Fate of Fertilizer-Derived N Applied to Enhance Rice Straw Decomposition in a Paddy Field during the Fallow Season under Cool Temperature Conditions

• Main Authors: Fumiaki Takakai, Seiya Hirano, Yuka Harakawa, Keiko Hatakeyama, Kentaro Yasuda, Takashi Sato, Kazuhiko Kimura, Yoshihiro Kaneta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-03-01
• Series: Agriculture
• Subjects: ammonium sulfate; 15N; paddy soil; rice growth; rice straw decomposition
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/8/4/50

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the fate of nitrogen (N) derived from fertilizer (fertilizer-derived N) applied to a paddy field after rice harvesting to promote rice straw decomposition during the fallow season, and to determine its effect on soil N fertility in northern Japan. A frame containing soil mixed with rice straw and 15N-labeled fertilizer (4.3 g N m−2 ammonium sulfate [AS] or lime-nitrogen [LN]) was placed into a paddy field on a gray lowland soil during the fallow season (October–April), and the following rice-growing season (May–September). Before cultivation (April), the percentages of fertilizer-derived N in soil + straw were higher for LN (55–72%) than for AS (41–63%). At the harvesting stage (September), the percentages of fertilizer-derived N in plants were significantly higher for LN (4.9–6.2%) than for AS (3.4–5.3%), and the percentages in soil were also significantly higher for LN (42–61%) than for AS (31–38%). This could be attributed to the nitrification inhibitory effect of LN and result in the suppression of N losses via leaching. Consequently, fertilizer-derived N could contribute to the maintenance of soil N fertility, and this effect could be higher for LN than AS.