A novel 15N vertical split-root method for in situ estimation of N rhizodeposition
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Estimates of nitrogen (N) losses from living plants (phyllo- and rhizodeposition) are needed to improve the sustainability of the present agricultural cropping systems. These estimates are hard to achieve under field conditions among others due to a lack of suitable methods to study these N flows. A novel vertical split-root with 15N placement in deeper soils layers is suggested here as a means to improve the present tracer based methods for phyllo- and rhizodeposition estimation. We found enrichment of soil above the point of tracer injection (at 290 cm) with rhizosphere having higher enrichment than bulk soil underlining that 15N was derived from roots. The relative net N rhizodeposition was highest for lucerne and decreased with depth for all three plant species investigated (lucerne, kernza®, rosinweed). The quantity of N lost via rhizodeposition amounted to 10–13 kg N ha−1 in the topsoil, but the majority of the N rhizodeposition was found below (25–250 cm) showing the importance of including deeper soil layers in such studies.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 114782 |
Journal | Geoderma |
Volume | 383 |
ISSN | 0016-7061 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2021 |
- N, split-root methodology, Deep-rooted crops, N rhizodeposition, Stable isotope labeling
Research areas
ID: 252043491