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SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY

Influence of Liquid Manure on Soil Denitrifier Abundance, Denitrification, and Nitrous Oxide Emissions

^a Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Potato Research Centre, Fredericton, NB, Canada E3B 4Z7
^b Univ. of Guelph, Dep. of Environmental Biology, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1
^c currently at AgriTECH Park, 90 Research Dr., Bible Hills, NS, Canada B6L 2R2
^d currently at CSIRO Land and Water, Adelaide Laboratory, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia
^e Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Dep. of Environmental Sciences, Truro, NS, Canada B2N 5E3

^* Corresponding author (Bernie.zebarth{at}agr.gc.ca).

The influence of liquid dairy and swine manure, soil water-extractable C (WEC) and glucose on the amount of denitrification, the N₂O molar ratio [N₂O/(N₂O + N₂)], and the abundance of soil denitrifiers was investigated using repacked soil cores. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the abundance of the total bacteria (16S rRNA gene), two denitrifier guilds bearing the cnorB gene, and nosZ gene communities. The availability of both C and N oxides influenced the amount of denitrification and the N₂O molar ratio for simple (glucose) and complex (liquid manure and WEC) C sources. A positive relationship (R² = 0.77) was measured between respiration (cumulative CO₂ emissions) and total denitrification. A negative relationship (R² = 0.70) was found between respiration and the N₂O molar ratio, demonstrating that C availability in soil promotes the reduction of N₂O to N₂. The abundance of the 16S rRNA and cnorB_B (Bosea/Bradyrhizobium/Ensifer spp.) gene bearing bacteria was not significantly affected by the addition of C. The abundance of cnorB_P (Pseudomonas mandelii and related species) gene bearing bacteria increased in response to glucose and manure addition, but only when also amended with NO₃^–. Significant positive correlations were found between the abundance of the cnorB_P gene bearing bacteria and respiration. The nosZ gene bearing bacteria significantly increased only in soil amended with liquid manures. No significant relationships were found between the abundance of denitrifiers and total denitrification, N₂O emissions, or the N₂O molar ratio. Changes in denitrifier community abundance appeared to reflect changes in C substrate availability and were uncoupled to denitrification activity.

Abbreviations: EOC, extractable organic carbon • PCR, polymerase chain reaction • WEC, water-extractable carbon • WFPS, water-filled pore space

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. N. Miller, B. J. Zebarth, C. E. Dandie, D. L. Burton, C. Goyer, and J. T. Trevors Denitrifier Community Dynamics in Soil Aggregates under Permanent Grassland and Arable Cropping Systems Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., September 11, 2009; 73(6): 1843 - 1851. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]