This study evaluates the potential of manure-derived biochars in promoting plant growth and enhancing soil chemical and biological properties during a 150day pot experiment. Biochars from pyrolysis ...of poultry litter (PL) and swine manure (SM) at 400 and 600°C, and a commonly available wood chip (WC) biochar produced at high temperature (1000°C) were incorporated to silt-loam (SL) and sandy (SY) soils on a 2% dry soil weight basis. Ryegrass was sown and moisture was adjusted to 60% water filled pore space (WFPS). The PL400 and SM400 biochars significantly increased (p<0.05) shoot dry matter (DM) yields (SL soil) and enhanced nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) uptake by the plants in both soils, compared to the Control. All biochars significantly increased the soil carbon (C) contents compared to the Control. Total N contents were significantly greater for PL400 and PL600 treatments in both soils. The dehydrogenase activity (DA) significantly increased for PL400 and SM400 treatments and was positively correlated with the volatile matter (VM) contents of the biochars, while β-glucosidase activity (GA) decreased for the same treatments in both soils. All biochars significantly shifted (p≤0.05) the bacterial community structure compared to the Control. This study suggests that pyrolysis of animal manures can produce a biochar that acts as both soil amendment and an organic fertilizer as proven by increased NPK uptake, positive liming effect and high soil nutrient availability, while WC biochar could work only in combination with fertilizers (organic as well as mineral).
Picture 1 Graphical abstract highlighting “Chemically and biologically-mediated fertilizing value of manure-derived biochars”. Display omitted
•Low temperature manure biochars enhanced DM yield, NPK uptake, and soil properties.•More positive effects of biochars on acidic silt-loam than on alkaline sandy soil.•Wood biochar had no effect on DM yield but showed a good C sequestration potential.•All biochars shifted bacterial community structure and modified enzyme activities.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Combining amendments to the soil made by biochar or hydrochar with nitrogen (N) fertilizer can modify soil N dynamics and availability. Such a response suggests that these amendments would affect ...ammonia (NH₃) emissions from slurry similarly, and potentially reduce volatilization of NH₃. This study measured the potential emissions of NH₃ following application of pig slurry to the surface of silt‐loam and loam soils amended with biochar and hydrochar (both derived from Miscanthus × giganteus (Greef et Deu)) at a rate of 3% soil dry weight (16 t ha⁻¹ soil area, on average) and 60% water‐filled pore space (WFPS). The experiment was carried out in a dynamic chamber connected to a photo‐acoustic trace gas analyser in a controlled climate (20°C) for 48 hours. Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in total emissions were observed between both treatment and soil types. Surprisingly, both amendments increased emissions of NH₃ compared with the control; cumulative NH₃ emissions averaged 38.7 and 23.5% of applied total ammonium nitrogen (TAN) for hydrochar and biochar, respectively, whereas it was 18.2% for the control. The larger emissions in hydrochar‐amended soil were attributed to the reduced ability to absorb NH₄ ⁺ associated with greater hydrophobicity and strong pH buffering of the slurry. Furthermore, final soil analyses with deionised water extracts showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in mineral N concentration between treatments. The smaller ammonium concentrations in biochar‐amended soil suggest that some NH₄ ⁺‐N was immobilized by adsorption on to biochar surfaces. This study observed that biochar and hydrochar properties, as well as soil characteristics, play important roles in controlling NH₃ emissions from surface slurry applications. The results obtained identified circumstances where these amendments even enhance volatilization, which provides new information on and insight into the extent and limitations of the potential of biochar and hydrochar for the mitigation of emissions.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Conversion of pig slurry to pellets is a desirable fertilizer option for farmers who want to mitigate environmental pollution from slurry accumulation. The goals of the current investigation were to ...determine the fertilizer properties of pig slurry solid fraction (SF) pellets and to assess its potential to enhance soil properties in order to reduce ammonia (NH3) volatilization and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Various parameters influence SF-based pellet fertilizer effectiveness: bulking agent use during composting, pellet diameter sizing and soil application type (superficially or incorporated into the soil). Two composts from the same pig slurry SF obtained from a screw press separator were prepared: pig SF compost without a bulking agent (SSFC) and pig SF compost with wood chips as the bulking agent (wood chip compost (WCC)). For each compost type, pellets of two different diameters (6 and 8 mm) were produced. A mesocosm experiment, conducted with maize plants, was used to test the fertilizer value of the considered pellets. In total, three compost fertilizers – SSFC, WCC and nitrogen: phosphorus: potassium mineral fertilizer 15 : 15 : 15, plus one unfertilized control treatment – were applied at the same N rate (equivalent to 200 kg/ha) using two different methods (surface and soil incorporation). After 65 days, above-ground biomass, roots and soil samples were collected and analysed. Subsequently, a second mesocosm study was undertaken to measure NH3 and GHG emissions released from pellet fertilization. Ammonia volatilization was determined immediately after pellet application, while carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions were monitored for 57 days. Study results indicated that both pellet types were effective slow-release fertilizers for maize. Additionally, three actions seemed to make the nutrients contained in pig SF compost pellets more available to plants: addition of a bulking agent before composting, use of small diameter pellets and soil incorporation of the fertilizer.
•N2O emissions increased after fertilisation and remained elevated for 2–3 weeks.•Daily emissions were affected by water-filled pore space.•Size of nitrifying and denitrifying communities increased ...under high N fertilisation.•Shallow groundwater conditions appeared to reduce N2O emissions.
Globally, agriculture is the largest source of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas (GHG). A recognised tool to prevent its loss from agricultural soils is the presence of a shallow water table. A four-year lysimeter experiment (2011–2014) was conducted in northeast Italy to investigate how water table levels affect N2O emissions after different N fertilisation techniques. Soil surface flux and groundwater-dissolved N2O were studied under free drainage and at two shallow water table levels (60 cm and 120 cm) and at two levels of N input (250 and 368 kg N ha−1 y−1), using dry manure in 2011 and 2012 and fresh manure in 2013 and 2014. DNA was extracted from soils and quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to assess the size of nitrifying, denitrifying and N2-fixing bacterial communities. at three soil depths. The day after pre-seeding fertiliser incorporation, N2O emission started to be detected and continued for two-three weeks; brief measurable emissions also followed top–dressing fertilisation events. Cumulative N2O emission measured between 0.97 and 2.33 kg N2O-N ha−1 y−1, corresponding to emission factors from 0.4% to 1.1%. Manure fertilisation significantly affected the N dose only when applied as fresh manure. Water-filled pore space (WFPS) affected daily N2O emissions with a significant interaction with fertilisation level. The two N input levels showed differences only when WFPS was >40%, which revealed N availability as key to increased N2O emissions at high water content, supposedly by fostering anaerobic denitrification. No significant relationships were observed between peak N2O emissions and the values of the temperature or irrigation variables recorded during the experimental observation period. Groundwater dissolved N2O-N concentrations measured about 1.7 μg L−1 with some peak variability from nitrate leaching. Quantitative PCR assays demonstrated that shifts in microbial population that can be involved in oxidation processes and heterotrophic denitrification occurred in the soil, even though the contributions of the different N pathways on N2O emissions were indistinguishable. Indeed, both nitrifying and denitrifying genes were simultaneously promoted by the high fertilisation input and hindered by the high water table level. Shallow groundwater conditions appeared to reduce N2O emissions probably by favouring complete denitrification. These results suggest that in the Po Plain, regulated by the Nitrate Directive, shallow groundwater conditions, with a balanced N input, may mitigate air and water pollution.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
The treatment of manures may improve their agricultural value and environmental quality, for instance with regards to greenhouse gases mitigation and enhancement of carbon (C) sequestration. The ...present study verified whether different pig slurry treatments (i.e. solid/liquid separation and anaerobic digestion) changed slurry composition. The effect of the slurry composition on N2O and CO2 emissions, denitrification and soil mineral nitrogen (N), after soil incorporation, was also examined during a 58-day mesocosm study. The treatments included a non-treated pig slurry (NT), the solid fraction (SF), and the liquid fraction (LF) of a pig slurry and the anaerobically digested liquid fraction (DG). Finally, a non-fertilized (N0) and a treatment with urea (UR) were also present. The N2O emissions measured represented 4.8%, 2.6%, 1.8%, 1.0% and 0.9% of N supplied with slurry/fertilizer for NT, LF, DG, SF and UR, respectively. Cumulative CO2 emissions ranged from 0.40 g CO2-C kg-1 soil (0.38 Mg CO2-C ha-1) to 0.80 g CO2-C kg-1 soil (0.75 Mg CO2-C ha-1). They were highest for SF (56% of C applied), followed by NT (189% of C applied), LF (337% of C applied) and DG (321% of C applied). Ammonium was detected in the soil for all treatments only at day one, while nitrate concentration increased linearly from day 15 to day 58, at a rate independent of the type of slurry/fertilizer applied. The nitrate recovery at day 58 was 39% of the N applied for NT, 19% for SF, 52% for LF, 67% for DG, and 41% for UR. The solid fraction generally produced higher potential denitrification fluxes (75.3 for SF, 56.7 for NT, 53.6 for LF, 47.7 for DG and 39.7 mg N2O + N2-N kg-1 soil for UR). The high variability of actual denitrification results obfuscated any treatment effect. We conclude that treatment strongly affects slurry composition (mainly its C, fibre and NH4+ content), and hence N2O and CO2 emission patterns as well as denitrification processes and nitrate availability. In particular, the solid fraction obtained after mechanical separation produced the most pronounced difference, while the liquid fraction and the anaerobically digested liquid fraction did not show significant difference with respect to the original slurry for any of the measured parameters. Combining data from the different fractions we showed that separation of slurry leads to reduced N2O emissions, irrespective of whether the liquid fraction is digested or not. Furthermore, our results suggested that the default emission factor for N2O emissions inventory is too low for both the non-treated pig slurry and its liquid fraction (digested or not), and too high for the separated solid fraction and urea.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
The repeated addition of organic materials to the soil greatly affects the physical, chemical and biological characteristics. In the present work, we analyzed changes in soil quality properties of ...the tilled layer caused by different agronomic managements of maize which supply different amounts of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) through the addition of slurry, farmyard manure or plant residues. The agronomic history of the analyzed soils, which derived from a medium-term (11
yr) field experiment located in NW Italy, represents typical managements of maize for this region. The area is characterized by highly intensive agriculture, with consequent risks to soil degradation that could be limited by the efficient utilization of organic inputs and by recycling within cropping systems, the large amounts of manure that are produced from the many animal breeding farms in this region. We used a combination of both different chemical (soil organic C and total N) and biochemical indicators (potential soil respiration, potentially mineralizable N (PMN) and potential soil microbial biomass (SMB)). We considered the suitability of the selected biochemical indicators to describe the changes in soil characteristics resulting from the past management.
The results showed that the application of the different organic materials, in addition to urea-N fertilizer, increased SOM contents and altered the selected soil biochemical properties compared with the unfertilized treatment, especially in the upper 15
cm of the 0−30
cm tilled soil layer. Farmyard manure applications caused the greatest increase in SOM content, PMN and potential SMB, whilst return of maize straw produced the largest increase in potential soil respiration, but had less effect on total soil organic C and SMB. The use of slurry only caused a moderate increase in SOM and showed intermediate changes in biochemical properties. Also, the rate of C accumulation in the soil per unit of C applied was higher for farmyard manure application than for slurry and straw incorporation in the soil. Fertilization with only mineral N did not induce an increase in C
org and N
tot and even reduces soil N mineralization potential.
Because of the high variability in the data, potential SMB carbon could be considered as a less successful indicator for differentiating between past agronomic histories and effects on soil quality, whilst microbial activity (measured by potential soil respiration) and PMN, gave a more reliable and useful indication of the amount of easily decomposable organic carbon.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Earthworm activity may have an effect on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from crop residue. However, the importance of this effect and its main controlling variables are largely unknown. The main ...objective of this study was to determine under which conditions and to what extent earthworm activity impacts N2O emissions from grass residue. For this purpose we initiated a 90-day (experiment I) and a 50-day (experiment II) laboratory mesocosm experiment using a Typic Fluvaquent pasture soil with silt loam texture. In all treatments, residue was applied, and emissions of N2O and carbon dioxide (CO2) were measured. In experiment I the residue was applied on top of the soil surface and we tested (a) the effects of the anecic earthworm species Aporrectodea longa (Ude) vs. the epigeic species Lumbricus rubellus (Hoffmeister) and (b) interactions between earthworm activity and bulk density (1.06 vs. 1.61 g cm-3). In experiment II we tested the effect of L. rubellus after residue was artificially incorporated in the soil. In experiment I, N2O emissions in the presence of earthworms significantly increased from 55.7 to 789.1 μg N2O-N kg-1 soil (L. rubellus; p<0.001) or to 227.2 μg N2O-N kg-1 soil (A. longa; p<0.05). This effect was not dependent on bulk density. However, if the residue was incorporated into the soil (experiment II) the earthworm effect disappeared and emissions were higher (1064.2 μg N2O-N kg-1 soil). At the end of the experiment and after removal of earthworms, a drying/wetting and freezing/thawing cycle resulted in significantly higher emissions of N2O and CO2 from soil with prior presence of L. rubellus. Soil with prior presence of L. rubellus also had higher potential denitrification. We conclude that the main effect of earthworm activity on N2O emissions is through mixing residue into the soil, switching residue decomposition from an aerobic and low denitrification pathway to one with significant denitrification and N2O production. Furthermore, A. longa activity resulted in more stable soil organic matter than L. rubellus.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Earthworm activity has been reported to lead to increased production of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). This is due to emissions from worms themselves, their casts and drilosphere, as well as ...to general changes in soil structure. However, it remains to be determined how important this effect is on N2O fluxes from agricultural systems under realistic conditions in terms of earthworm density, soil moisture, tillage activity and residue loads. We quantified the effect of earthworm presence on N2O emissions from a pasture after simulated ploughing of the sod ('grassland renovation') for different soil moisture contents during a 62-day mesocosm study. Sod (with associated soil) and topsoil were separately collected from a loamy Typic Fluvaquent. Treatments included low (L), medium (M) and high (H) moisture content, in combination with: only soil (S); soil+incorporated sod (SG); soil+incorporated sod+the anecic earthworm Aporrectodea longa (SGE). Nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes were measured for 62 d. At the end of the incubation period, we determined N2O production under water-saturated conditions, potential denitrification and potential mineralization of the soil after removing the earthworms. Cumulative N2O and CO2 fluxes over 62 d from incorporated sod were highest for treatment HSGE (973 μg N2O-N and 302 mg CO2-C kg-1 soil) and lowest for LSG (64 μg N2O-N and 188 mg CO2-C kg-1 soil). Both cumulative fluxes were significantly different for soil moisture (p<0.001), but not for earthworm presence. However, we observed highly significant earthworm effects on N2O fluxes that reversed over time for the H treatments. During the first phase (day 3-day 12), earthworm presence increased N2O emissions with approximately 30%. After a transitional phase, earthworm presence resulted in consistently lower (approximately 50%) emissions from day 44 onwards. Emissions from earthworms themselves were negligible compared to overall soil fluxes. After 62 d, original soil moisture significantly affected potential denitrification, with highest fluxes from the L treatments, and no significant earthworm effect. We conclude that after grassland ploughing, anecic earthworm presence may ultimately lead to lower N2O emissions after an initial phase of elevated emissions. However, the earthworm effect was both determined and exceeded by soil moisture conditions. The observed effects of earthworm activity on N2O emissions were due to the effect of earthworms on soil structure rather than to emissions from the worms themselves.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE—Despite treatment with oral anticoagulants, patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) may experience ischemic cerebrovascular events. The aims of this case-control ...study in patients with AF were to identify the pathogenesis of and the risk factors for cerebrovascular ischemic events occurring during non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) therapy for stroke prevention.
METHODS—Cases were consecutive patients with AF who had acute cerebrovascular ischemic events during NOAC treatment. Controls were consecutive patients with AF who did not have cerebrovascular events during NOACs treatment.
RESULTS—Overall, 713 cases (641 ischemic strokes and 72 transient ischemic attacks; median age, 80.0 years; interquartile range, 12; median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale on admission, 6.0; interquartile range, 10) and 700 controls (median age, 72.0 years; interquartile range, 8) were included in the study. Recurrent stroke was classified as cardioembolic in 455 cases (63.9%) according to the A-S-C-O-D (A, atherosclerosis; S, small vessel disease; C, cardiac pathology; O, other causes; D, dissection) classification. On multivariable analysis, off-label low dose of NOACs (odds ratio OR, 3.18; 95% CI, 1.95–5.85), atrial enlargement (OR, 6.64; 95% CI, 4.63–9.52), hyperlipidemia (OR, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.83–3.16), and CHA2DS2-VASc score (OR, 1.72 for each point increase; 95% CI, 1.58–1.88) were associated with ischemic events. Among the CHA2DS2-VASc components, age was older and presence of diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, and history of stroke or transient ischemic attack more common in patients who had acute cerebrovascular ischemic events. Paroxysmal AF was inversely associated with ischemic events (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.33–0.61).
CONCLUSIONS—In patients with AF treated with NOACs who had a cerebrovascular event, mostly but not exclusively of cardioembolic pathogenesis, off-label low dose, atrial enlargement, hyperlipidemia, and high CHA2DS2-VASc score were associated with increased risk of cerebrovascular events.
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