The effect of lignite on nitrogen mobility in a low-fertility soil amended with biosolids and urea

Content Partner: Lincoln University. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. Lignite has been proposed as a soil amendment that reduces nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching from soil. Our objective was to determine the effect of lignite on nitrogen (N) fluxes from soil amended with biosolids or urea. The effect of lignite on plant...

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Main Authors: Paramashivam, D, Clough, Timothy, Carlton, A, Gough, K, Dickinson, Nicholas, Horswell, J, Sherlock, RR, Clucas, LM, Robinson, BH
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:Content Partner: Lincoln University. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. Lignite has been proposed as a soil amendment that reduces nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching from soil. Our objective was to determine the effect of lignite on nitrogen (N) fluxes from soil amended with biosolids or urea. The effect of lignite on plant yield and elemental composition was also determined. Batch sorption and column leaching experiments were followed by a lysimeter trial where a low fertility soil was amended with biosolids (400kgN/ha equivalent) and urea (200kgN/ha equivalent). Treatments were replicated three times, with and without lignite addition (20t/ha equivalent). Lignite did not reduce NO₃⁻ leaching from soils amended with either biosolids or urea. While lignite decreased NO₃⁻ leaching from an unamended soil, the magnitude of this effect was not significant in an agricultural context. Furthermore, lignite increased cumulative N₂O production from soils receiving urea by 90%. Lignite lessened the beneficial growth effects of adding biosolids or urea to soil. Further work could investigate whether coating urea granules with lignite may produce meaningful environmental benefits.