel G 1991 The impact of historic land use and modern forestry on nutrient relations of central European forest ecosystems. Fert. Res. 27, 1–8.
Heinemeyer O, Insam H, Kaiser E A and Walenzik G 1989 Soil microbial biomass measurements: an automated technique based on infra-red gas analysis. Plant and Soil 116, 191–195.
Katzensteiner K, Eckmuellner R, Jandl R, Glatzel G, Sterba H and Huettl R F 1995 Revitalization experiments in magnesium deficient Norway spruce stands in Austria. Plant and Soil 168/169.
Kubiena W K 1953 Bestimmungsbuch und Systematik der Böden Europas. Enke, Stuttgart.
Martikainen P J, Aarnio T, Taavitsainen V-M, Päivinen L and Salonen K 1989 Mineralization of carbon and nitrogen in soil samples taken from the fertilized pine stands: Long-term effects. Plant and Soil 114, 99–106.
Nohrstedt H-Ö, Arnebrant K, Baath E and Söderström B 1989 Changes in carbon content, respiration rate, ATP content, and microbial biomass in nitrogen-fertilized pine forest soils in Sweden. Can. J. For. Res. 19, 323–328.
Söderström B, Baath E and Lundgren B 1983 Decrease in soil microbial activity and biomasses owing to nitrogen amendments. Can. J. Microbiol. 29, 1500–1506.
Van Cleve K and Moore T A 1978 Cumulative effects of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer additions on soil respiration, pH and organic matter content. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 42, 121–124.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Insam, H., Palojärvi, A. (1995). Effects of forest fertilization on nitrogen leaching and soil microbial properties in the Northern Calcareous Alps of Austria. In: Nilsson, L.O., Hüttl, R.F., Johansson, U.T. (eds) Nutrient Uptake and Cycling in Forest Ecosystems. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 62. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0455-5_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0455-5_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4204-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-0455-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive