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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Soil Sci.
Sec. Soil Biogeochemistry & Nutrient Cycling
Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsoil.2025.1520476
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring the Overlooked Nitrogen Transformation Pathways for Nitrogen Loss or Retention From the Soil Scenario: A Contemporary and Holistic Approach Towards Sustainability View all 7 articles

Nitrification inhibitor promotes fertilizer N stabilization in soil as organic forms during a growing season of maize: A field 15 N tracer study

Provisionally accepted
Zhi Quan Zhi Quan 1*Shanlong Li Shanlong Li 1*Dong Liu Dong Liu 1*Chang Liu Chang Liu 1*Zhifeng Xun Zhifeng Xun 2Xin Chen Xin Chen 1*Yunting Fang Yunting Fang 1*
  • 1 Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenyang, China
  • 2 Liaoning Agricultural Technical College, Yingkou, Liaoning, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    There is limited knowledge regarding the impact of nitrification inhibitors (NIs) and straw application on fertilizer N retention and in-season release. We conducted a trial to study the transformation of 15N-labeled urea in soils during the growing season of maize. To facilitate multiple destructive samplings throughout the season, we utilized a larger plot (25 m2) and a lower abundance 15N-fertilizer (1.193%) than usual. Soil extractable mineral N, mineral fixed ammonium, and organic N (ON) recovered 20±21% (mean ± standard deviation), 6±5%, and 25±6% of the applied fertilizer N across three sampling stages of the growing season. On average, the bioavailability of fertilizer N in extractable mineral form was four times higher than that of mineral fixed ammonium. In contrast, fertilizer-derived ON represented a relatively stable N pool, maintaining high content throughout the growing period and becoming the major form (82%–93%) in the pool of total soil 15N at the physiological maturity stage of maize. Moreover, the co-application of nitrapyrin (a type of NI) significantly promoted fertilizer N storage in the ON form while the effect of straw was not significant. In conclusion, the NI-induced promotion of fertilizer-derived ON likely plays a critical role in storing fertilizer N for subsequent cultivations, rather than providing N nutrients for crop uptake during the current season.

    Keywords: soil N transformation, Microbial N assimilation, Fertilizer N fate, Immobilization and remineralization, straw returning

    Received: 31 Oct 2024; Accepted: 02 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Quan, Li, Liu, Liu, Xun, Chen and Fang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Zhi Quan, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenyang, China
    Shanlong Li, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenyang, China
    Dong Liu, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenyang, China
    Chang Liu, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenyang, China
    Xin Chen, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenyang, China
    Yunting Fang, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenyang, China

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