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How do different nitrogen application levels and irrigation practices impact biological nitrogen fixation and its distribution in paddy system?

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Abstract

Background and aims

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in paddy systems is impacted by nitrogen application levels and irrigation strategies, but the extent to which these factors influence BNF and its distribution in soil and rice is largely unclear. This study investigates this influence.

Methods

An airtight, transparent growth chamber based 15N-labelling system was used to investigate how different nitrogen application levels (0, 125, 187.5 and 250 kg N ha−1) and irrigation strategies (flooding irrigation or intermittent irrigation) impact the amount of BNF and its distribution in soil and rice.

Results

Nitrogen application at 125–250 kg N ha−1 reduced the amount of BNF by 81–86%. The inhibition effect of nitrogen application on BNF at a soil depth of 1–15 cm was greater than that at 0–1 cm. Relative to the continuous flooding irrigation, intermittent irrigation enhanced rice growth and promoted the transfer of fixed nitrogen from 0-1 cm soil layer to rice, but it did not change the total amount of BNF.

Conclusions

This study indicated that BNF supplied little nitrogen for rice production at the high nitrogen application levels, but the intermittent irrigation could promote utilization of biologically fixed nitrogen.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31870500 and 41501273), and the Special Project on the Basis of the National Science and Technology of China (2015FY110700).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 71, East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Yanhui Zhang, Tianlong Hu, Hui Wang, Haiyang Jin, Zhibin Lin, Benjuan Liu, Hongtao Liu, Zhe Chen, Xinwu Lin, Xiaojie Wang, Jing Ma, Delin Sun, Xiaoli Sun, Haoye Tang, Qicheng Bei & Zubin Xie

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A, Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China

    Yanhui Zhang, Tianlong Hu, Hui Wang, Haiyang Jin, Zhibin Lin, Benjuan Liu, Hongtao Liu, Zhe Chen, Xinwu Lin, Xiaojie Wang, Jing Ma, Delin Sun, Xiaoli Sun, Haoye Tang & Qicheng Bei

  3. Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, No. 159, Longpan Road, Nanjing, 210037, China

    Qi Liu

  4. Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    Francesco Cherubini

  5. Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Ullevål Stadion, P.O. Box 3930, 0806, Oslo, Norway

    Hans Peter H. Arp

  6. Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    Hans Peter H. Arp

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  1. Yanhui Zhang
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  2. Tianlong Hu
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  16. Qicheng Bei
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  19. Zubin Xie
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Correspondence to Zubin Xie.

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Zhang, Y., Hu, T., Wang, H. et al. How do different nitrogen application levels and irrigation practices impact biological nitrogen fixation and its distribution in paddy system?. Plant Soil 467, 329–344 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-05093-7

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