HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by He, X. T. Articles by Vanden Heuvel, R. M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by He, X. T. Articles by Vanden Heuvel, R. M. Agricola Articles by He, X. T. Articles by Vanden Heuvel, R. M.

Characterization of Chemically Fixed Liquid Anhydrous Ammonia in an Illinois Drummer Soil

Dep. of Agronomy, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801

*Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

Anhydrous NH₃ applied to soil is subject to chemical fixation by organic matter. A laboratory study was conducted to (i) determine the amount of N retained through chemical fixation of NH₃ compared with the amount of NH₄ fixed by clay, (ii) characterize the organic-matter-fixed NH₃, and (iii) assess the biological availability of the fixed NH₃. Nitrogen-15 labeled liquid anhydrous NH₃ was injected into a Drummer silty clay loam soil (2.07 g NH₃-N kg^–1 soil), and the fixed ¹⁵NH₃-N was characterized by sequential extraction with Na₄P₂O₇, KOH, NaOH, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). About 16% of the ¹⁵NH₃-N injected was fixed by the soil. Of the N fixed, 48% was accounted for by chemical fixation into the soil organic fraction, most of which was removed by sequential extraction, and 52% was accounted for as clay-fixed NH₄. Of the organic-matter-fixed ¹⁵NH₃-N, 55% was recovered in the fulvic acid (FA) fraction obtained by sequential extraction with Na₄P₂O₇ and KOH; about equal amounts (17%) were recovered in the humic acid (HA) and humin fractions. The remainder (11%) was recovered in the NaOH and DMSO extracts. Most of the fixed ¹⁵NH₃-N in the FA fraction was recovered as either low-molecular-weight (LMW) fraction or nonhumic substances. The availability of the fixed ¹⁵NH₃-N (occurring as either organic-matter-fixed NH₃ or clay-fixed NH₄) to soil microorganisms was estimated to be 13% after incubation with glucose for 7 d; from 20 to 22% was found to be potentially available to plants as estimated by distillation with MgO. Results indicate that NH₃-N newly fixed by organic matter occurs in forms that are less stabilized and more biologically available than the native soil N.

This study was a part of Projects ILLU-15-0392 and ILLU-15-0339, Illinois Agric. Exp. Stn. Part of a dissertation submitted by the senior author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the doctoral degree. Supported in part by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Received for publication September 1, 1989.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				I. Morier, C. Guenat, R. Siegwolf, J.-C. Vedy, and P. Schleppi Dynamics of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition in a Temperate Calcareous Forest Soil J. Environ. Qual., October 23, 2008; 37(6): 2012 - 2021. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]